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Habichat: A Newsletter from
Growing Communities for more than 21 Years...
July, 2010
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
Saturday, August 14, 9:30AM: Love in Action Tour, First Baptist Church, 301 King Street, Pottstown.
Tuesday, August 17, 7:00PM: Lowe's Training Clinic for Women Build
Friday, August 20, 8:00PM: "Songs That Go Like This...A Broadway Review" Joint Benefit Concert with the Tri-County Performing Arts Center.
Saturday, August 28, 10:00AM: ReStore Volunteer Orientation |
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Asante Sana
My eleven and a half years at Habitat have been quite an
adventure. From meetings held in row houses sitting on overturned buckets, to
our spacious new building on Foundry Road. I heard about "ReStores" at my first
North East Regional Executive Director's retreat in February of 1999. We
finally have one!
The forty-two families that have become homeowners during my
years here are my most meaningful work. Stabilizing a community or a family
takes much more than construction skills. Living with these folks through
life's struggles with job losses, health challenges, children's deaths,
murders, divorces, accidents, attending their funerals.... I hold as sacred my
relationship with these homeowners.
During my leadership we have done two Blitz Builds, two
Women Builds, built our first American with Disabilities Act compliant home,
our first LEED certified row house, our first multi-unit, multi-level, new
construction of town homes, and now have repeatable designs for new
construction that meet both the local building codes as well as Habitat's
simple decent guidelines. We have continued our commitment to Cherry Street,
now rehabbing our twenty-second home on this street alone!
I am so grateful to the many volunteers and staff that have
seen the challenges and enthusiastically worked with me to come up with
creative solutions. Eleven years of work included responding to fires, deaths,
gunfire and SWAT teams, stalking, slum landlords, out of control homeowners,
finding emergency warehouse locations, negotiating with commercial real estate
brokers and banks, working with municipalities and the many changes due to
political instability, and all that comes with this work of community
revitalization.
It has been a privilege to serve as Habitat's Executive Director.
My faith and commitment to Habitat's mission is strong and I will continue to
be a supporter. May we always seek the God who gave us birth and has carried us
this far.
Asante Sana
(Swahili I learned in Kenya, meaning thank you very much)
P.S. Brenda has asked that you write letters to her that she
can collect in a book of memories. Send them to Habitat and we will make sure
that she receives them.
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Leadership Changes at Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County
During these tough economic times, the work of building
homes for low-income families has been difficult. After more than 11 years with the affiliate, Brenda will
be leaving Habitat at the end of the month. Her dedication and commitment to the Montgomery County
affiliate of Habitat for Humanity has been extraordinary, and she has the
gratitude of the Board of Directors for her efforts. As Brenda moves on, Habitat will also move in a new
direction as we continue to grow and expand our work of helping those less
fortunate.
The Executive Committee has already begun the search process
to replace Brenda. We look forward
to a renewed sense of purpose that will enable us to continue to fulfill our
mission of building simple, decent, affordable homes, ready to be filled with
love, for very-low income families in Montgomery County, and to attaining our
ultimate vision of eliminating poverty housing in the county.
Though we acknowledge that our affiliate has hit a rough
patch, we are very excited by the new opportunities (and challenges) that have
presented themselves and look forward to keeping you up to date on how we are
successfully dealing with both the challenges and the opportunities. We thank you for your support.
Regards,
The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors
Habitat for Humanity Montgomery County
Carl Friedman, President
Robert Nydick, Vice President and President Elect
Scott Knutson, Vice President
Paul Semler, Secretary
Richard Dilworth, Treasurer
Sanford Bigelow, Member at Large
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SAVE THE DATE...
ReStore Grand Opening
Saturday, September 25, 2010
* building activities for kids * college building competition *
* DIY clinics & presentations * raffles * barbecue *
* ribbon cutting ceremony * chances for free giveaways*
* Charm City Cakes (from Food Network's "Ace of Cakes") *
Details to follow. |
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ReStore News
New Hours in August!
Fridays: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturdays: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Newsletter
Click here to sign up for our ReStore Newsletter to receive info about sales and special products we have available. Stay tuned for special deals!
ReStore Volunteer Orientation
Our next ReStore volunteer orientation is on Saturday, August 28, at 10am. Spaces are limited. If you would like to attend, please contact Linley at (610) 278-7710 x208 or linley@habitatmontco.org.
Wish List Help us set up our ReStore! We are looking for the following items:
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Carts and baskets for customer shopping
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Small utility or push carts
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Heavy duty hand truck
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Appliance hand truck
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Gas cards from Exxon, Shell, or Sunoco for diesel fuel for ReStore truck
for more information or to donate. |
"Songs That Go Like This...A Broadway Review"
8:00 pm, Friday August 20
Building Communities Through Full Houses and Full Homes
The Tri-County Performing Arts Center
245 E. High Street
Pottstown, PA
Internationally celebrated vocalists Maggie and Mark Moliterno return to the Tri-County Performing Arts Center for a joint benefit concert with an inspiring review of some of Broadway's most beloved musical moments! With the help of 25 of the area's most talented young singing actors (Ages 10-20), the Moliternos promise an evening dedicated to community, friendship, togetherness, and love.
Tickets cost $30 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under, and include a post-show wine and cheese reception. Proceeds from the performance will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County and the Tri-County Performing Arts Center.
Click here to purchase tickets, or to purchase tickets directly without a service fee, please contact the Tri-County Performing Arts Center at 610-970-1199 and a representative will return your call.
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Calling all RecycleBank Members!
 We need your help more than ever right now! RecycleBank is discontinuing their relationships with all nonprofits after December 31, 2010 and we only have five months left to receive RecycleBank points donations. Donate your RecycleBank points anytime this year to help Habitat build more homes locally for families in need.1025 points = $10 donationClick here to sign in to your RecycleBank account to donate today! After you donate, go to your
checkout basket where you can up the quantity if you like. Please help get
the word out by forwarding this to everyone you know who uses RecycleBank! For more information, please contact Linley
at (610) 278-7710 x208 or linley@habitatmontco.org |
Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County is now on FirstGiving! FirstGiving is a popular website used for personal
fundraising & event registration.
If you want to help Habitat raise money to keep building simple, decent, affordable housing, you can make your very own personal fundraising page and send it to friends and family to help you reach your goal!
Donating through FirstGiving is simple, fast and totally secure.
Click here to make your own fundraising page, or to support others! |
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Cars for Homes
 Thank you to a generous donor for the newest addition to Habitat's vehicle fleet. We will use this mini-van to transport volunteers and materials to and from our job sites. Donating your car through Habitat is tax-deductible and directly helps build more Habitat homes in Montgomery County! Click here for more information about the Cars for Homes program. |
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Buy a Brick to Support the Future of Habitat!
 Ensure Habitat's future by purchasing a personalized brick, which will be used to create new entrance ways and landscaping for our new home at 533 Foundry Road, West Norriton, PA. You can write a message of encouragement, thanks, hope, or have your name become a permanent part of our future.
For more information, or to purchase a brick, please click here. |
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"When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree."
- Vietnamese Proverb
With that final thought, let us move forward step by step!
Sincerely,
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Raise Money for Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County just by searching the Web. You'll also keep informed about Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County news. It's FREE !!
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