Photo courtesy of Great Lakes Roofing.
Photo courtesy of Furey Roofing & Construction Co. Inc., Providence, R.I.
Photo courtesy of the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association.
Photo courtesy of Johns Manville Roofing Systems.
Photo courtesy of Elk Premium Building Products.
Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp., Brookfield, Wis.
Photo courtesy of the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association.
Photo courtesy of the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association.
Photo courtesy of the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association.
Photo courtesy of the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association.
Photo courtesy of Furey Roofing & Construction Co. Inc., Providence, R.I. 
Photo courtesy of Furey Roofing & Construction Co. Inc., Providence, R.I. 
Photo courtesy of Furey Roofing & Construction Co. Inc., Providence, R.I. 
Photo courtesy of HJE Marketing, Mundelein, Ill.
The past two years have been difficult to say the least. The stock market plummeted; Sept. 11, 2001, events were devastating; and officers of many multimillion dollar companies were indicted for criminal activities. In response, individual and corporate budgets tightened, and the United States plunged into a recession.
But it is during these times of economic strife people need charity the most. And fortunately, though there seems to be less time and money to go around, people still take pride in reaching out to those in need. According to the American Association of Fundraising Counsel Trust for Philanthropy, total charitable-giving dollars increased 1 percent to $240.92 billion during 2002. And corporate giving, which accounts for 5 percent of all giving during 2002, grew 10.5 percent to $12.19 billion.
Following are stories about how some companies within the roofing industry were part of the 2002 charitable-giving statistics and intend to improve the statistics for 2003.
Gold Circle winners
During NRCA's 116th Annual Convention and Exhibit, the association recognized its Gold Circle Award winners in three categories: Outstanding Workmanship, Innovative Solutions and Service to the Community. (There were no entries for Service to the Industry.)
Great Lakes Roofing Corp., Germantown, Wis., and Furey Roofing & Construction Co. Inc., Providence, R.I., won Gold Circle Awards for Service to the Community. (To read about NRCA's other 2003 Gold Circle Award winners, see "And the award goes to ... ," May issue, page 20.)
Great Lakes Roofing
Great Lakes Roofing's company motto is "Be safe or die"; the blunt words illustrate safety's importance to the company culture. The company has won the Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award four times and earned a safety commendation from former Wisconsin Gov. Scott McCallum because of its safety and health procedures and policies.
Because of the company's commitment to safety, it isn't surprising Great Lakes Roofing was one of the first businesses to offer its help when the Germantown Fire Department decided to build The Survive Alive House & University, Germantown.
The facility's purpose is to teach fire safety, but it also intends to partner with hospitals, schools and other organizations to teach various safety- and health-education classes. Students ranging from preschool-age children to senior citizens will be able to take classes about smoke detectors, electrical safety, the 911 system, neighborhood watches and other topics.
Great Lakes Roofing, which also partners with the Germantown Fire Department for an annual cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first-aid program, wanted to provide the roofing materials and labor for The Survive Alive House & University.
"We wanted to demonstrate to our neighbors that we care about and support positive projects such as The Survive Alive House & University," says Doug Pettit, customer service and sales representative for Great Lakes Roofing. "Our philosophy is safety first; we want everyone to go home to their families at the end of the day, which is the same philosophy as The Survive Alive House & University."
Great Lakes Roofing began work in spring 2002 and still is finishing final details—an unfinished gas line installation delayed work for two months. The project's scope included installing an underlayment around drip edges, valleys and roof-to-siding transitions. The 13-member crew also installed No. 30 felt, a rolled ridge vent, step flashings, shingles and a cap sheet on steep-slope roof areas.
A roof membrane, fiberboard roof insulation and sheet-metal flashings were installed on the low-slope roof area that covers the patio and the building's back exit.
The Survive Alive House & University has scheduled its grand opening for Oct. 4 and will provide Germantown and surrounding communities with resources they need to survive a fire and other dangerous events.
