February 2008
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Vol 1, Issue 1 |
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| Greetings! |
Welcome to the first issue of our monthly E-Newsletter!
We plan to keep you up to date with all of the exciting news happening
at Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley.
We invite your feedback and hope you will find the information useful and
informative. Each month, we will update you on current builds, new initiatives,
ways to get engaged in our work, and information about affordable housing.
Here's
what's happening right now:
*We just received confirmation of a $152,000 grant to purchase 3 lots
in the City of Ann Arbor.
This grant requires a special agreement with Habitat homeowners that will ensure
that land purchased with these funds will remain permanently affordable to
future homeowners.
*The Habitat ReStore celebrated its one year anniversary in October.
The ReStore has been a wonderful addition to Habitat's work. Habitat receives
donations of tax-deductible building materials, furniture and appliances and
sells them to the public in our store at 170 Aprill Drive in Ann Arbor. The ReStore recycles materials
that would otherwise end up in the land fill, helps people renovate their homes
affordably, and generates unrestricted funds to be used to build more homes! To date, the store has generated more than
$170,000 in net proceeds!
*We are now using Volunteer Hub - a scheduling software system that enables
us to more effectively plug volunteers into our work. Please check out our
updated website and sign on to learn more about volunteer
opportunities.
Thanks for your interest in Habitat.
Sarah Stanton
Executive Director, HHHV |
"Bringing Families Together" A Live and Silent Auction
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Please join us for an evening of live
and silent auctions, delicious food, and jazz music to help Habitat
raise the roof on more homes for families in Washtenaw County.
Friday, April 25th, 2008.
This event will be from
6:30pm to 9:30pm at the
Morris Lawrence Atrium at
Washtenaw Community
College, 4800 E. Huron
River Drive, Ann Arbor.
Tickets are $50 each.
We are also looking for event sponsors. For more information, including ticket purchasing, please call Theresa Finney Dumais at 734.677.1558 ext. 105 or email comdir@h4h.org.
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| Shop Habitat's ReStore |
Stop in to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for huge savings on new and gently used building supplies, appliances, furniture, tools, and more! For a closer look at our inventory, please visit our website. For more information call: (734) 822-1530
Open: Tuesday thru Saturday, 9am to 4pm |
| Location: 170 Aprill Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
(Off of Jackson Rd. between Wagner and Zeeb) | |
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| Board of Directors |
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Alan Barr, President
Jim Sterken, Vice-President
Kathleen Pustell, Treasurer
James Lannen, Secretary
Andrew Bennett
Marjorie Bolgos
Susie Cannell
William (Nick) Collins
Richard (Dick) Dyer
Mike Folk
R. James Gorenflo
George A. Johnston
Rob Nissly
David Teare
Ron Thomas
Margaret Venema |
| Staff |
- Sarah Stanton
Executive Director
- Crystal Stevens
Office Manager/Finance Assistant
- Theresa Finney Dumais
Development Director
- Bill Dunphy
Construction Manager
- Lynne Punnett
Faith Relations &
Volunteer Coordinator
- Ray Frye
ReStore Manager
- Jacquelyn Mally-Hermann
ReStore Assistant Manager
- John Hock
Finance Director
- Floyd Robinson
Family Support Coordinator
- Sarah Teare
Housing Grants Manager
- Chris Kazckowski
Field Supervisor
- Laura Webb
Community Relations Intern
- Edwin Vargas
ReStore Assistant
- Terry Dobbins
ReStore Assistant
- Antoine Bridges
Americorps Volunteer
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Our Mission: Enriching Our Community Through a Legacy of Affordable Homeownership
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Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley (HHHV) is a non-profit,
volunteer-driven organization that works to eliminate poverty housing. We build
homes in partnership with families who demonstrate need and a willingness to
work with Habitat for Humanity by helping to build a home of their own.
Thank
you for joining with us in this work of eliminating poverty housing and making
safe, decent housing a matter of conscience and
action!
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House of Abraham
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Progress on
Habitat's House of Abraham interfaith build continues as congregants from the
sponsoring churches work together alongside Habitat volunteers to build a home. This consortium of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian congregations is the first of its kind in the State of Michigan.
Taju Ali and Zabiba Mussa are cousins who faced similar, but
separate, perilous journeys as they fled political turmoil in Ethiopia in 1999.
After living in refugee camps for more than two years, they reunited in the
camps in 2001 and have since relocated to Michigan. They are thrilled to be a
Habitat Partner Family and are especially excited to be building their own
home.
The house is well
underway with the drywall completed this past weekend and other finish work to begin soon. The
current work schedule is Saturdays and some Sundays, 8am - 4pm.
Many thanks to the sponsors who have made this build possible including: Temple Beth Emeth, Beth Israel, St. Clare's Episcopal, Ann Arbor Christian
Reformed, St. James United Church of Christ (UCC) Saline/Clinton, Emmanuel UCC
Manchester, First Presbyterian Ann Arbor, St. Paul UCC Saline, Bethel UCC Manchester and UM Muslim Student Organization. In addition, the following sponsors have provided discounted or free labor or materials for the project: Graybar, MasterCraft, Tommark Inc., and Sweet Construction.
