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Fredericksburg, Virginia - Mention the name Habitat for Humanity and you may be hard pressed to find anyone unfamiliar with the incredible work and generosity of this thirty-six year old organization. Most will be quick to associate names like former President Jimmy Carter, rocker Jon Bon Jovi, crooner Harry Connick, Jr., or jazz musician Bradford Marsalis, all major spokespersons ...read full press release
Evening Highlights
- Fredericksburg Big Band
- Silent Auction
- Keynote address by Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw
- Community leaders awards
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Volunteer of the Quarter
David Humphrey is our volunteer of the quarter. He has been volunteering at the GFHFH for just over a year, managing the Aluminum can-recycling program at Habitat. He saw a need for volunteers to pick up cans to be recyclabled once a month and he looked at it as a great opportunity. He says that he likes to give back to the community and has been really blessed that he has the time and resources that enable him to volunteer. This year Habitat has raised a total profit of $8,750 in recyclables and collected over 11,460 pounds of aluminum cans. All of the profits go toward helping families in need to afford simple, decent housing through Habitat for Humanity.
Sign up above and start the journey of helping others. |
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2012 Year End Contribution Deadline
Its that time of the year again, don't forget that the deadline for tax deduction is 12/31/12.
Or Mail your Check to :
GFHFH
4755 Jeff Davis Hwy
Fredericksburg VA 22408
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Team Building While Building Hope
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LifePoint Church continues its commitment to service and partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Beginning this summer with the "Paint the Town Red" initiative, LifePoint and the GFHFH have come together once again to effect change one person at a time. The relationship has only grown stronger with time. On a chilly November morning the groups came together once again to construct a paved sidewalk around Megan's family home. Injured in an automotive accident and wheelchair bound, Megan's mobility was limited by the lack of paved sidewalk around the home. LifePoint church members, in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity's "A Bush with Kindness" program, were able to plan the sidewalk, excavate, and prepare to pour concrete in a single day
This huge task however, was just practice for the twenty-five LifePoint mission group members who plan to travel to Zacapa, Guatemala in December and continue working. The group plans to work through the Hope of Life International foundation to assist in ensuring clean, safe access to drinking water for the people of the small village of El Oasis through well-building and other construction projects. Through partnership projects like this one and those with the GFHFH the groups has grown to recognize and address need locally and abroad. Dozens of community, school, and church groups build up their teams and bolster community by partnering on projects with the GFHFH each year on projects around the Greater Fredericksburg region.
Through partnership with Habitat and also through previous trips to Guatemala the group has formed an acute awareness of need and also of their own place within the community, both international and local. LifePoint's partnership with Habitat marks a point in which local citizens and groups come together to address, and more importantly, meet local needs of the community they share. Kristen Teeple, an intern with LifePoint's student ministry and outreach efforts, characterizes the projects and efforts of the two groups as "answers to a call to service both here abroad." Other members of the group describe their service and membership in terms of building connections not only with their local neighbors and Guatemalan counterparts, but within their own existing social networks. The members of the mission group are not limited to those that travel- those that stay home to provide childcare while parents are away or those that support the efforts through monetary donation or coordination are also members of this wider circle of service. Many went so far as to say that their participation in the group had the unexpected but happy consequence of forging stronger bonds within their own social groups as well.
The GFHFH's partnership with various local community organizations showcases this practice of building new relationships while strengthening existing ones at the same time. Through "A Brush with Kindness" and the labor of LifePoint church members these local community groups were able to not only able to improve the quality of life for one family, but were also able to reinforce and fortify their own bonds as well.
If your Church, group or business would like to strengthen your team, and grow strong bonds through service please contact our volunteer coordinator at Volunteer@fredhab.org |
6th Annual Poker Run
returns April 27, 2013
Save the date! Preperations for the 6th Annual Poker Run are underway. We look forward to seeing you on the road April 27, 2013
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Thank you to the following businesses and groups for your donations:
- Atlantic Builders
- Belvedere Plantation
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Broadneck High School
- Cooperative Helping Hands
- Fastteks
- George Washington Univeristy
- Pohanka Auto Center
- Six-o-Six Caroline
- Quarles Petroleum
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Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Stafford and King George
Fall 2012
Month, Day 20XX |
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Greetings!
