Media

Kit

107 Samford Hall Auburn AL 36849

(334) 844-4650

Beth Ann Jones P.O. Box 2890 Auburn, AL 36831 Dear Beth Ann: Having the opportunity to work with Alabama Rural Ministry this semester has been a great experience. We have learned so much about meeting the needs of our community and serving those in need. Our experience working with ARM will certainly be beneficial in our future careers.

The time you spent meeting and corresponding with us is greatly appreciated. Meeting with you and Joe in AJ’S coffee shop provided us with the information to begin our project and was extremely productive. Your patience and flexibility with our group allowed us to complete the project knowing we had your support. Understanding how busy you are, we thank you for the opportunity to develop a media kit for The Buildmore Store benefiting ARM.

The experiences we’ve had working with ARM have furthered our education and made us more aware of our community. Working with ARM has made the needs of others more important and is helping to us accomplish our assignment. Again we can’t thank you enough for all the information and time you have provided.

Cordially,

Kevin Randolph Ashley Bowling Rachel Pittman Carrie Gordon

Alabama Rural Ministry Seeks Donations for Thrift Store

OPELIKA—Alabama Rural Ministry’s recently opened The Buildmore Store in Opelika next to Car Quest and across from Thompson Plumping Supply. The store intends to collect donations from any home or business involving construction. The Buildmore Store plans to sell these items to people in need in the community and donate profits to help ARM fund community projects. The Buildmore Store is looking for any household items to be donated, excluding clothes. More specifically, The Buildmore Store is in need of flooring, furniture, doors, windows, toilets and any other appliances. Many of these items can be collected from homes that are being remodeled. Buyers will be able to find great bargains on appliances, tools, building supply materials, and household furniture. Donors will receive tax deductible donation for ever item that they donate to The Buildmore Store. The store will also go and pick up any item from the donors. About Alabama Rural Ministry ARM shares the love of Christ through home repair. Youth volunteers and churches are paired up with low income families in Alabama who need home repair. Contact

Director of Media Relations Kevin Randolph (708) 912-7816 Kdr0001@auburn.edu

1302 1st Ave. Opelika, AL 36801

(334) 501-4276

News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Kevin Randolph Director of Media Relations (708) 912-7816 Kdr0001@auburn.edu

Alabama Rural Ministry Seeks Donations for Thrift Store

OPELIKA—Alabama Rural Ministry’s recently opened The Buildmore Store in Opelika next to Car

Quest and across from Thompson Plumping Supply. The store intends to collect donations from any

home or business involving construction. The Buildmore Store plans to sell these items to people in need

in the community and donate profits to help ARM fund community projects.

The Buildmore Store is looking for any household items to be donated, excluding clothes. More

specifically, The Buildmore Store is in need of flooring, furniture, doors, windows, toilets and any other

appliances. Many of these items can be collected from homes that are being remodeled.

Buyers will be able to find great bargains on appliances, tools, building supply materials and

household furniture. Donors will receive tax deductible donation for ever item that they donate to The

Buildmore Store. The store will also go and pick up any item from the donors.

ARM shares the love of Christ through home repair. Youth volunteers and churches are paired up

with low income families in Alabama who need home repair.

###

1302 1st Ave. Opelika, AL 36801 Phone: (334) 501-4276 Email: info@arm-al.org www. buildmorestore.com

The Buildmore Store Supports Alabama Rural Ministries

This past October the Opelika community welcomed a new store to its area. The

Buildmore Store is a building supply thrift store that allows members of the community to find

great bargains on appliances, tools, building supply materials and household furniture. Many of

these items are donated from local home builders and contractors. All donations to the store are

tax deductible.

ARM is a home repair and day camp ministry that holds summer camps for groups to do

missions in the Black Belt region of Alabama. ARM has three objectives: (1) committed to

meeting the needs of the rural poor through home repair, (2) build relationships that cross

cultural, racial and age barriers and (3) provide Christian education, academic education and a

Christian witness to children at the day camp.

The Buildmore Store hopes to financially support Alabama Rural Ministries by providing

them with money and supplies for local projects in Lee, Macon and Sumter counties. With the

help of The Buildmore Store, ARM will be able to receive more exposure as well as funds.

MISSION STATEMENT: ARM shares the love of Christ through home repair and

children’s ministry.

