A Family Legacy

The joy and pride and peace of mind offered by a well-cared for home stems from the example set for us by our parents. This gift of stewardship has paid dividends in our personal lives. Clyde & Rose gives us the opportunity to pay it forward by sharing that gift with others.

Clyde

Clyde Casanave, Julie’s father.

Rose

Rose Dempsey, Mike’s mother.

Julie & Mike

Clyde & Rose is the joint inspiration of Julie Casanave and Mike Dempsey.

There’s little we love more than home projects. It doesn’t matter whether it’s our home or someone else’s. Whether we’re fixing a faucet, installing a backsplash, leveling a stove, hanging pictures, tightening a chair….there’s nothing like the satisfaction of leaving something a little better than we found it. Mike brings a lifetime of midwestern farming practicality combined with blue ribbons won at science fairs. Julie was always the kid who took things apart and put them back together, frequently called on by friends and family to help solve problems. When we met, we quickly discovered a shared love of care-taking.

We also came to realize that many people do not share this inclination.

We recognize that these skills are not always passed down from generation to generation as they once were. This is partly because many people hire out these services. However we know that some people may not want to hire out home maintenance work - they’d prefer to do it themselves. But they don’t have the knowledge and skills to tackle these things with confidence. And still others don’t have the physical or financial means to hire out, so wind up living with deteriorating conditions in their homes.

We see an opportunity to give back here.

We started thinking about offering this service, just the two of us, to those in need in our local community. Then we asked ourselves if there was a way to scale this to make a bigger impact. Inspired by the Habitat for Humanity model, we have developed a volunteer- and sponsorship-based model which not only provides a broader reach, but also creates the opportunity to offer training to individuals looking to hone their home-care skills.

Interested in learning more or getting involved? We’d love to hear from you.