One behalf of the Habitat families, board members, all volunteers and staff we want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are excited to share with you the latest happenings here at GFHFH. With your support we are close to housing our 17th family, starting our 18th and 19th homes and have made 39 crtical home repairs through our "A Brush With Kindness" program. There is great need in our community, but together we can make a real difference. We look forward to what we will acomplish together in 2013.
Merry Christmas,
GFHFH
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BUILD ACTIVITIES UPDATE
WINTER 2012
The Ground Breaking Ceremony for 42 Blizzard Court (LOT 19) in the Lake Arrowhead Subdivision of Stafford County was held November 20, 2011. This house is just about finished and we are working through our punch list items. Our partnership with the Stafford School System has again reaped rewards for this project. The carpentry classes assisted with exterior framing, interior wall framing, and Dow STYROFOAM XPS insulation panels. The electrical classes assisted with the electrical rough-in. A special thank you goes to Ken McCartney Mold Free Home VA, L.L.C. for donation of the radon mitigation system. Special thanks also goes to Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) for the donation of a rain garden. The downspouts from the house all feed into the rain garden which will allow the water to seep back into the ground thereby eliminating any erosion problems associated with runoff from the house. We have work for volunteers helping complete punch list items, so if you have time come out and help complete this home for a Habitat Family. The work schedule and directions to the work site are on our website (www.fredhab.org). Click on the "Get Involved" tab; select "calendar"; then select date to see the work schedule and obtain directions to the worksite.
The Build Committee has started work on 44 Blizzard Court (Lot 18) in the Lake Arrowhead Subdivision of Stafford County. We are in the process of getting the foundation and slab completed. We expect to begin framing in late December or January. When we begin framing, we will have continuous work for volunteers through most of next year. Watch our website for our schedule and come on out and give us a hand.
The Build Committee is currently working on plans for our next project which is located on Mount Olive Road in Spotsylvania County. We are currently working on the septic permit application and the floor plan for the house.
The Build Committee meets every Monday morning at 9:00 A.M. at the GFHFH office. We need additional help with planning and completing future building projects, so please consider offering your assistance. GFHFH is also in need of Site Supervisors for several of our projects. We are also in need of a safety manager for our construction sites. If you have a group, or know of a group, interested in working on any of our ongoing projects by volunteering on-site or sponsoring a fund raising event, please call the GFHFH office (540-891-5009).
Phil Scott
GFHFH Building Committee
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 Youth Volunteer of the Quarter
Miranda has been volunteering with Habitat since summer time. Her time here has been extremely helpful, she has helped our office and volunteer staff get ready for our first annual Gala. Miranda said she enjoys volunteering here and has learned a lot about office work. Miranda is a great example to all those under 18 that you are never too young to volunteer and make a real difference |
A Brush With Kindness
Changing Lives One Family at a
Time  Volunteers from Lifepoint Church take a break form building a concrete ramp with Megan.
Lifepoint and Megan pose for a picture while taking a break from installing a sidewalk ramp.
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Tragedy can impact anyone at any time; the wake left behind can cause huge changes in lifestyle and have tremendous financial ramifications. Such was the case when 20 year old Megan had a devastating accident in the summer of 2012. She awoke from a coma paralyzed, and unable to move her legs. As a young mother this was a hard thing to accept, but her mother says that "Megan has always had a positive outlook on life". Her doctors told them that she would never regain the ability to walk, however Megan was set on proving them wrong. She recently has been able to move her leg slightly, and is positive that one day she will get out of that chair.
In the meantime Megan and her mother were left having to adjust to this new reality, as positive as their outlook has been there are certain realities that they had to deal with. Most homes are not made for wheelchair access, Megan and Maryanne's home was no exception. That led Maryanne to stop by the office of Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity where she had heard about our program called A Brush with Kindness, in which we help homeowners with critical home repairs with a focus on health, safety and accessibility. Their home would need to have at least three doors widened to allow wheelchair access, a wheelchair ramp and at least one bathroom made wheelchair accessible.
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Henry, Ed, Bruce and Mike at the ABWK project site |
We sent our team out to look over the house to see what we could do; we estimated that the cost would be between 12 and 13 thousand dollars, unfortunately that amount exceeded the $7500.00 limit that A Brush with Kindness has. However we wanted to help, so as members of the Rappahannock Home Repair Coalition we brought this need to our monthly meeting. There the group decided that we could all pull our resources to help this family. The coalition is made up of the Fredericksburg Area Builders Association (FABA), the DisAbility Resource center, the Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging, Rebuilding Together, Central Virginia Housing Coalition, and Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity.
