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HABITAT HAPPENINGS May/June 2010
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LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR
Dear Friends,
There is nothing more important to Habitat than selecting the best qualified families with the greatest needs. This spring, Habitat Broward opened up its homeowner application process, and in just two days we received applications from more than 1,000 Broward County families - once again demonstrating just how great the need is for safe, decent, affordable housing in our community!
Applying for a Habitat home is a very thorough process, and the families are selected based on their need for safe, decent housing, their willingness to partner and their ability to repay a no-profit, zero-interest mortgage.
Our hardworking Family Selection Committee is still reviewing applications, but we look forward to soon welcoming 35 to 40 new families. A Habitat home can forever change a family's life and create an environment where children can put down roots and grow.
Thank you for your continued support as we partner with real people, working in our community, who only need a helping hand to change their families' lives for the better!
Sincerely,
Robert W. Leider
Chairman of the Board
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This Mother's Day share your love for the remarkable woman in your life by making a contribution in her name to help a deserving family in need! 100% of your gift in her honor will go directly to support our mission. For more information, call (954) 396-3030 ext. 215 or email [email protected]. |
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Thank you to all of the sponsors who helped make Habitat Broward's 2010 Collegiate Challenge a success!
Your generous contributions helped make this a memorable and rewarding experience for the more than 200 students from across the country who dedicated their Spring Breaks to helping build a better Broward!
2010 Collegiate Challenge Sponsors:
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| | DID YOU KNOW? | |
During Fleet Week 2010, more than 20 men and women of the U.S. Navy came out to our Fort Lauderdale site to lend a hand!
Sailors from the USS Porter and the USS Halyburton helped paint, tile, fi-foil and more, and they were even joined by Rear Admiral Michelle J. Howard, who came out to meet the homeowners and tour the homes.
Thanks to the U.S. Navy League for making this special day possible! |
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MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Spring has certainly been busy at Habitat Broward, both on the construction site and off!
Construction is progressing quickly on the second phase of our Fort Lauderdale community, thanks to the help of the more than 200 student volunteers who joined us during the month of March for Collegiate Challenge. Toward the end of April, we also began construction on five new homes in Unincorporated Broward, sponsored by JM Family Enterprises, Inc., Publix Super Markets Charities, American Express Charitable Fund and the Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation.
Also in April, the youth of our Habitat homeowners took part in a special Earth Day service project, volunteering their time to help landscape and beautify the campus of St. Anthony Catholic School. St. Anthony generously donates their campus each month for Blueprints4Life, Habitat Broward's youth enrichment program, and it was great to see the Habitat youth giving back to the community and having fun at the same time.
Despite the heat, Habitat Broward will be hard at work all summer, and we encourage you to stop by one of our jobsites or the Habitat Re-Store to see our progress. Together with your time, talents and efforts, we can continue to build homes and revitalize communities!
In partnership,
Jason S. Crush, Esq.
Executive Director
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HABITAT BROWARD & JM FAMILY GO GREEN! | |
Timed with Earth Day weekend, Habitat Broward and JM Family Enterprises, Inc. joined forces on Saturday, April 24, to raise the roofs on three brand new, affordable "green" homes in Unincorporated Broward.
The homes, which are being built by JM Family associates alongside the future homeowner families, are the first-ever Habitat Broward homes to be LEED-Gold certified, meaning they meet some of the highest standards for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Throughout its 27 years of existence, Habitat Broward has been committed to sustainable development and continuously looking for ways to make its homes affordable to purchase and maintain for the low-income families it serves. Habitat Broward has recently strengthened its commitment to green building by pursuing LEED-certification, which recognizes successful performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
"Socially responsible corporations, such as JM Family, recognize that by incorporating green design and construction practices into our communities, we are able to significantly reduce our carbon footprint while at the same time making our homes more cost-effective to maintain and increasing the success of the families we serve," said Jason Crush, Executive Director of Habitat Broward.
In addition to the three new homes, JM Family has generously sponsored and provided thousands of volunteer hours to build 18 other homes in Broward since 2002, including communities in Deerfield Beach, Collier City and Oakland Park.
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HOMEOWNER SPOTLIGHT: AMETA GRAHAM | |
 Meet Ameta Graham, a single mother of three loveable and adorable children - Joseph, QuaNeika, and Calviana.
Ameta has been employed by First Data Merchant Services for nearly 12 years, a job that she calls "a blessing." She is an active member of Hopewell Baptist Church and serves as a volunteer at A.M. Cohen Temple Church of God in Christ, preparing food and serving the homeless during the holidays as well as helping out with other events throughout the year.
Ameta also strives to teach her children the importance of giving back to the community, and the kids selflessly donate their clothing and other items to various charities such as Women in Distress, the Salvation Army, and most recently to the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
She says the goals she has for her family are simple: she looks forward to seeing her two daughters graduate from high school and become successful, career-minded adults, and she is extremely proud of her son who, at the age of 20, already has risen to the position of supervisor at his job and is enrolled in school at Atlantic Technical Center.
 Ameta has a few personal goals as well - to go back to school in order to pursue a career in the field of nursing, and to take the proper steps to building a stronger and better foundation for herself and her family. One of those steps was applying to Habitat Broward's homeownership program, and thanks to her hard work and dedication, Ameta will soon be the proud owner of a brand new home in Unincorporated Broward!
"Becoming a homeowner means that I have FINALLY reached one of my life's goals - having my own home," says Ameta. "It shows that I can achieve anything if I put forth commitment, time and effort. With GOD all things are possible!" |
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HABITAT YOUTH AND ST. ANTHONY CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEAM UP TO GIVE BACK | |
On April 24th, the youth of Habitat Broward's homeowners and the students of Saint Anthony Catholic School dedicated their Saturday to learning the importance of Earth Day and giving back to the community. More than 150 youth ages 10-17 participated in a fun day of eco-friendly education and beautification projects at St. Anthony, which donates the location for Blueprints4Life, Habitat Broward's Youth Enrichment program.
The all-day event began with an informative and interactive presentation by The Kids Ecology Corps, a local non-profit dedicated to educating and inspiring young children to make environmental changes in their daily lives. The presenters engaged the kids in discussion on topics such as recycling, the effects of pollution, and proposed solutions to help save and restore natural resources.
"Helping the earth is good, and if you don't take care of the earth, no one else will follow," said 11-year-old Domingo, one of the youth participants.  Following the presentation, all of the kids got their hands dirty by helping out with beautification projects throughout the campus, including weeding, planting flowers, mulching, window-washing, and trash removal. In addition, they used their artistic talents to add decorative touches throughout the school, including banners, wind chimes, colorful plant pots and mosaic stepping stones. "It is so important that we all can get together and help the earth by cleaning it up, so it can be healthier to live on and to make it more beautiful," said Megan, age 12. 
The Earth Day project is just one of the many activities of the Blueprints4Life program, which runs from August to May and aims to empower the youth of Habitat families to become mentally, physically and emotionally prepared to engage in educational and community opportunities that will serve them well into adulthood. |
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Habitat for Humanity of Broward, an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian housing ministry. Established in 1983, Habitat Broward 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.
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