With the need for safe, stable housing greater than ever on Cape Cod and the Islands, Housing Assistance Corporation is seeking volunteers to fundraise for its 18th Annual Telethon for Hope this holiday season.
“The telethon is a great opportunity for people to embrace the spirit of the holiday season by giving back to those who need it most,” said Housing Assistance Chief Development Officer Anne Van Vleck “Every year, this event reminds us that so many of our neighbors either don’t have a stable home to keep them safe this winter or they are one or two paychecks away from losing their home. By fundraising, donating to, or sponsoring the telethon, you can provide that stability which is sorely needed in our region.”
Housing Assistance has set a goal to raise $100,000 for this year’s telethon. “The Cape is in the midst of a housing crisis and these funds will fill a critical need in helping our agency address it,” Van Vleck said.
This year, Housing Assistance has awarded more than $4 million in emergency financial assistance to keep families and individuals stably housed. In a typical pre-pandemic year, that amount has been between $300,000 and $350,000. Over the course of six weeks this summer, the agency saw a spike in workers seeking help with 50 people looking for housing at a time when rental inventory is almost nonexistent and real estate prices have spiked to record levels, making home buying out of reach for many.
Community groups, school groups, faith-based organizations, and businesses that are interested in organizing a team for the telethon should contact Housing Assistance Assistant Director of Development Catherine Clarke at cbaker@haconcapecod.org.
There will be a traveling trophy for the Top Individual Fundraiser and Top Team Fundraiser and incentives, which include a Telethon for Hope commemorative pin and Telethon for Hope Santa hat, for those who reach fundraising thresholds.
Mid-Cape Home Centers was the 2020 Telethon for Hope top fundraising team.
Last year, Mid-Cape Home Centers took home the honors for top fundraising team and will once again be returning to participate in the Telethon for Hope. “The severe lack of housing options available to the average year-round working family is becoming more of a problem for the Cape every single day. Mid-Cape cares deeply about the community that our employees and building partners live and work in and we are always doing what we can to help improve the future,” said Mid-Cape’s Marketing Director Crystal Pieschel. “Getting a team together to participate in the Telethon for Hope allows us to roll up our sleeves and make a direct impact on local housing. It’s an event that is near and dear to our hearts.”
Donations to the telethon can be made by clicking the button below.
This year’s telethon will kick off on Monday, November 29 with 12 Days of Giving on Housing Assistance’s social media channels and broadcast media, highlighting the critical need for safe, stable housing and the work that Housing Assistance is doing to address it. The telethon will culminate with a broadcast on local public access Channels 98 & 99 as well as on Housing Assistance’s social media on Friday, December 10.
Funds raised from the telethon will go to support Housing Assistance’s mission to strengthen the Cape Cod and Islands region by empowering individuals, fostering community connections, and increasing affordable housing opportunities. It does this through a range of programs which include operating three family shelters, preventing homelessness, developing affordable housing, overseeing nearly 1,200 rental vouchers in our region, conducting financial literacy classes, foreclosure prevention counseling, offering free energy audits and weatherization measures to low-income households, and connecting first-time homebuyers to homeownership opportunities through its nonprofit real estate department, Cape Community Real Estate.
Along with fundraisers and donors, Housing Assistance is seeking sponsors for this year’s Telethon for Hope. Businesses interested in learning more about becoming an event sponsor should contact Deanna Bussiere at dbussiere@haconcapecod.org.
Current sponsors include the Cape Media Center as well as Housing Assistance’s Annual Corporate Sponsors, Cape Cod Five Foundation; Shepley Wood Products Inc.; Bayside Building, Inc.; Cape Save; Dellbrook|JKS; Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation; Sullivan & Sullivan Auctioneers; the William & Linda Zammer Foundation; Chatham Wayside Inn; First Citizens’ Federal Credit Union; Mid-Cape Home Centers; The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod; Princi Mills Law PC; RogersGray; Ira Toyota of Hyannis; and TrimBoard.
