On Jan. 19, HomeAid Atlanta announced the recipients of its sixth annual awards during the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association’s Installation and Awards Program at Cobb Galleria.  Awards were presented for Builder of the Year, Trade Partner of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.  These awards honor organizations and individuals demonstrating great commitment to HomeAid Atlanta and its mission of building and maintaining dignified housing where homeless families and individuals can rebuild their lives.

The three award recipients were:

• 2011 Builder of the Year – John Cooper, Cooper Homes
• 2011 Trade Partner of the Year – Jeff Woodman, Woodman Insulation
• 2011 Volunteer of the Year – CBRE, Inc.

The award recipients are knowledgeable and passionate about HomeAid Atlanta’s mission, are committed to improving Atlanta’s homeless crisis and have given generously of their time and talents in their respective roles.

“It was truly a privilege to honor these three organizations and individuals for their kindness and dedicated service,” said Carl Riden, president of HomeAid Atlanta. “Their support has been a tremendous asset in helping us continue fulfilling our mission of building hope for today’s homeless.”

The HomeAid Atlanta Builder of the Year Award honors a devoted builder advocate of HomeAid Atlanta. John Cooper, the 2011 award recipient, has been an active supporter of HomeAid for several years.  He has participated in numerous HomeAid Cares projects to assist local service providers with repairs and upgrades to their facilities serving the homeless.  He is also a contributor to HomeAid’s Essentials for Young Lives^® Drive, helping to provide necessities to homeless moms and their babies.  As the president and founder of Cooper Homes, he began building in the Atlanta area in 1982.  He is an active member of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and has been a member of the Certified Professional Home Builder program since 2003.

The HomeAid Atlanta Trade Partner of the Year Award honors an extraordinary non-builder partner of one or more of HomeAid Atlanta’s projects.  The 2011 award recipient, Jeff Woodman, has been involved with HomeAid Atlanta for many years, donating insulation and other services for several HomeAid shelter projects.  In addition, his company has regularly participated in one of HomeAid’s annual fundraisers, the Fairway to Haven^® Golf Classic.  He is the president of Woodman Insulation, a company that has been providing the metro Atlanta area with professional insulation services since 1986. The company’s solid reputation and superior customer service under Woodman’s leadership has helped make them one of the premiere insulation companies in the Southeast.

The HomeAid Atlanta Volunteer of the Year Award is presented to a group of HomeAid’s dedicated volunteers for their outstanding service. CBRE, Inc., the 2011 award recipient, has partnered with HomeAid to organize two Care Day projects in conjunction with the company’s annual “Get Out and Give Back” BuildMonth. Through these projects, CBRE volunteers assisted with making repairs and improvements at two local facilities serving the homeless.  The company also supports HomeAid’s Essentials for Young Lives^® Drive, participating in the collection of essential supplies for homeless babies.  CBRE, Inc. (formerly CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc.) is a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, and is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm (in terms of 2010 revenue).

The award winners were nominated by HomeAid Atlanta’s board of directors and staff, and selected based on their service and commitment to HomeAid Atlanta and its mission.

About HomeAid Atlanta:

Founded in 2001, HomeAid Atlanta is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working in partnership with the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, and is a local chapter of HomeAid America, a leading national provider of transitional housing for the temporarily homeless. The HomeAid mission is to build and maintain dignified housing where homeless families and individuals can rebuild their lives. HomeAid acts as the housing developer and liaison between homeless service providers, builders, trade partners and community volunteers.  To date, HomeAid Atlanta has completed 16 housing developments that serve the temporarily homeless, including victims of domestic violence, teen mothers, abused and abandoned children, and homeless families. For more information about HomeAid Atlanta, visit www.homeaidatlanta.org.