"We're proud of this project because we know it will help people," Pettit states. "The Survive Alive House & University means a lot to everyone involved, especially those whose lives it will save."
Furey Roofing & Construction
Tom Furey, owner of Furey Roofing & Construction, often sent workers to perform repairs on Warwick, R.I.-based Sargent Rehabilitation Center's leaking roof system. The nonprofit Sargent Rehabilitation Center treats disabled adults and children. The center has pediatric day programs, adult neurological-rehabilitation day treatment programs and comprehensive outpatient programs.
In June 2002, Furey's crew again was hired to repair leaks when it determined the center's roof system needed to be replaced before winter. The roof system has several valleys, and the shingles in those areas were especially deteriorated, which caused leaks in the building and closed several therapy rooms during rainy weather. The center's administration had expected the negative roof system diagnosis but was not financially prepared to replace the roof system; the 22,000-square-foot (2044-m²) roof system would cost about $80,000 to replace.
Furey, a member of the North/East Roofing Contractors Association's (NERCA's) Community Service Committee, was sympathetic and approached the committee about replacing the roof system as NERCA's 2002 Community Service Project. NERCA accepted the endeavor, and Furey volunteered to coordinate the project.
Furey explains: "We tend to look at a project as an opportunity to make a profit and don't always consider the importance of watertightness. Kids weren't getting the therapy they needed because of falling plaster. This was our opportunity to give back a little."
Furey and NERCA staff members spent about six weeks soliciting materials and labor from several area suppliers, manufacturers and roofing contractors. They gathered more than 100 volunteers from 26 NERCA members to work on the project during three days in October 2002.
"Imagine getting two dozen roofing contracting companies that typically would be competing to work together," Furey says with a chuckle.
Communication and coordination were Furey's greatest challenges not only because of the size of the crew but also because the Sargent Rehabilitation Center has 90 clients and 30 employees. Their safety and workers' safety had to be ensured. To protect clients from distracting noise and debris, the center scheduled a field trip for the Friday during which roofing work occurred. Workers were protected with slide guards on the roof system and hard hats on the ground.
Furey set up a schedule to guarantee he had adequate help during the three-day project, which included removing deteriorated plywood and flashings and installing architectural shingles.
Marilyn Serra, president and chief executive officer of Sargent Rehabilitation Center, described her happiness with the project in a letter nominating Furey Roofing & Construction for a Gold Circle Award.
Serra writes: "Our pediatric building received a face-lift last October when this project was completed, and we are incredibly grateful to Tom Furey for leading the charge! His commitment to community, his profession and colleagues is exceptional and deserving of national recognition."
Contractors who care
Unfortunately, NRCA cannot give an award to every roofing contractor who performs charitable work. And there are many unreported cases of roofing contractors' generosity. But several other contractors shared their stories with Professional Roofing.
Madsen Roof Co. Inc.
Peter and Christian Madsen, owners of NRCA member Madsen Roof Co. Inc., Sacramento, Calif., became involved with the Sacramento Children's Home, a center for abused and neglected children that offers resources to prevent abuse, because of Ron Davis, Sacramento Children's Home's chief executive officer. The men met while they were members of the Sacramento Rotary Club and established a three-year partnership that included a plan to reroof three buildings that serve as children's housing units on the home's 17-acre (7-hectare) grounds.
The Madsens persuaded Olympic Supply, Sacramento, to donate roofing materials for the project. To date, one housing unit was reroofed in 2002 with plans to begin the next one in October.
"The community has been good to us, and we wanted to give something back," Christian Madsen says. "The children's home is short on funds for improvements, and we believe it's a good cause."
NRCA affiliate endeavors
Because contractors are busy completing projects for customers, it's sometimes easier to become involved with a charitable organization soliciting help than seek out charitable endeavors on one's own. For example, NRCA's official charitable organization, Rebuilding Together,™ always is seeking help to rehabilitate the homes of low-income homeowners, especially those who are disabled or elderly.
