The Building Group's, Charities

The Building Group is committed to social responsibility and actively supports charities on local, national and international levels. The Building Group proudly supports the following charities:

Light of Life Rescue Mission
The Building Group is happy to support, Light of Life Rescue Mission. Founded in 1952, Light of Life Rescue Mission is a nonprofit, non-denominational Christian organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of homeless and needy men, women and children. The Mission was originally known as Harbor of Hope, and served as a refuge for transient men. Eventually, recovery programs and services were expanded to include women and children as well. In 1979, several buildings were purchased on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Today, emergency shelter and men’s residential programming take place at 10 E. North Avenue. Programs for women and children are conducted at another North Side facility. Finally, an apartment building on Tripoli Street houses men who require support services for a longer term. For more information, go to www.lightoflife.org.

Mario Lemieux Foundation
The Building Group is also happy to contribute to the Mario Lemieux Foundation, created in 1993 by hockey legend Mario Lemieux. The main objective of the Mario Lemieux Foundation is to fund promising medical research projects being conducted by talented scientists. Among the donations made by the Foundation was a five million dollar gift to UPMC Health System to establish the Mario Lemieux Centers for Patient Care and Research in 2001. The Mario Lemieux Foundation has also established the Austin Lemieux Neonatal Research Project, in honor of Mario and Nathalie Lemieux's healthy son who was born prematurely. This grant supports research at Magee-Women’s Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in their Division of Neonatology and Developmental Biology. Additionally, the Lemieux Foundation supports other organizations such as the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Leukemia Society, the Lupus Foundation and the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. For more information, go to www.mariolemieux.org.

ALS Therapy Development Foundation
Since 2003, The Building Group participated in a Pittsburgh fundraiser for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The fundraiser netted about $260,000 for ALS research. In addition, The Building Group has made donations to the ALS Therapy Development Foundation. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons in the brain (upper motor neurons) and spinal cord (lower motor neurons). There is no cure for ALS, but research is leading to promising new treatments. For more information, visit www.als.net.

The Salvation Army
The Building Group contributes to The Salvation Army to help in the basic social services and the beliefs developed by William Booth have remained an outward visible expression of the Army’s strong religious principles. In addition, new programs that address contemporary needs have been established. Among these are disaster relief services, day care centers, summer camps, holiday assistance, services for the aging, AIDS education and residential services, medical facilities, shelters for battered women and children, family and career counseling, vocational training, correction services, and substance abuse rehabilitation. More than 30 million a year are aided in some form by services provided by The Salvation Army.

In this new century, The Salvation Army is serving more people in the USA than ever before. We are already seeing large increases in the number of Americans seeking the basic necessities of life – food, shelter, and warmth. More than 33 million people received help from The Salvation Army in 2004. We can show you the magnitude of the mission facing The Salvation Army in communities throughout the United States. For more information, go to: www.salvationarmyusa.org

Easter Seals Greater Washington-Baltimore Region

Easter Seals provides exceptional services to ensure that all people with disabilities or special needs and their families have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their communities.

Providing Services for People with Disabilities & Their Families
Children and adults with disabilities and special needs find high-quality services designed to meet their individual needs when they come to Easter Seals. Teams of therapists, teachers and other professionals help each person overcome obstacles to independence and reach his or her personal goals. Easter Seals also includes families as active members of any therapy program, and offers the support families need. Easter Seals offers these services throughout the Greater Washington-Baltimore Region.

Inter-Generational Center
Easter Seals Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Inter-Generational Center is a high-quality, cost effictive, national and regional model that unites services for children, adults, and their families under one roof creating meaningful connections between generations and people with and without disabilities.

The Inter-Generational Center incorporates the following services:

Early Education & Child Development Center
Adult & Senior Social/Medical Day Program
Assistive Technology & Therapy Center

Family Caregiver Resource Center
Respite Program

Education & Training Center
Military & Veterans' Services

Adult Day Services
Extending Easter Seals medical rehabilitation expertise, Easter Seals adult day services meet daytime needs of adults with disabilities and older adults while promoting their dignity and independence. Easter Seals partners with families to ensure a continuation of their high-standards of care. Licensed occupational, physical and speech/language therapists deliver services in a familiar environment “where it means the most.”

Child Development Centers
Meeting a growing need for high-quality child care for more than 20 million young children and their working parents, Easter Seals offers child care for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Young children are welcomed to a unique environment where children of all abilities learn together.

Home and Community Therapy
Individualized occupational, physical, cognitive, and speech/language therapy services are provided for children and adults who attend our centers. In addition, outpatient therapy and therapy in individual’s homes, in schools and other day care facilities is available for individuals ages birth-100+.

Easter Seals provides cutting edge therapy services to persons with disabilities in their natural environments such as their homes, schools or workplace. Licensed occupational, physical and speech/language therapists deliver services in a familiar environment “where it means the most.”

Military Family Respite Program
Easter Seals provides free respite services to Military families in the Greater DC Region.

Family Friends Respite Program

Family Friends Respite Program is Easter Seals new intergenerational program that matches volunteers 55 years of age and older with a child with a disability in need of a friend. Volunteers spend a few hours per week playing, reading, spending time, and sharing their experience and skills with a child and family in need of extra support.

Family Caregiver Resource Center
Easter Seals believes that serving people with disabilities cannot be fully achieved without supporting their family caregivers. Family caregivers, not social service agencies, nursing homes, or government programs are the mainstay underpinning long-term care for older persons and people with disabilities in the United States.

Education and Training Center

Military & Veterans' Services
Returning home from military service after experiencing combat and adjusting to life -- especially life with an injury or a disability -- can be a complex, bewildering and extended process. The crisis facing the nation in meeting the physical and mental health needs of the 1.8 million members of the Armed Forces who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan is overwhelming and continues to grow. Thousands of injured military service members are returning home hoping to successfully transition to civilian life. Many communities are not equipped to respond appropriately to their unique needs, nor are they aware of how to best work with military and veterans systems in the process. Easter Seals' Military and Veterans Initiative responds to this call for action.

For more information, go to: http://gwbr.easterseals.com