|
|
|
HABITAT HAPPENINGS Dec. 2009/Jan. 2010 | |
 |
|
DID YOU KNOW?
Ten members of the Habitat Broward team recently traveled to Thailand to participate in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, an annual, internationally-recognized week of building that brings attention to the need for simple, decent and affordable housing in partnership with low-income families.
Habitat Broward staff members Mary Lou Bowman-Cubbin and Russ Cubbin and volunteers Eduardo and Gina Caballero, Linda D. Jones, Alicia Ewen, Rob Collette, Don Gruneisen, Spencer Quinn & Gale Butler joined more than 2,000 volunteers from around the world to help build 82 Habitat homes in partnership with low-income families in northern Thailand - in only 5 days!
Check out our photo gallery to see more photos highlighting our local group's participation in this amazing event!
|
| HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE HABITAT RE-STORE! |
|
|
|
A Home Improvement Resale Store Open to the Public
505 W. Broward Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Hours: Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM
The Habitat Re-Store has great holiday deals on quality merchandise and home improvement materials to help you tackle those New Year's resolutions!
Click HERE to see a recent episode of WSVN's "Room for Improvement" and learn more about what the Re-Store has to offer.
Supply changes daily, so shop often! We carry:
- Hurricane Panels
- Lumber
- Carpet & Tile
- Appliances
- Tools
- Windows & Doors
- Cabinets
- Lighting
- Home & Office Furnishings
- Decorative Items
- And much, much more!
Proceeds from the Habitat Re-Store help fund the construction of new Habitat homes. For more information, call (954) 763-7771. |
|
Make a gift this holiday season in honor of a friend, colleague, or loved one, and know that your generosity will help provide safe, decent, affordable shelter for a family in need of their own place to call home.
Gifts of any amount can make a difference! Your tax-deductible donation could help buy:
4 hammers
$25
50 lb. of nails
$50
Bath tile or shrubs
$100
5 closet doors
$250
Interior paint
$500
Windows or carpet for 4-BR home
$1,000
Bathroom & kitchen cabinets
$2,500
A whole house
$70,000
| |
|
|
|
RE-GIFT TO THE RE-STORE Donate today - get a tax break!
The Habitat Re-Store welcomes donations of quality furniture, appliances, home improvement and building materials in good, usable condition.
You can drop off items at the store or call (954) 763-7771 to schedule a pickup. | |
|
|
SEASON'S GREETINGS FROM HABITAT BROWARD!
On behalf of the staff, board and homeowner partner families of Habitat Broward, we would like to extend our warmest wishes to you and your family this holiday season!
As 2009 comes to a close, it's important to remember how fortunate we are and to give thanks for the many generous gifts we've received that have allowed us to achieve so much this year. Among other accomplishments, we are excited to announce that the final three families waiting to move into our 18-home Dania Beach community will be moved in before Christmas and enjoying the holidays in their brand new homes! We are also happy to report that the first four homes in the Ft. Lauderdale Green Build are almost complete, and we will soon begin construction on the next phase of the 30-home build.
In addition to looking back at the work we've done, Habitat Broward is gearing up for many exciting things in the New Year, including the 2010 Women Building a Legacy Program. Habitat Broward consistently has one of the largest "Women Builds" in the country, and we are looking forward to kicking off this project again in the coming months. If you are interested in getting involved with the Women Build committee, please contact our Development Director, Maureen Hodgson.
As always, we are extremely grateful for the support and commitment of all of our sponsors and volunteers. By giving a hand up, not a hand out, to hardworking, deserving families, we are helping to not only change their lives for the better but to make a long-lasting impact on our community. Thank you again for your continued support!
Sincerely,
Jason Crush, Esq.
Executive Director
|
ST. ANTHONY STUDENTS SPREAD HOLIDAY CHEER TO FUTURE HOMEOWNERS
On December 12th, the 8th-graders in the National Junior Honor Society at Saint Anthony Catholic School presented holiday gift baskets to the Habitat Broward families who are still working towards their future homes. The beautifully-wrapped baskets included presents such as books, toys and games for the children, as well as household items, kitchenware and gift cards for necessities such as gas and groceries.
In addition to putting together the holiday project, St. Anthony Catholic School supports Habitat Broward year-round by providing the location for Blueprints4Life, Habitat Broward's Youth Enrichment Program.
 |
|
|
|
|
FEATURED SPONSOR:
JM Family Enterprises, Inc., founded by Jim Moran in 1968, is a diversified automotive company ranked by Forbes as the 30th-largest privately held company in the U.S. It is currently ranked No. 33 by FORTUNE® as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, its 11th consecutive year on the list.
Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, JM Family sponsored its first Habitat Broward home in 2002 as part of the Harmony Village community in Davie. Since then the company has sponsored and provided thousands of volunteer hours to build 18 homes throughout Broward, including communities in Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach and Oakland Park!