Working together using donated materialsthrough FABA members, volunteer tradesmen from FABA , a grant through the disAbility Resource center, volunteers from Habitat for Humanity, contributions and volunteers from Lifepoint Church we were able to complete the project proving the old adage "many hands make light work". It was a real testament of what can be accomplished when multiple groups come together. With the donated materials and tradesmen we installed a roll-in shower, a high top toilet, widened two interior doors, one exterior door, and Egress windows; constructed a concrete ramp and patio allowing access to the home. Now Megan can enjoy the things we often take for granted.
If you would like to learn more about A Brush with Kindness contact our offices, if you have questions about the RHRC contact any of the members listed above. |
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FOTR Install a raingarden |
Being Good stewards
At Habitat for Humanity being good stewards of the earth is a role we take very seriously. We build with the environment in mind. We believe it's important to build homes that save energy and have as small of an environmental footprint as possible. We build using Earth Craft standards and use all energy star appliances. In addition to that, this year in partnership with The Friends of the Rappahannock we have begun installing Rain Gardens at each new build site. Rain Gardens allow a slower absorption of runoff and provide a level of filtration that keeps pollutants out of our streams, rivers and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay and Ocean. On Wednesday, November 14, 2012 the Broadneck Habitat Club and The Friends of the Rappahannock joined us at our current build in Lake Arrowhead to install a Rain Garden. We want to thank both groups for partnering with us. For more information on Rain Gardens visit Riverfriends.org.
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Friends of the Rappahannock and The Braodneck Habitat Club |
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New Web Site Makes Volunteering & Donating Easier
Information is important it helps us connect and stay connected. With that in mind we have a brand new website and web based volunteer sign ups that make getting involved easier than ever. Check out the all new and improved:
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The Marines gave the studetns tours of this troop transport |
Teens and Marines
It was a hot summer day when 56 high school students came together to volunteer at one of the build sites for the GFHFH. The interior group worked on the flooring while the other group worked on the driveway/gravel area, leveled the ground and filled in the holes. Most of the students cleared brush and trees for the neighboring site, a future Habitat building site. The teens were apart of the Summer Leadership and Character Development Academy; a pilot program through the Marine Corps Base Quantico held this past summer. They successfully hosted students from all over the country and provided leadership, ethics, and character building classes. The goal of SLCDA is to show what opportunities exist in the Marine Corps. They also had physical training workouts to give the kids a taste of what the Marine Corps expects in terms of physical fitness. Lieutentant Colonal Frederik Vanweezendonk spearheaded the 2012 SLCDA summer program.
The program exposed the teens to the Marine Corps but also to the need for service both demonstrated and practiced. "We chose Habitat for Humanity because of its proximity to Quantico and because it is a well-established organization". "We had a great day with Habitat for Humanity" said Lieutenant Colonel Frederik Vanweezendonk.
Lt. Col Vanweezendonk commented on the teens volunteering and said, "I think most of the students were pretty happy with the work. This current generation of high school students feel a "wanting" to contribute. Whether it has been driven into them, or whether the "feel-good" is what motivates them, the sense of volunteerism seems to be a part of them. Some do it for the resume, or the college application, or to put a "check in the box", but I truly think most enjoy giving back when they can. What we taught them at SLCDA seemed to dovetail very well at the build site and I think they were able to use some of these leadership skills working together at Habitat for Humanity. We made good progress and it was nice to see visible, noticeable improvements from start to finish".
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ReStore at the Fall Homeshow 2012 |
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 | | Janet, Pam, Cindy, and Tisha representing the ReStore |
REpresenting,
REuse,
REpurpose,
REcycle,
REStore,
The Restore has become a familiar face at the seasonal Home shows
This fall was no exception. our Volunteer Coordinator says that he enjoys going to the shows because many people are not aware that we have a Restore in Fredericksburg, and Restores are a win win for the community because they save the public money on home goods, like doors, windows, hardware, appliances and furniture, while raising money to help build houses in our community. They also keep literally tons of items out of our landfills, helping keep our community as green as we can. The ReStore sell's both new and used items that are donated from individuals and businesses. If you have items you would like to donate visit our ReStore page for more information or call us at 540-891-5009, we can even arrange pick up for qualifying items.
The Restore is now open till 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. We want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and we hope to see you at our Restore, or the many events we attend in the community.
Thank you
Sincerely, GFHFH  |
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