 Calendar Thursday, April 4th
Mashpee Dedication Ceremony
24 Russell Road, Mashpee
5:30pm
Monday, April 15th
Last Gasp Organizational Meeting
Habitat Office
411 Rt 6A, Yarmouthport
5:30-6:30pm
Wednesday, April 24th
Disaster Relief Organizational Meeting
Habitat Office
411 Rt 6A, Yarmouthport
7:00-8:00pm
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News In Brief  Mashpee Dedication We will dedicate 24 Russell Road, Mashpee, this Thursday, April 4th at 5:30 pm. Dedications are open to the public, so we hope you will tell your friends.
Please be considerate of the neighbors when parking, and consider carpooling. Directions available here. Congratulations Two members of the Habitat family, homeowner Dave Robbins and Board Member Ron Winner, are both being honored by the Cape and Islands Chapter of the Red Cross at its annual "Heroes Breakfast" this Thursday. Heroes are honored for going above and beyond to help people in their community. Ron is being honored as a Mentor/ Role Model, and Dave, a chaplain at the Barnstable County Correctional facility, is being honored for his Community Impact. 
Minutes Taker Needed
If you like to take notes, we could use your help! We need a minutes-taker for our Faith Relations Committee, a group that works with various faith-based groups across the Cape to assist with fundraising, organizing devotions at our build sites, and acting as a liaison to various faith communities. If you are interested in participating in this fascinating work by taking minutes on the second Tuesday of each month, please contact Wendy Cullinan at 508-362-3559 ex. 11 or wendy@habitatcapecod.org.
Look for Our Spring Appeal
We want to thank homeowner Cheryl Groves for sharing her Habitat story with us in our spring appeal letter. Look for Cheryl's inspiring words... coming soon to your mailbox.
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Take this online survey so that we can ensure our news is meeting your needs. You don't need to give your name, and we'd be grateful for the feedback.
Disaster Relief Trip Meeting
An informational meeting to plan our May 5-11th trip to New Jersey will be held at the Habitat office on April 24th at 7:00pm. This trip will help low-income residents of Atlantic City, NJ, who were affected by Superstorm Sandy in November. Contact Dawn Walnut or Fred Yarger to receive updated information about the trip as it is available.
 Team Habitat in Last Gasp
Get more information about Team Habitat in The Last Gasp at an informational meeting at the Habitat office on Monday, April 15th at 5:30pm. Information on how to register for the ride can be found here.
ReStore News Updates
If you would like to be added to the brand-new ReStore Mailing List, to receive ReStore news, updates on new inventory, or to find out about special sale prices, let us know. Contact Dawn Walnut (dawn@habitatcapecod.org)
or Donna Baldwin (donna@habitatcapecod.org) and ask to be added to the mailing list.
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Construction Update
Eastham
Move- in days are coming!
Mashpee
Dedication Ceremony on April 4th.
Truro
The home has been plastered and painting will be underway starting this week. We will finish the interior over the next few months with a target dedication day for early June.
Mashpee, Centerville, Falmouth, OrleansThings are moving forward! We have more building permits garnered, and are working with towns and engineers. It won't be long before we are pouring foundations. It is looking more and more as if Mashpee will be our first Wall Raising this spring. Stay tuned!
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Greetings!
In honor of Earth Day later this month, this issue of our e-newsletter is dedicated to Green! Green for the arrival of spring, which has finally come to Cape Cod, and Green for our environment. Read on to learn ways Habitat is dedicated to being Green, and for some tips you can use in your own home. |
The Habitat ReStore - Always Green
 The Habitat ReStore doesn't have to go Green; it is Green. In its first year of operation, our ReStore has saved over 140 tons of waste that otherwise would have gone to a landfill. It is a Green initiative all the way through, and was recently described as a win-win in the Cape Codder. (see article here). As many of you may know, the ReStore takes new or gently used, donated materials, and sells them at a fraction of their original cost. The materials stay out of the waste stream, the original owners are able to get an unwanted item out of their house (and the ReStore will even pick up!), the new owner gets a bargain, and Habitat is able to use the money raised to build more homes. A win-win indeed! ReStore has already become an important source of revenue supporting the local work of Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod. And the funds raised for Habitat have been increasing each month this spring, thank to our wonderful donors, customers, volunteers and staff. |
ReStore Special Sale -
This week only!
20% off store-wide
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And the ReStore is expanding! We have taken over the full lease of the building and will be remodeling the space soon to create a bigger showroom area. 90% of the building will be reserved for retail space, with the back 10% used for receiving and pick-ups. Watch for announcements about when we will be ready for volunteers to sign up to help with the expansion.
The ReStore is a great volunteer opportunity with Habitat that many people overlook. With shifts available on a regular or on-call basis, there are many ways to help - and get to work with a fun, energized group of people at the same time (people like Tom Sears - featured in our Volunteer Spotlight below). You may want to help customers on the sales floor, arrange the merchandise, go with the driver on pick-ups, or come in for special projects. To volunteer, contact Donna Baldwin at the ReStore: 508-394-6400, or donna@habitatcapecod.org. The Habitat ReStore is open Wednesday-Friday, 9-5 28 White's Path, South Yarmouth - just off exit 8
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Habitat's Green Building Techniques
 At Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod, we build our homes to "LEED Standard." LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification is a widely used green building program across the globe. Using a 100-point system, LEED measures a project's sustainability and green building techniques in the following areas: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Locations & Linkages, Awareness & Education, and Innovation in Design.