The Connecticut Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA) has been involved with Rebuilding Together for several years. One week before National Rebuilding Day 2003—the last Saturday in April—NRCA and CRCA members Allied Roofing & Sheet Metal Co. Inc., East Hartford, Conn., and The C.G. Bostwick Co., Hartford, Conn., donated labor to reroof two houses in Hartford. The houses featured several layers of roofing materials that were removed and replaced with 40-year-warranted shingle roof systems. Materials for the houses and an additional house that was being reroofed through Rebuilding Together were donated by NRCA members Avenel, N.J.-based Bradco Supply Corp.'s and Somerville, Mass.-based Beacon Sales Co.'s Hartford facilities.
The Ohio Roofing Contractors Association worked with Rebuilding Together's Columbus, Ohio, chapter to replace the roof system on an elderly woman's house in Columbus on National Rebuilding Day. The house's ceiling was caving, and the homeowner was afraid to turn on her lights because fixtures often were filled with water.
Jordan Ritenour, apprenticeship coordinator for the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers Local No. 86, Columbus, led 20 apprentices during the seven-hour roof system replacement project.
Ritenour states: "We understand the need for roofing assistance is huge, and this was an opportunity to give back to our neighbors. It also was a great way to provide practical experience for our apprentices and give them a chance to be involved in community service."
Although roofing work often is the means by which charitable contributions are performed within the industry, many NRCA affiliates find other ways to involve their contractor members with charity.
For example, the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association (ARCA) has been involved with the Greater Phoenix Youth At Risk Foundation for six years. The foundation develops programs to keep at-risk youth from becoming involved with drugs and gangs by reinforcing self-esteem, strengthening families and increasing school attendance. The foundation depends on donations to fund the programs, which are free to youths.
Each January, ARCA's volunteer committee begins seeking community partners to donate to the foundation through ARCA. Partners may donate money, products or services for asilent auction or raffle ARCA holds in June during its annual bowling tournament. The themed tournament involves participants bowling in costumes. This year, players dressed patriotically or as their favorite music groups from any era. Through its efforts, ARCA raised $25,000 for the Greater Phoenix Youth At Risk Foundation bringing its six-year total to $100,000.
ARCA regularly receives letters from youths its donations inspire.
A 17-year-old mother wrote: "What I learned at Greater Phoenix Youth At Risk Foundation was how to be a better person, understand others and give value to myself. Now, I am a great mother and very thankful for my baby who is the most important person in the world to me. Because of Greater Phoenix Youth At Risk Foundation, I will continue my education for myself and my child."
Manufacturers help
Manufacturers regularly contribute to charities by donating their products to various organizations. But manufacturers also find other ways to give.
Firestone Building Products Co.
Firestone Building Products Co., Carmel, Ind., found a way to make charitable contributions through its approved applicators with its annual Community Service Program. Firestone Building Products-licensed contractors named 2002 Inner Circle of Quality Award or Partners in Quality Award winners were eligible to participate in the program.
During 2002, five commercial roofing contracting companies donated labor to charitable organizations in their communities. The contractors installed Firestone Building Products roofing materials on public and private organizations' buildings. Participating companies then received annual material credits from Firestone Building Products.
NRCA members Greenberg Roofing Co., Grand Forks, N.D.; Holland Roofing Group, Florence, Ky.; and J.M. Young & Sons Inc., Belleville, Pa., participated in the program and donated materials and labor to Fargo, N.D.-based Nativity Catholic Church; The Kids Helping Kids Treatment Center, Milford, Ohio; and Valley View Retirement Community, Belleville, respectively.
