Ashby Ponds Rallies Local Support to Aid Victims of Hurricane Harvey

Distance was no barrier to providing hope for the future

Ashburn, Va. (October 16, 2017) – On August 25, 2015, Hurricane Harvey, the first major hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since Hurricane Wilma in 2005, made landfall near Rockport, Texas, at peak intensity. Ultimately, Harvey would become the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the U.S. resulting in the flooding of hundreds of thousands of homes, displacing more than 30,000 people, and prompting more than 17,000 rescues.

Among the thousands of people displaced from the storm were two apartment-home reservists at Eagles Trace, an Erickson Living community in Houston, TX. Both lost everything in the flood. In an effort to expedite their moves into their new Eagles Trace homes, sister community, Ashby Ponds in Ashburn, Va. turned to their Erickson Realty and Moving Services preferred partners for furniture and moving donations.

"The entire Ashby Ponds community was eager to do whatever we could for the people of Houston," says director of sales Holly Henderson. "In talking with the staff at Eagles Trace we learned about two single people who lost all their possessions prior to making their move to the community. We immediately reached out to our partners Belfort Furniture and Town & Country Movers, Inc. to see if they would be willing to furnish and transport the furnishing for these two homes. Our wonderful partners jumped at the opportunity to help."

Both Belfort Furniture and Town & Country Movers, Inc. work with Ashby Ponds staff to routinely provide moving assistance to new residents moving to the community.

"A part of Belfort's mission is to 'enhance the lives of the people and community we serve' so we always strive to help those around us in need," says Matt Huber, Belfort's executive vice president. "While Houston is not in our immediate neighborhood, when we learned that one of the sister communities of Ashby Ponds had been greatly affected by Hurricane Harvey, we knew we had to help."

Belfort Furniture donated furniture to completely furnish the two apartment-homes including, a sofa, loveseat, end tables, lamps, dining table and chairs, cocktail table, a television console, queen bed, dresser, chest of drawers, night stands, bedroom chairs, and mattresses.

To transport the donated furniture to Houston, Town & Country Movers, Inc., who help hundreds of people move to Ashby Ponds each year, jumped at the opportunity.

"Town & Country Movers, Inc. had the means to transport supplies down to Houston, and we reached out to local businesses we've had long standing relationships with to join in the effort," says Town & Country Movers, Inc., Director of Marketing Eva Robinson. "We felt it was necessary to give whatever we could to those struggling."

In addition to transporting the Belfort Furniture donations to Eagles Trace, Town & Country filled the remainder of the 50+ foot moving trailer with local community donations for the Houston Food Bank.

"The support from the community was incredible and we could not have done it without every single person/business who contributed donations," says Robinson. "Town & Country Movers, Inc. is proud to be a part of such a giving community."

Thanks to the efforts of a special Northern Virginia retirement community and its business partners, more than 1,400 miles away, a single 89-year-old woman who loves to garden, listen to music, and socialize and an 86-year-old man whose single-family home filled with over a foot of water, destroying his clothing, furniture, and car, are now enjoying a wonderful new life at Eagles Trace.

"In the midst of so much tragedy and loss, the caring furniture donation from our Ashby Ponds community and their partners was like sunshine," says Eagles Trace director of sales Pam Burgeson. "The two residents receiving the furniture came to us having lost a lifetime of possessions and memories. When they walked into comfortably furnished new apartment-homes we witnessed tears and heard sighs from both, expressions of relief and hope. They both look forward to their fresh, new start." 

Photo: Belfort Furniture and Town & Country staff preparing for transport of furniture and supplies to Eagle's Trace in Houston, Texas.