Dear Friends,
Our 5-bedroom Marist Brothers’ retirement facility in Florida was recently slammed with severe thunderstorms. Thankfully the Brothers did not lose power – as much of the community did – but they did get a nasty surprise.
When Br. Charles decided to call it a night and head off to bed, he flipped the switch to turn on his bedroom’s ceiling light. There was a quick flicker and then darkness. Everyone assumed it was the bulb. We’d replace it tomorrow.
However, the next morning, we could see that the ceiling all around the light fixture was buckled and damp. Directly below the light, on the floor, was a puddle of water.
OK. The roof above the light fixture was probably missing a few shingles. No big deal. This certainly was not the first time we’d patched the roof! So we called in our trusted roofer to once again replace shingles. This time, though, the roofer explained that our problem had progressed far beyond a few shingles. Years of strong Florida winds and heavy thunderstorms had damaged the roof well beyond patches or quick fixes.
We needed a brand new roof – and that would cost $12,847.
The roofer assured us that patching would be throwing good money down the drain! The roof was missing too many shingles. There were several gaping holes. And the underlayment – that extra weather protection beneath the shingles – was water-rotted.
Today I ask for your support. Your gift – in whatever amount you can afford – will be an enormous help as we work to raise the urgently needed $12,847.
I pray that you support our decision to immediately begin re-roofing! Sure, we could have waited and maybe saved a little more money to cover this mammoth project, but time wasn’t on our side. The roofer stressed that with each new rainstorm, the damage would worsen – until eventually we would have ceilings and walls crumbling around us.
As if all this wasn’t troubling enough, the roofer shared another problem. Pounding rain had seeped into the crawl space just under the roof and drenched the insulation. This made mold and mildew a looming probability! Since many senior Brothers suffer allergies or breathing problems, we needed to fix that situation fast.
With that, we gave the project a green light. That meant tearing off the entire roof, replacing the insulation, replacing the underlayment, and rebuilding the roof from scratch.
We’re looking at a safe, sound, watertight roof – but we’re also looking at a sizable invoice.
Please show your support by sending a gift today! My Brothers and I will be so grateful.
I assure you – any gift you send will make a difference. Whether that means $25 or $100, your support could be the exact amount that nails down our $12,847 goal. It’s like the two nickels tucked in with my letter. One nickel is 5¢. Two nickels become 10¢. If every Marist Brothers’ friend adds what they can to our “raise the roof” plea, then all the gifts will add up to precisely what we need.
Before I close my note, my Brothers asked me to remind you about writing your prayer intentions on the enclosed response slip and sending them to us with your gift. When your gift arrives, the Brothers and I will thank God for your support and include your intentions in all our prayers, for you and your loved ones.
I look forward to hearing from you! In the meantime, may all your days be happy and filled with great joy.
God bless you for your kind generosity,
Br. Hugh P. Turley, F.M.S.
Director of Development
