Dear Friends,
Vacationing friends may send you picturesque postcards from Florida, with bright blue skies, towering palm trees, and “wish you were here” greetings, but that’s only half the story. Truth is, our Sunshine State is frequently fraught with blustery rainy seasons, fierce hurricanes, and gale-force winds – all of which make roof upkeep a fulltime concern.
Case in point…just the other night, in our Florida Marist Brothers’ retirement facility, Br. Steve relaxed back into a recliner, opened his latest library book, and noticed a grayish patch on the ceiling. After eyeballing the stain, the facility director said, “We’ll call our handyman tomorrow. All we need is a coat of fresh paint.”
Turns out, our handyman told us, the blotchy gray spot wasn’t dirt at all. It was water seeping through the roof and into the ceiling. A roofing contractor confirmed the worst: we needed a new roof, which would cost $12,623 – money that was not in this year’s budget.
“Why so expensive,” I asked. After all, it’s a smaller,
ranch-style retirement home with only six bedrooms!
Patiently and kindly, the roofing contractor explained the $12,623 cost. He started with a fact that most homeowners miss. Ranch homes may have less interior square footage but these single-level dwellings typically have more expansive roofs.
I could see that our roofing contractor knew this trade well, and I trusted him. But I still couldn’t see how we would ever come up with $12,623.
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 needed $12,623.
As our contractor laid out each necessary step to replace our out-dated, dilapidated roof, I realized how fair and honorable his estimate was.
- The original roof was more than 20 years old, and over the past two decades it had suffered significant wear and tear.
- Due to its age, the old existing roof would need to be completely torn off and replaced.
- In addition, 1,110 ft. of sheathing and 126 ft. of fascia needed to be replaced.
- Some loose sheathing was salvageable, but in desperate need of repair.
- Then there were city permits for all this work, which alone totaled $915.08!
With that, the new roof got a green light to go. I pray that you support our decision to immediately begin re-roofing! Sure, we could have waited and maybe saved a little 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 could have ceilings and walls crumbling around us.
The project went quite quickly and without any unforeseen complications. However that also meant that the sizable invoice arrived quickly.
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 $10 or $100, your support could be the exact amount that pushes us to our $12,623 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 sign off, my Brothers asked me to remind you about writing your prayer intentions on the enclosed response slip and sending them along with your gift. When your support arrives, the Brothers and I will thank God for your generosity and include your intentions in all our prayers, for you and your loved ones.
I look forward to hearing from you! Until then, may your days be happy and filled with joy.
God bless you for caring,
Br. Hugh P. Turley, F.M.S.
Director of Development