 "We are making a meaningful difference in our community by working with Habitat for Humanity," said Colin Brown, President and CEO of JM Family Enterprises, Inc. "In addition, working on the builds alongside each other is a great opportunity for team building and camaraderie."
 Following each completed build, JM associates attended the home dedication ceremony, where they were able to meet the homeowners' children, tour the homes, and present the new homeowners with one more gift - a brand new washer and dryer.
JM Family also encourages involvement between Habitat builds with events such as "Employee Jeans Day," where employees can make a small donation to the organization for the privilege of wearing jeans to work on the designated day.
 In 2010, JM Family is sponsoring an additional three Broward homes and already has several volunteer dates scheduled for its associates. This build in Unincorporated Broward features the first-ever Habitat Broward homes to be LEED-Gold Certified, meaning they meet the highest standards for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Once completed, JM Family will have built 21 safe, decent, affordable homes for deserving South Florida families! |
|
|
|
|
SUN-SENTINEL CHILDREN'S FUND AWARDS $30,000 FOR FAMILY SUPPORT
Habitat Broward recently received a generous grant of $30,000 from the Sun-Sentinel Children's Fund, a fund of the McCormick Foundation! The funds will go toward Habitat Broward's Family Support program, which is designed to give Habitat families the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to attain and succeed in homeownership.
Every Habitat homeowner, in addition to completing a minimum of 500 "sweat equity" hours working on their home and the homes of others, is required to participate in a series of monthly educational workshops designed to prepare them for the responsibilities of homeownership. Workshops are presented on a variety of topics such as financial literacy, cleanliness and home maintenance, family nutrition, effective parenting, credit counseling, wills and estate planning, hurricane preparation and more.
Recognizing the importance of a healthy support system to long-term stability, Habitat Broward also strives to promote the development of positive social networks among Habitat families, more than 80 percent of which are headed by single mothers, and continues to link families to community resources for as long as they remain in their home.
Thanks to the Sun-Sentinel Children's Fund, Habitat Broward will be able to serve a greater number of families in need and continue to provide the education, resources and individualized support that distinguish it from other low-income housing providers. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
HABITAT SPOTLIGHT: DELORES MARSHALL
 Meet Delores, whose life changed forever about 10 years ago when she was accepted into the Habitat Broward homeownership program. For 13 years she and her three children had been living in a small two-bedroom apartment, where the children were forced to share beds or sleep on the couch, and her family did not even have a kitchen table because they needed the extra space.
As her children grew older, it became obvious to Delores that the family needed to change its living conditions, but she knew she could not afford her own home. She worried about the high interest rates and her ability to pay the mortgage. After hearing about Habitat Broward, she thought it was the answer to her prayers. Delores applied to the program three times and was turned down. Yet she remained persistent, and her application was approved on her fourth attempt. She vividly remembers the phone call she received the day she was accepted and recalls that it felt "like winning the lottery."
Delores fulfilled all of the Habitat program requirements, including the 500 hours of sweat equity, and in 2002 she moved into a brand new, 4-bedroom home with her daughter and two sons, where they each finally got a room they could call their own.
 But Delores' work with Habitat didn't end there. Since moving into her home, she has dedicated more than 800 hours of volunteer service to building other families' homes, and she serves as a volunteer leader for groups on the construction site every Saturday. When asked what motivates her to continue volunteering even after moving into her home, she said her partnership with Habitat is very important to her, and it gives her great pride to know that she is making a difference in somebody's life.
"Completing the homes and seeing families move in still brings tears to my eyes because I remember that feeling," she says.
While her construction skills have certainly improved during her time with Habitat, Delores' experience has also fostered personal growth. She has learned patience, flexibility and the ability to get along with people, and she says working with her fellow volunteer leaders and friends is what she enjoys most about volunteering. One of her fondest memories is a Habitat trip in 2006 to Shreveport, Louisiana, where she and other volunteers helped build 100 homes in one week, and she also met Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller.  If Delores isn't on the job site, she can usually be found spending time with her mother, kids and three granddaughters. However, she rarely misses an opportunity to swing a hammer on a Saturday, and she said her favorite task is raising the roof trusses.
"I've loved getting on a roof since being a little girl," Delores says. "It makes me closer to the Lord, so I can thank him more quietly." |
|
|
|
|
Habitat for Humanity of Broward, an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian housing ministry, established in 1983, that has successfully built more than 300 safe, decent, affordable, homes, changing the lives of more than 1,200 children and adults. By engaging future homeowners, volunteers and community-minded businesses, Habitat revitalizes neighborhoods and empowers people to take an active role in determining a healthy future for their families.
| |
|
|
|
|
