For over three decades, Electrical Alliance contractor ArchKey/Mona has supported Christmas in April, a volunteer-run program that provides free home rehabilitation services to low-income community members. This year, they helped provide a life-changing renovation for a local Prince George County woman.
Family-Oriented Through and Through
ArchKey/Mona’s original owner helped launch the Prince George’s County chapter of Christmas way back in April 1989, with a commitment to helping community members in need. That spirit of service has carried forward through the years, with new generations of employees continuing the tradition. Six or seven years ago, the current Division Manager, John Simm, was asked to join as House Captain.
“I’ve run with it ever since,” Simm said.
Every year, ArchKey/Mona employees, often joined by their own family members, volunteer to restore a home for another family.
“We are a family-oriented company reaching out to other families in need, adopting their house, and making their home a safe, comfortable place they can be proud of again,” said Simm.
Transforming Mrs. Hall’s Home
This year’s project centered around the home of Mrs. Sallie Hall, who has been having a tough time after the loss of her husband.
Mrs. Hall’s children and grandchildren joined the hard-working team, which included ArchKey/Mona employees and their families, Calvert Technical Academy students and instructors, and PEPCO representatives. Altogether, 34 people helped make it happen.
“To see Mrs. Hall’s happy tears with all her children and some grandchildren there with us helping to make it a place where the whole family could get together again was a feeling of joy that has no words,” said Simm.
The team got a lot done over several days. They completed room rearrangements, general cleaning, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with strobes, telephone outlets with safety features, new toilets, grab bars, storage solutions, LED lighting, drywall and door repairs, electrical outlet updates, painting, stair rail installations, window repairs, a new mailbox—and even refreshed the garden areas for spring.
Power in Numbers
As we like to say at The Electrical Alliance, by growing together, we all become stronger. When people join together, there’s no limit to the impact we can make. That’s what keeps ArchKey/Mona returning to the Christmas in April initiative decade after decade.
“It is a great feeling to choose the right homeowner and house each year to make an impactful difference in someone’s life as a team that is like family,” Simm said.
As John Simm shared in a LinkedIn post:
“HUGE thank you to Kari Logan, DJ Murphy, Jason Fean, Jason Howell, Eric Glasser, Brandi Mudd, Hannah and Merideth Bailey, Mathew Emery, Jesse Wynn, David Dove, Jim Marshall, Brian Haynes, Dennis and Alex Ferstler, Debbie Jones, Harrison and Jackie Dishman, Gus Santivanez-Perez, Laura Haynes from PEPCO, and Rick Vilano, Gavin O’Barr, Connor Leoffler, and Ethan Carter from the Calvert Technical Academy, and the Hall Family!”