Contact: Kevin Randolph, Director of Media Relations

(708) 912-7816 Kdr0001@auburn.edu

###

1302 1st Ave. Opelika, AL 36801

(334) 501-4276

Joe O’Neal

Manager of The Buildmore Store Joe O’Neal wants to help bring people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As the manager of The Buildmore Store, he is able to put his faith into action. O’Neal is now able to live out his faith while serving others. He provides homeowners in need with construction supplies. The Buildmore Store hopes to provide funding for Alabama Rural Ministry; an organization dedicated to sharing Christ’s love through home repair and children’s ministry.

Since the launching of The Buildmore Store, O’Neal has been tasked as the store’s manager. He is in charge of handling day to day operations in order to grow business and raise support for ARM.

O’Neal is from Montgomery, Ala., and has been involved with ARM for three years. He was first introduced to ARM when he was going through training at Servants in Faith and Technology for a mission trip to the Dominican Republic and picked up a brochure on ARM. Several years later O’Neal was working at a lumber yard when ARM’s founder Lisa came in to make a purchase. The two talked and a few weeks later he was working for ARM.

O’Neal says that ARM has blessed him in a myriad of ways. His greatest satisfaction has come in gaining a renewed hope in the youth of our country. He has a better understanding of those living in poverty, but most of all he has realized how richly God has blessed him.

###

1302 1st Ave. Opelika, AL 36801

(334) 501-4276

Beth Ann Hopkins

Alabama Rural Ministry Program Director

Beth Ann Hopkins’ youth group came to do a mission trip with the Alabama Rural Ministry in 2002. Since then, she has continued to be involved with ARM in many different capacities.

Hopkins served on the Livingston summer staff in 2006 and 2008 as well as volunteered in Tuskegee in 2007. Through her involvement with ARM she is excited to serve others and live out her faith.

Originally from Greensboro N.C., Hopkins graduated from Appalachian State University in August 2008 with a degree in sociology and a concentration in family development.

She became the program director for ARM in 2009 and is now involved with the development of The Buildmore Store. Recently she has been working hard on recruiting volunteers for the store.

“Volunteering with the ministry allows you to have the opportunity to learn basic construction skills and how to apply your faith in tangible ways,” Hopkins said.

ARM is a home repair and day camp ministry that holds summer camps for groups to do missions in rural communities in the Black Belt Region of Alabama. It strives to provide a place for individuals to fellowship with one another, build meaningful relationship with people in the community, grow in their faith and truly serve God’s people.

###

The Buildmore Store and Alabama Rural Ministry Facts

• Shares the love of Christ through home repair and children’s ministry

• Committed to meeting the needs of the rural poor through home repair

• Builds relationships that cross cultural, racial and age barriers

• Provides Christian education, academic education and Christian witness to children at the day camp

• Strives to build relationships with staff as well as the community

• Holds Summer camps for groups to do missions in rural communities in the Black Belt region of Alabama

• Provides a place for individuals to fellowship with one another, build meaningful

relationships with people in the community and truly serve God’s people

• Accepts donations of the following: o Appliances (washer and dryer, air conditioner unit, toilets) o Tools (hammers, screwdrivers) o Building supply materials (plywood, brick, concrete) o Household furniture (couches, recliners, beds) o As well as doors, windows, and flooring

• Offers all the above products at a discounted price to residents in the community

o Provides these products to Alabama Rural Ministry to help them with community building projects

• Makes profits mainly through appliances

• Accepting donations that are tax deductible

• Picks up donated supplies from any location

1302 1st Ave.

Opelika, AL 36801 (334) 501-4276

For many years people have been forced to live in housing conditions that most would

consider unsuitable for any human being.

Low Income Families Receive Heart and Home Repair

We often think that this type of poverty can only be found in third world countries.

However, many of these people can be considered our neighbors.

Unfortunately, many of these people live in condemned homes that have no indoor

plumbing, no heating or cooling and holes in their roofs. This is a problem that has affected Lee,

Macon and Sumter Counties since the Civil War.

With the help of Alabama Rural Ministry and their newest addition, The Buildmore

Store, these low income Alabama families now can receive much needed repairs to their hearts

and homes.

ARM works on many types of projects including roofing, dry wall repair, minor

plumbing, floor repair, wheel chair ramps, porches and interior structures. These types of

projects allow ARM to help low income families in these areas.

