Tom Gerdy is a building contractor by trade. He has spent the last 29 years running a small construction company in Lynchburg, Virginia. His true passion, however, has been directed at leading a variety of community efforts to help people in need help themselves.

He was lucky enough to find a woman, Jane, who has put up with him for 33 years. She was sure he would grow out of his childish ways, but life is full of surprises. They have four children and Tom attributes all of his gray hair to the years they were teenagers.

Local, state and national groups have honored Tom for his community efforts. He has received recognition from the Virginia Governor’s Board For The Prevention Of Child Abuse And Neglect. He also received The National Conference For Community And Justice Humanitarian Award. He spearheaded a project that received a National Make A Difference Day Award at a local community center for inner city children.

Tom’s major focus of community involvement has been with Habitat For Humanity. In 2002, Tom was chosen National Volunteer Of The Year with Habitat For Humanity for his work on several special projects around the country. In the midst of the formal recognition, he is quick to point out that people want to make a difference and sometimes it just takes a cheerleader. Tom also points out the since there is so much work yet to be done, he is happy to take on the role of cheerleader. At 56 years old, 6'2" and 250 lbs., he might just be the oldest and largest cheerleader in the country.


Blog Entries by Tom Gerdy

Did Falwell Cross The Line ... Again?

Posted November 23, 2009 | 11:50 AM (EST)


For many decades political operatives have tried virtually everything to manipulate people and get them out to vote for their candidates or issues. These attempts to motivate people in the right direction have been called incentives, manipulation, payola, or just bribes. People have been offered rides to the polls which...

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The Troops Have Landed, to Help us Build

Posted October 22, 2009 | 05:57 PM (EST)


I spent a recent weekend helping with a Habitat For Humanity Blitz Build in New Bern, N.C. Blitz Building is conventional construction at an accelerated pace. We gather as many volunteers as possible and spend a couple of days working like maniacs to accomplish as much as possible on the...

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Dear Rush, Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

17 Comments | Posted September 25, 2009 | 04:50 PM (EST)


I felt I had to write and thank you for something you recently said on the air. Many years ago I decided that listening to your ramblings was a very non-productive way to use my valuable time. Let's face it, in an attempt to continually extend your fifteen minutes of...

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It's Time to Pull the Plug, But Not on Grandma!

4 Comments | Posted August 16, 2009 | 06:00 PM (EST)


The founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves as they listen to what has become of their dream of free speech. In recent years we have witnessed a frightening abuse of the concept of freedom of speech in our country. Some of the worst abuse has been propagated...

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Breaking News: Budget Crisis Solved

1 Comments | Posted June 17, 2009 | 02:08 PM (EST)


In case any of you have missed the memo, we are facing some challenging economic times. It wasn't too long ago that a million dollars seemed like a great deal of money but the times they are a changing. If I had a million dollars today, I would probably use...

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Habitat for Humanity Gets Two Huge Donations

Posted April 24, 2009 | 05:55 PM (EST)


Warren Buffet and Bill Gates could write checks all day long and never match the size of the donations I want to tell you about. I work with a group of volunteers called the Habitat For Humanity Road Trip Crazies. We gather from a dozen or so states two or...

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Horses Vs. Horses Asses

Posted January 23, 2009 | 08:23 AM (EST)


The post election right wing radio and talk show hosts have found themselves in a tough spot. Their feeble attempts at defending Bush's record and blaming all the problems of the world on liberal democrats are starting to wear thin. Screaming the same old regurgitated rhetoric only accomplishes one thing....

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The Play-Doh Theory Of Life

Posted January 2, 2009 | 03:45 PM (EST)


Death is never easy. I have been struggling to find the right words for this message but realized sometimes the only way you can start is by stating the facts. Lindsay died on December 11. She was waiting for a ride in a parking lot with a friend when someone...

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What The Hell Is Going On?!?!?!?!?!?

Posted December 23, 2008 | 01:06 PM (EST)


As another year comes to a close, the world economy has taken center stage. Many have been blindsided as plants have closed and jobs have been lost. Many of us seem surprised by the levels of anger, greed and corruption that contributed to the fall of so many. The reality...

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The Giant Sucking Sound of 2008

Posted November 29, 2008 | 01:07 PM (EST)


As I read about Ann Coulter having her jaw wired shut, my thoughts turned to the election reporting and commentary. I realized that never in our history has so little been said with so many words. I also thought about how screaming has become an important part of our news...

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Equal Time For Tom The Carpenter

Posted November 4, 2008 | 05:22 PM (EST)


I have had about all I can take. I can no longer listen while John and Sarah continue to try to convince us that they will be good for Joe The Plumber. The more Joe The Plumber, Sarah the hockey mom and John the politician speak, the more I realize...

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McCain/Palin -- Unifiers At Work

Posted October 23, 2008 | 05:55 PM (EST)


I want to be one of the first to congratulate and thank the John McCain and Sarah Palin team for the work they have done to unify our country. Like most of the country, my first reaction to the Republican ticket and the tactics being employed was that they were...

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This Isn't School, So Let Us Pray

Posted October 9, 2008 | 01:59 PM (EST)


The presidential campaign has set many records. Record numbers of new voters have registered. A record number of dollars have been spent campaigning. Now we have set a record by reaching new depths of mudslinging, personal attacks and slime. I know that politicians like to use country adages to make...

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Sarah Palin: A Lawyer's Best Friend

Posted September 17, 2008 | 03:24 PM (EST)


America, we have a problem. We have a candidate for Vice President of the United States of America that is hiding from us. To further complicate things we are finding that she can't seem to keep from needing lawyers to straighten out messes that she has left behind. The Wassila...

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Rumblings From the Graves

Posted September 10, 2008 | 08:46 AM (EST)


I am certain that our founding fathers didn't have this in mind as they risked their fortunes, their reputations and even their lives to create this country. In case some of you haven't noticed, the political process has once again caused us to take our eye off of the proverbial...

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Study Shows Politics Worse Than Crack Cocaine

Posted September 3, 2008 | 11:34 PM (EST)


How addictive is the game of politics and power? My unscientific study indicates that crack cocaine is nothing when compared to political power. Let's just list a couple of frightening "alleged" activities that were done in the pursuit of power, fame or fortune in the world of politics without attaching...

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Obama's World Tour and Albert Einstein's Revelation

Posted July 25, 2008 | 10:45 AM (EST)


Does anyone have any idea what E=MC² really means? What is the theory of relativity? What is the photoelectric effect? Who won the '53 World Series? I'm probably not going out a limb saying that there are only a handful of people in the world who can answer those questions....

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The Other Energy Crisis and The Prom Night Pimple

Posted July 5, 2008 | 06:08 PM (EST)


I have yet to pay $4.00 for a gallon of gas but I am sure that magical moment for me is only days away. It won't be quite as memorable as where I was when JFK was shot, but breaking the $4.00 barrier will be a pretty big moment for...

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We Are All Blended-Americans!

Posted June 9, 2008 | 03:40 PM (EST)


Like many other people in this country, the entire primary season wore my butt out. I am one exhausted American. The good news is that history was made. The bad news is that history was made.

Some of the 'good news' history included the following positives. The candidates who made...

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Stop The Spinning Before I Throw Up!

Posted May 12, 2008 | 06:02 PM (EST)


Somewhere along this long and drawn out Democratic primary process, the Clinton machine lost site of the goal. When things started looking tough for Hillary, the machine simply forgot about the good of the country and decided to use every twist and turn to get elected. What started out as...

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