February 19, 2010
Albano and Associates, CPA
P O Box
Marion, VA 24354
Attn: Mike Albano
Dear Mike,
We’re pleased to announce that our annual “Smyth County Fuller Center 5K Fun Run / Walk” will be held on Saturday, May 8, 2010. This event is our primary fundraiser which allows us to pursue our mission of providing simple, decent, affordable housing for local families in need. We appreciate your past support of Smyth County Fuller Center and hope you will again sponsor this year’s race.
The Fuller Center for Housing is a Christian housing ministry that seeks to eradicate substandard and poverty housing by working in partnership with individuals and community groups to build and rehabilitate homes. Homeowners work hand-in-hand with volunteers to build their own homes, which are then sold to them on terms they can afford, based on the Biblical idea of no-profit, no-interest loans. The mortgage payments are used to build even more Fuller Center houses. Our local group, formerly Smyth County Habitat for Humanity, became a Fuller Center covenant partner early in 2008. The Fuller Center now has covenant partners in over 50 U.S. communities and in 15 countries.
We were pleased to dedicate our first Fuller Center house this past September to Aulbin and Catherine Pennington of Konnarock. The Penningtons lost their son Greg in 2004 during his service in Iraq. Greg had promised to build his parents a new house when he returned from the war. The Pennington’s previous house, built in the late 1800s and a family home for four generations, was not suited to withstand another winter. Although we were thankful to finish the Pennington house last fall, we still have some unpaid bills and need funds to allow us to resume construction of our next house on Chilhowie Street in Marion.
We ask that you and your associates consider being a sponsor for this year’s 5K Fun Run / Walk. Like past years, we are asking event sponsors for a contribution of $300. The names of sponsors will be printed on T-shirts that will be provided for race participants. Checks can be mailed to Smyth County Fuller Center, P.O. Box 711, Marion, VA 24354.
The event will start and finish at Marion Baptist Church, 1258 N. Main Street, Marion, VA. Race entry forms can be downloaded at www.runtricities.org. We encourage participation of folks of all ages and look forward to seeing our sponsors and supporters on race day.
If you have questions or need more information, please feel free to call me at (276)677-3113.
Sincerely,
Bill Baldwin, Volunteer Director
Smyth County Fuller Center for Housing