While working on these projects many volunteers create a bond with the families whose

homes they are working on. Families and volunteers begin each day with a prayer. ARM is able

-more-

to receive many of its project supplies from its newly opened thrift store.

The Buildmore Store was recently opened in October 2010 that provides low income

home owners with building materials and household appliances. The thrift store type operation

serves the Opelika area as well as homeowners working with ARM in Sumter, Macon and Lee

counties.

The store is making a push within the community to collect building materials and

household appliance donations from local contractors and residents.

The man making most of this possible is The Buildmore Store’s manager: Joe O’Neil.

O’Neil, a Montgomery, Ala., native, has more than 20 years of construction experience.

O’Neil’s goal is to serve Christ and others, and The Buildmore Store has provided him

with that opportunity.

As the store’s manager, O’Neil is in charge of running the store’s day to day operations.

His construction experience allows him to be flexible and innovative in his diverse roles as the

store’s manager.

It is O’Neal’s great smile and positive attitude that generates a fun and relaxed

environment around The Buildmore Store.

O’Neal says that ARM along with the Buildmore Store has been a blessing. This

opportunity has given him a better understanding of those living in poverty and a renewed hope

in the youth of our country.

-more-

Combining his passion and profession makes for the perfect day. “If you do what you

love, you never work a day in your life,” O’Neil says. O’Neil believes in this lifestyle and has

made it a reality.

The ARM mission statement is “Sharing Christ’s love through home repair and children’s

ministry.” He makes it a priority to do both not only in his life, but his profession as well.

With a powerful man like O’Neil involved in such a heartfelt organization, ARM, as well

as The Buildmore Store, will be successful in Opelika and a blessing to many around the state of

Alabama.

###

The Buildmore Store 1302 1st Avenue

Opelika, AL 36801

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the mission of The Buildmore Store? The mission of the store is to raise money and support for Alabama Rural Ministries while providing low income home owners with building materials and household appliances. ARM hopes to share Christ’s love through home repair, Christian education and building relationships that cross cultural, racial and age barriers. What kind of donations does The Buildmore Store accept? The Buildmore Store accepts any type of donations that can benefit a home owner; examples include: appliances, tools, building materials and household furniture. Any size donation will make a difference and is tax deductible. Who does The Buildmore Store benefit? The Buildmore Store benefits low income home owners in the Opelika area as well as supports the service projects of ARM in rural communities in the Black Belt Region of Alabama. Anybody that needs specific building materials or household appliances can come to the store and purchase them at a highly discounted price. Who is in charge of The Buildmore Store? The store manager is Joe O’Neal. Joe has over 20 years of construction experience, ran his own home inspection business and worked with Builder’s First Source in Auburn. He never stops smiling, is an expert in the construction business and loves to serve Christ and others. What are the hours and location of The Buildmore Store? The address of the store is 1302 1st Avenue Opelika, AL. 36801(next to Car Quest and across from Thompson Plumbing Supply). The store is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Can I volunteer at The Buildmore Store? Yes! You can volunteer by helping us receive and setup stock items. You can learn how to work the cash register, help price items and help customers with loading. Also, you can volunteer through ARM on one of their many service projects or summer camps in Sumter and Macon counties.

Sharing Christ’s love through

home repair and children’s ministry

We need

your

help!

Do you have extra appliances,

building materials, furniture or tools?

All Donations are Tax

Deductible!

Phone: (334) 501-4276Email: info@arm-al.org

ARM website: www.arm-al.orgStore: www.buildmorestore.com

The Buildmore

Store

AlabamaRural

Ministry

Meet the

ManagerAll proceeds from The Buildmore Store support ARM.

The Buildmore Store and ARM work with many of the same homeowners and projects.

Meeting the needs of our rural poor through home repair in Sumter, Lee and Macon counties.

Building relationships that cross cultural, racial and age barriers.

Providing day camp services that help serve as a Christian foundation, education and Christian witness to underserved children.

A native of Montgomery, he has been involved with ARM for three years. Joe is in charge of handling daily operations for The Buildmore Store. He wants to help bring people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

“Whatever you do in word and deed, do everything in the name of the Lord.” Colossians 3:19

ARM is committed to:

Joe O’Neal:

There are plenty of volunteer opportunities

available. Come join our family!