Freedom Isn't Free

The ASID Foundation does many good works and you’ve likely heard about some of them. Such as

• The Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) revised the professional standards for interior design education in 2009, supported by large contributions from the Foundation.
• The Green House exhibit at the National Building Museum has, to date, attracted the largest number of visitors—over 133,000—to the Museum. The Foundation was a major sponsor.
• The Foundation and USGBC partnered to create the REGREEN best practice guidelines for sustainable residential renovations.

Worthy projects all, but get ready for this next one to tug at your heart.

More than 25 million veterans reside in the United States.
More than 6.9 million veterans are disabled.
More than 4.3 million veterans have a combined annual income of less than $20,000.
More than 31,000 service members have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In response and through a new partnership with Rebuilding Together and its Veterans Housing Initiative,  the ASID Foundation is helping to provide safe, sustainable and accessible housing for active duty and retired members of United States Armed Forces who own homes, yet are in desperate need of assistance. The fact is, many of these men and women cannot afford the cost of home maintenance and often times are physically unable to modify or maintain their homes.

Individual ASID chapters will be working with Rebuilding Together and other volunteers for veterans and their families throughout the U.S. They will bring universal design concepts, hopefully grounded in sustainability, to those who need—and deserve—it most. The initial project is underway in Washington, DC.

Please consider making a donation to the ASID Foundation. Your tax-deductible gift will not only help build a better design community, but will also help others in need. Make checks payable to ASID Foundation, sent to 608 Massachusetts Ave, NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Yes, I’m a member of the ASID Foundation Board of Trustees so I have a vested interest in this, but then, so do we all. Freedom isn’t free.