Johns Manville Roofing Systems
Manufacturers often donate products to organizations they believe demonstrate their principles. For example, Denver-based Johns Manville Roofing Systems is dedicated to furthering environmental roofing practices, according to David Scheirer, manager of the JM Roofing Institute, which provides training to Johns Manville Roofing Systems' preferred roofing contractors and distributors. Johns Manville Roofing Systems' interest in environmental roofing practices led to its involvement with Garrison, N.Y.-based Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center, home of the late Russel Wright, an interior designer who brought affordable design into U.S. homes during the 1930s to 1950s.
After Wright died in 1976, his home came under control of Manitoga Inc., a nonprofit trust that converted the home into a museum and educational institution to advance Wright's legacy of design.
Through the years, the center needed work. And a major component of the center that needed refurbishing was the roof system. The original built-up roof system was installed over a wood deck, and Wright had transformed the roof into a garden to make it blend with the environment; it was one of the first green roof systems of its time. However, because Wright regularly watered his rooftop garden, the roof system developed leaks that caused structural damage to the house.
Because Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a new roof system had to match the original roof system's appearance. Johns Manville Roofing Systems donated a membrane that would be conducive to a green roof system and resemble the original roof system.
Other efforts
When making charitable contributions, it often is difficult to choose just one deserving organization. Dallas-based Elk Premium Building Products Inc. participates in various charitable organizations each year. The company donates its roofing materials to U.S. Habitat for Humanity projects and Dallas-based Christian Community Action, which helps families in financial crises by paying bills, providing housing and fixing cars. And when it comes to helping others, Elk Premium Building Products also remembers the smallest sufferers—pets. The company donated all the materials to build a lavish dog house that was auctioned for $700 to benefit the Dallas-area Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Appropriately, the Elk Premium Building Products shingles used on the doghouse were the color barkwood.
The Owens Corning Foundation, Toledo, Ohio, also makes contributions to several charities throughout the year, including local United Way, Junior Achievement and Habitat for Humanity programs, as well as others. The foundation contributes through its grants program, which was established to support health and human services programs, education programs and low-income housing programs. The foundation believes it is important to support charity in communities in which a large number of Owens Corning employees live and encourages its employees to volunteer with local charitable organizations.
Manufacturers also have the means to involve people in charitable contributions on a national level. Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp., Brookfield, Wis., recently established Heavy Duty Helping at the 2003 Jimmy Carter Work Project for Habitat for Humanity. The company donated Tilt-Lok circular saws and miter saws for the event.
To help gain national recognition for Heavy Duty Helping, Milwaukee Electric Tool partnered with the National Football League Players Association to help active and retired football players assist their communities. In addition, Milwaukee Electric Tool intends to donate tools to Habitat for Humanity International for every touchdown scored from inside the 20-yard line during 2003-04 Monday night football games.
Other manufacturers participate with national organizations locally, such as Rebuilding Together. GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., is involved with the Bergen County, N.J., Rebuilding Together chapter. Of 15 Bergen County houses chosen to receive repairs during National Rebuilding Day 2003, four of them required roofing work. GAF Materials donated shingles to reroof three houses and make repairs on the fourth house. More than 900 volunteers were available to rehabilitate the 15 houses, including members of GAF Material's staff.
The rewards
These only are a few of many charitable contributions made each year by the roofing industry. These philanthropic-minded NRCA affiliates, contractors and manufacturers know charitable contributions are essential for their communities and improve the roofing industry's image. Giving to charities and participating in charitable events also motivates employees to be proud of their companies.
Most important, it is the roofing industry's interest in helping those less fortunate that encourages roofing professionals to give. Now, as the economy continues to struggle and unemployment soars, companies should take the time to offer what they can to those in need.
Christina Koch is associate editor of Professional Roofing magazine and NRCA's manager of public relations.
Intelligent giving
Although charitable organizations are respectable vessels through which you can help the needy, there are many unscrupulous organizations that intend to take advantage of your generosity. According to the National Consumers League's Web site, www.nclnet.org, when donating your money or time, consider the following tips:
Source: Adapted from www.nclnet.org, as cited in First Draft, June issue.
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