A Fantastic 40th Anniversary!
More than 250 Attendees Helped Brothers Celebrate Four Decades of Housing
Bravo to Brothers!
That was the sentiment on Oct. 6, as the long-established nonprofit hosted Opening Doors: Celebrating 40 Years of Housing with Brothers Redevelopment.
Hosted by popular KOSI 101 morning personalities Denise Plante and Murphy Huston and presented by Key Sponsors FirstBank and Pillar Property Services, LLC, 'Brothers' and its friends basked in the many special memories created thorugh four decades of housing provision for those in need.
“‘Brothers’ has come a long way over the past 40 years,” said Mary Ann Shing, president. “Where we were once more of a grass roots organization, we’ve grown into a leader that is helping the region address its most pressing housing challenges.”
Established in 1971 by four individuals to address communitywide housing disparities, Richard Magnus, Joe Giron, Don Schierling and the late Manny Martinez, ‘Brothers’ quickly became known as an agency that would work to address the all manner of housing issues for low-income populations across the state.
Through the growth of its programming and the help of community and corporate sponsors and tens of thousands of volunteers , ‘Brothers’ has since met the housing needs of more than 83,000 low-income, elderly and disabled clients.
Today, ‘Brothers’ provides housing for more than 575 senior and disabled tenants at 12 independent living complexes in the metro area; provides home maintenance and repair to elderly and disabled homeowners to improve their in-home safety and mobility; oversees the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline; recruits thousands of volunteers to stage an annual Paint-A-Thon for seniors; and provides pre-purchase, reverse mortgage and default counseling to thousands of homeowners annually. In all, the agency serves approximately 4,000 clients per year.
“I believe that Brothers is able to serve so many because we’re seen an accountable, credible and flexible partner more interested in outcomes than in accolades,” said Shing, who has been with the organization for 33 of its 40 years in existence. “Whether it’s a local government agency or church down the street, they are able to see our willingness and desire to help those with financial and physical limitations.”
Through its efforts to preserve housing accessibility, affordability and safety, Brothers has become a highly credible partner for local officials looking address and overcome some of the region’s most pressing housing challenges. Today, the organization counts several local governments and public agencies among its formal partners, including Adams and Arapahoe counties, the cities of Arvada, Brighton, Commerce City, Denver, Northglenn, Thornton and Westminster; the Colorado Division of Housing and the office of Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.
In fact, the Attorney General was one of six individuals and organizations to be recognized during the event. For his efforts to support housing counseling efforts across the state, Brothers presented him with a special Homeownership Preservation Award.
Other honorees included the Mennonite Housing Development Corporation, which received the President's Housing Preservation Award; the city of Thornton, which was presented with an Oustanding Government Partnership award; Sue Corbett, director of the Brighton Senior Center, who earned a Local Government Champion honor; PCL Construction, which was dubbed the agency's Volunteer Vanguard; and the Daniels Fund, unveiled as Oustanding Foundation Partnership.
The agency also works alongside hundreds of volunteers representing corporations, churches, civic groups and sectors of the community to help clients care for their homes—saving them thousands of dollars in home maintenance and repairs. That's why Brothers Founder Don Schierling offered a very personal and moving tribute to the work of volunteers and their impact on the agency over 40 years.
"It is with much gratitude and great humility that Brothers Redevelopment thanks our volunteers and this community for giving us the privilege and opportunity to serve," Schierling shared. "You’ve made an impact and brought us together in ways that we could never have imagined all those years ago. You’ve inspired us all."