Habitat built 13 LEED Gold-Certified homes in 2009 on Gomes Way in Harwich. Since then, we cannot claim that our homes are "LEED Gold" without completing the onerous certification documentation and paying fees for testing and review; we have made the decision not to direct our resources towards certification for each house. However, we do continue to use construction techniques that are equivalent to LEED Gold Standard. If you'd like to know a few of the ways we build Green at Habitat, please check our website. The LEED Certification system is based on points. Many points are awarded for simple things you can do at your own home. Here are a few: - Buy local - LEED standards require materials purchased from sources within 500 miles.
- Plan ahead carefully when doing renovation projects - if you are precise with your measurements, you will buy less and waste less material.
- Install programmable thermostats and set them for lower temperatures at night and when you are away from home.
- Look for low-VOC paints, and use fewer carpets in your home - the chemical emissions from paint and new carpeting can lower the air quality in your home for weeks or more.
- A blower door test will find air leaks in your house so you can seal them.
- Add insulation - the more the better. Once your house is tight however, pay attention to the air exchange. Consider programmable exhaust vents and have fans in your bathroom that turn on automatically with the lights - proper ventilation reduces moisture which leads to mold and mildew.
- And - as always - Recycle!
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Cars for Homes - Recycling for a Cause
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Click on the image to see the Cars for Homes "vehicle of the month"
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Longtime Habitat volunteer Dot Hannon told us a story - she brought her car to the shop to have new brakes put in, only to be told by her mechanic that the entire underside of the vehicle was rusted out. Not only were new brakes impossible to install, the mechanic told Dot not to drive the car again. Dot contacted Anne Correri, here at our office, to get information on the Cars for Homes - Habitat's official car donation program. She hoped Cars for Homes could auction the car for resale or recycling. When a car is sold through the Cars for Homes program, 100% of the proceeds go to Habitat. Dot thought it would be lucky if the car fetched $500. After what she described as a "pleasant and agreeable conversation" with the folks from Cars for Homes, arrangements were made and shortly thereafter, the car sold for $1,400. All Dot had to do was leave the title and keys - the car was picked up for her. Since she specified that Habitat Cape Cod should benefit from the sale, Dot's phone call will help more families right here on Cape Cod. Dot says, "It was the easiest thing, and people were extremely helpful." The Cars for Homes program sells as many vehicles as possible, but even those that are classified as "junk vehicles" can be useful. They are typically hauled to auto salvage yards where all reusable car parts, batteries, tires and fluids are removed. Cars that can be recycled are crushed and shredded for usable steel. Enough steel is kept out of landfills to build nearly 45,000 steel-framed homes every year. The energy saved each year is enough to power about 18 million households.
You, too, can donate a car to Cars for Homes™ by calling (877) 277-HFHI (4344) toll free - or donate vehicles online. Donate from Cape Cod, or specify Cape Cod, and funds go to our affiliate. Dot can tell you how easy it is!
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Volunteer Spotlight
 | | Team ReStore: Joe Augat, Joe O'Toole, Tom Sears, and Jerry Sheffield |
If you have visited the ReStore anytime since last July, chances are you have met Tom Sears. Tom is the friendly face you see at the front desk, and he is there every day - answering phones, running the cash register, and setting up a schedule for ReStore drivers to do pickups. Tom is no stranger to Habitat. He's been in construction all his life and installed the plumbing at our Danvers Way project in 2004. Tom also has friends who live in Habitat homes. A disability put Tom out of action, though, and he was looking for something to do with his time when he wandered into the ReStore as a customer. Donna Baldwin, the ReStore manager, quickly realized what as asset he could be - with his knowledge of plumbing, heating, and electrical systems and materials. Tom now volunteers at the ReStore about 30 hours a week, and is essential to the ReStore operation.
Tom says the ReStore is similar to other retail stores, except that it functions as a "working warehouse store." Because the inventory sells so quickly, "Something is always moving, and something is different to look at." He enjoys working with the wide variety of people who come in and out of the store: customers, donors, and other volunteer staff. Many of the customers are regulars - contractors, antiques dealers, folks who own rentals, and do-it-yourselfers. At the store, volunteer staff get to know their customers' tastes and can often predict who will buy what, or steer a customer to just the right item. Some customers have even become friends - Tom says he and one of his new buddies are planning a fishing trip together.
What everyone at the store has in common, according to Tom, is that they are a friendly, giving group. The fact that all of the ReStore's sales go back to Habitat, to help build more houses, makes a difference to Tom. "I'm motivated by the idea that I am helping, in some small way, somebody else get a break in life." Tom is well aware that many people share a common misconception about how Habitat for Humanity works and don't know that, in fact, Habitat houses are not simply given away. "It's not like somebody handed it to them," he says, "people don't realize there is a mortgage. They had to work hard for their house; and everything they had to put into it means something to them. I see the pride on the faces of my friends who own Habitat houses - even after all these years."
To volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod, contact Dawn Walnut at dawn@habitatcapecod.org or 508-362-3559 ex. 16.
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What's YOUR Habitat Story?
Have a funny, poignant, or interesting story about your experiences with Habitat? We want to hear about it - call or email Dawn Walnut dawn@habitatcapecod.org or 508-362-3559 ex. 16.
Your stories are important to us.
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