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Friends House
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Our newest build, the Friends House, kicked off
on January 25th, 2008. Within days of beginning construction, Habitat's Family
Support Committee announced that Ms. Donna Robinson and her daughter, Robin,
will be the new homeowners.
 This is a unique project sponsored jointly by Eastern Michigan University's
Eagle's Nest, students in the EMU Construction Management Program, the UM Baseball Team, and
Toyota Corporate. The EMU students, known as the "Constructors," are not only providing
experienced labor, but have also accepted the responsibility of
leading the rough construction phase of the build. Battling sub-zero windchills, they set a record-breaking pace over the course of their first weekend. They completed the deck along with nearly all of the interior and exterior walls. Rough construction will
continue through February 10.
Pictured: Susie Cannell, Family Support Partner (left), and
Future Homeowner Donna Robinson (right).
We are looking for a houseleader to see the interior finish work through to completion. If you are
interested in working with Habitat to complete this build, in a leadership role
or as a general volunteer, please contact Lynne Punnett at (734) 677-1558, ext.
110. |
Toyota Corporate Partners on Friends House
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Toyota's
community affairs board approved of a generous donation to support our
"Friends House," which began construction in mid-January 2008. Not only is Toyota Corporate
providing funding to help build the future home of the Robinson family, they
are also supplying volunteer labor from their various departments. Habitat
staff members have been working on this project with Toyota
since the fall, and everyone is
excited to see it realized.
As
to why Toyota has partnered on this valuable
project, Cindy Mahalak of External Affairs said, "As a company, Toyota's philosophy is to
give back to the communities where we do business. Our Team Members are
at the heart of that philosophy. We are honored and excited to team up
with Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley, EMU, and other members of the
community to build the 'Friends House' project." |
| Women Build Dedication |
The 2007 Women Build house is complete. The dedication was held Sunday, January 6 with more than 50 family members, volunteers, Habitat board members, and staff present. Together, they congratulated new homeowner LaKeysha Self and her two boys, Davion and Elijah. The family will be moving into their new home at 1683 Dorothy Street in Ypsilanti Township on February 7th.
Construction began July 28, 2007 and continued Fridays (co-ed) and Saturdays (women only) through November. In total, 203 different volunteers contributed to the building of the house with 79% of all volunteer labor being women.
Special thanks to DTE Energy and Washtenaw Community College for sponsoring this build as well as local contractors
B-Safe Electric, MasterCraft Plumbers, McNaughton & McKay, and Robertson-Morrison for their discounted or free labor and supplies.
In addition, we would like to thank Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, the students of Washtenaw Community College's Construction Management Program (who hung most of the drywall), Jim DeRosia ( who provided countertops and installed them at no charge), Hunter Douglas (who provided the window blinds), Larson, Inc. (who provided the storm doors), Whirlpool (who provided the stove and refrigerator), COR-A-Vent (who supplied the ridge vent), Ann Arbor Well Drilling (who set the beam), Carrie Krantz-Fischer (who prepared and delivered lunch for our Saturday volunteers), and the Pioneer High School Girls Water Polo Team and their friends (who hoisted the roof trusses and so much more).
In addition to these generous companies and individuals, the following companies contributed volunteer crews to work on the house: DTE Energy, Starbucks, Google, and Visteon.
We look forward to beginning work on our next Women Build house! Any women interested in helping to lead the Women Build fundraising team or to be a Houseleader and lead volunteers at the construction site, please contact Lynne Punnett at 734-677-1558, ext. 110.
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| Upcoming Events
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- "Doowops" Concert to benefit House of Abraham. Feb. 24th, 6:00pm. St. Paul United Church of Christ: 122 W. Michigan Avenue, Saline, MI. $10 adults, $5 children. Please call (734) 482-5167 for more information.
- Italian Dinner and Silent Auction to benefit the upcoming Good News House. Feb. 23rd, 4:30pm - 7:00pm. Dexter Methodist Church: 7643 W. Huron River Drive, Dexter, MI. Tickets sold at the door, $8 adults, $5 children, $7 seniors (60+). For more information visit their website.
- Benefit Concert to support Brad Pickard and Katie Miller, participating in the summer 2008 Habitat Build Challenge. Joining other young adults from around the nation, Katie and Brad will be travelling across the country on a home-building, awareness-raising trip. They hope to learn not only about building homes and helping communities where Habitat is not well-established, but also to collaborate with their peers to help break the barriers of poverty in the United States. To help raise support and awareness for their trip, Katie and Brad have planned a benefit concert.
If you would like to help them and others celebrate the wonderful work done by Habitat worldwide, mark your calendar for Sunday, February 17, 2008. The event will take place at the First United Methodist
Church of Ann Arbor (120 S. State St), with lunch at 12:15 pm in the social
hall and the concert beginning at 1:30 pm in the sanctuary. The concert will feature diverse ensembles and soloists including the FUMC Chancel Choir, as well as students from the U-M School of Music. Admission is free. Donations to help meet Katie and Brad's fundraising goals are welcome.
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