Unity Care announces the Charles Shea Home Fund

SAN JOSE – Unity Care Group, Inc. is honored to announce the creation of the Charles Shea Home Fund.  This is a home improvement fund designed to raise monies and in-kind gifts to ensure high quality living environments for youth who reside in Unity Care’s residential treatment homes. The monies will be used for home modifications, repairs and improvements.

Charlie was first introduced to Unity Care Group in 1999 during the “Christmas in April” project now known as “Rebuilding Together”. Rebuilding Together's mission is to “preserve and revitalize houses and communities, assuring that low-income homeowners, from the elderly and disabled to families with children, live in warmth, safety, and independence”. Unity Care was the recipient organization of “Rebuilding Together”and Shea Homes the sponsoring corporation.  Charlie served as House Captain and provided resources such as volunteers, contractors and materials to help improve one of Unity Care’s treatment homes.

This marked the beginning of a long and lasting relationship between Charlie Shea and Unity Care.  Not only did Shea Homes improve one home in 1999, but over the next few years Charlie selected other Unity Care homes that he was personally committed to sponsoring and improving.

Unity Care’s President & CEO, André Chapman said “When I first met Charlie during our initial walk through of our Viewpark home in 1999, he was so overwhelmed by the kids and the tremendous need to provide quality housing”. Charlie would always say, “These kids come from such horrible backgrounds we have to make sure they are living in quality homes”. From that moment on Charlie’s passion was to improve the living conditions of these youth.

In 2001, Charlie furthered his involvement with Unity Care by joining the Unity Care Board of Directors. Over the years Charlie served in a variety of capacities such as a member of the Golf, Fund Development and Housing Committees, the Monterey Build-Out Project, and most recently as Board Secretary.

With the untimely passing of Charlie, Unity Care will be moving forward with Charlie’s last project referred to as “Adopt a Home”. This project was modeled after the successful ABC’s “Extreme Home Make Over” show and Charlie was beginning to select his House Captains. In his honor, Unity Care has created this fund to further his passion and heart-felt commitment to serving Foster Youth. Help us keep this dream alive by donating today to the Charlie Shea Home Fund.

Founded in 1992, the goal of Unity Care Group, Inc., a community-based, non-profit, youth development agency, is to develop educational and social programs to enrich the lives of at-risk youth. Unity Care Group’s mission is to provide quality youth programs for the purpose of creating healthier communities through life-long partnerships.

To make a contribution on-line please visit our website at www.unitycare.org and click the “DONATE” box or you may mail payment payable to Unity Care Group Inc, 237 Race Street, San Jose, CA 95126. Contact: Andrea Baptiste-Scott: 408-971-9822, x113 abscott@unitycare.org