Once again, we were thrilled to embrace our members and partners for the 33rd Annual HAND Honors. Our annual fundraiser wasn’t just any event; it was an evening filled with inspiration, connection, and celebration. It’s through gatherings like these that we’re able to fortify the partnerships necessary for our collective vision of carving out a more equitable region.

Thanks to our sponsors and the whole HAND community for their generous support, which made HAND Honors possible. Such backing enables us to continue to CONVENE, EDUCATE & ACTIVATE our membership. Embracing the theme of “In This Together,” we were all reminded that the challenges our communities face cannot be solved alone. No single solution can address the housing affordability crisis we’re facing, but together, we can carve a path forward. It’s in unity that we can create spaces where residents are empowered to do more than simply exist—they’re places where residents truly thrive.

The evening was marked by the celebration of achievements by the Housing Achievement Awardees, recognizing Affordable Homes & Communities, Homes for America, Legacy Real Estate Development,The NHP Foundation, National Housing Trust, Piedmont Housing Alliance, Fernando Lemos and Lee Goldstein for their outstanding contributions to the affordable housing and community development industry. In addition, the GenerationHAND Scholarship recipient, Delaney Blaize, and the Children’s Essay Contest winner, Audriana Gamble, were honored showcasing the bright future that lies ahead with such dedicated and passionate individuals in our communities. It’s a reminder that we’re in this together, and such solidarity is what is needed for the future we strive for. After the program, members connected with friends and colleagues while enjoying live music from On Que, spirits, exquisite cuisine stations and more. Cheers to the remarkable accomplishments we celebrated, and here’s to the many more that await us. We’re excited about what we can achieve together, and we can’t wait to gather again, to support, inspire, and uplift one another in our shared mission.

 

Check out our collection of photos from the event! Feel free to download a personal copy of the images and share them on social media with the hashtag #HANDHonors24.

VIEW PHOTOS

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2024 HAND HOUSING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AWARDEES 

 

Best Small Affordable Housing Project
17 Mississippi ApartmentsLegacy Real Estate Development & The NHP Foundation

Best Large Affordable Housing Project
The Westerly, Affordable Homes
& Communities 
 
Developer of the Year

Homes for America

Racial Equity In Action
Kindlewood, National Housing Trust & Piedmont Housing Alliance

 
Emerging Leader
Lee Goldstein, Volunteers of America
 
Virginia Peters Nonprofit Friend
Fernando Lemos, Mi Casa 

THANK YOU TO OUR HOUSING ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS JUDGES

Claudia Wilson Randall
Community Development
Network of Maryland
 
Michael Schuerer
Retired, Executive Vice President Cornerstones Housing Corporation
 
Nancy Rase
Nancy Rase Consulting
Services, LLC
 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2024 GENERATIONHAND SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

 

 

Graduating high school senior Delaney Blaize is the winner of the 2024 GenerationHAND Scholarship! Our $10,000 scholarship recognizes the most outstanding college-bound students across the Capital Region. Delaney was acknowledged for demonstrating leadership, drive, and a commitment to using her talents to serve our communities. 

HAND is able to support our scholarship recipients through generous contributions from members like YOU! We encourage you to donate below to lift up our future leaders – every bit helps!

 

THANK YOU TO OUR GENERATIONHAND SCHOLARSHIP JUDGES

William Ferrell
Bank of America
 
Bob Margolis
TM Associates
Quinn Pregliasco-Geisler
The Community Builders
 

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CHILDREN’S ESSAY CONTEST WINNER 

Our last award of the evening went to Audriana Gamble, the winner of the Children’s Essay Contest! This year, we received an overwhelming number of essay contest submissions representing the youth who participate in our members’ resident services programming. Contestants were asked to share their stories about real-life community heroes.

Her compelling essay, “Community Hero: My Sister,” beautifully ties into this year’s theme of celebrating the impacts individuals can have within their communities. In her essay, Audriana shares how her sister’s achievements, leadership, and decision to pursue Sociology at Spelman College have inspired Audriana to continue her academic studies and set big life goals. Audriana also received a gift package with books and other goodies from the HAND team to continue to cultivate her passions!
 
 

CHECK OUT OUR DIGITAL PROGRAM 

HAND Program Final

DOWNLOAD THE PDF

 

THANK YOU TO OUR DOOR PRIZE SPONSORS!

 
Swiftway Services
$100 Visa Gift Card & Full-Service Relocation Package for a Resident ($750-$2000 value)

VCDC
$150 Gift Certificate to Tygart Hotel

 
Bozzuto Construction Company
North Face Backpack 
& $100 REI Gift Card
 
Harkins Builders
$100 Visa Gift Card
 
Novogradac & Company
$100 Visa Gift Card
 
R4 Capital
$100 Visa Gift Card
 
Linganore Winecellars
Private Wine Tasting for Two
 
Miner Feinstein Architects
Thatcher and Rye Gift Card
 
International Spy Museum
Two General Admission Tickets
 
Compass Coffee
Four Coffee Tins

 

Amazon

Affordable Homes & Communities 

AreaProbe

Arlington County Government

Arlington Partnership for 

Affordable Housing 

Bank of America 

Bocarsly Emden Cowan Esmail & Arndt

Boston Financial

Bozzuto 

Brick & Story

Capital One

Change All Souls Housing Corporation

Cinnaire

Citi Community Capital

City of Falls Church

CohnReznick

Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development, University 

of Maryland

Communities Together

Community Solutions

DC DHCD

DC Housing Finance Agency

Donohoe Construction Company

Enterprise Community Partners

Embolden Real Estate

Fairfax County DHCD

Fairstead Management

Gilbane Development Company

Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. & Northern Virginia

Hamel Builders

Harkins Builders 

Hessel Aluise & O’Leary, P.C.

Homes for America

Housing Alexandria

Housing Initiative Partnership

Howard County Housing Commission

HUB International

HUD

Hudson Housing Capital

IBF Development

Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners

JDC Construction Company

JPMorgan Chase & Co

Jonathan Rose Companies

Joseph Browne Development Associates

Kaiser Permanente

Keen Preservation

KeyBank

KGD Architecture

Klein Hornig LLP

Kramer Consulting

Latino Economic Development Center

Legacy Real Estate Development

Linder Global Events

Local Initiatives Support Corporation 

Lument

MainStreet Bank

Maryland DHCD

McCullough Construction

Merchants Capital

Mi Casa

MidCity

Miner Feinstein Architects

Mission First Housing Group

Montgomery Housing Partnership

Momentus Capital

M&T Realty Capital Corporation

National Equity Fund

National Housing Trust

Neighborhood Development Company

NewPoint Real Estate Capital

Nixon Peabody LLP

Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance

Pando Alliance

Perkins Eastman Architects

Phillips Lytle LLP

Piedmont Housing Alliance

PNC Bank

Preservation of Affordable Housing

Prince George’s County DHCD

Puran Equities

R4 Capital 

Red Stone Equity Partners

Regions Affordable Housing

Reno & Cavanaugh PLLC

SC&H Group 

Seabury Resources for Aging

Skinner Consulting Services 

So Others Might Eat

Somerset Development Company

Southway Builders

Standard Real Estate Investments

Swiftway Services 

TD Bank

The Community Builders

The NHP Foundation

The NRP Group

Tiber Hudson

United Bank

VCDC

Victory Housing

Virginia Housing

Volunteers of America

Vorys

Washington Housing Conservancy

Wells Fargo

Wesley Housing

WinnDevelopment 

 

This event is an external rental presented in coordination with the Kennedy Center Campus Rentals Office and is not produced by the Kennedy Center.