Calendar
Plan ahead for 2015 -
Save these dates!
Friday, April 10
Roll the Rock
Put together a team and bowl for Habitat! More info
Ryan Family Amusements
1067 Route 28
South Yarmouth
Monday, May 11
St. John's Episcopal Church Golf Tournament
to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Calling all Foursomes!
Ridge Club
70 Country Club Road
Sandwich
September 21-25
Blitz Build
Homebuilders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod's Blitz! One home in One week for One family! more info
Oak Street, Harwich
Sunday, October 11
Heart and Home Cabaret
Details to be announced
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News in Brief
Thanks to Faith Build 2014!
Faith Build is an initiative from the Barnstable Clergy Association to support HHCC home building, currently Sesame Street in
Barnstable. Individual congregations contribute funds and volunteer to help build the house, joining together to accomplish more than each could accomplish alone. Faith Build has had several Team Days recently, and we were pleased to see so many new workers on our job site. We are especially pleased to see so many local clergy at our sites - not only providing devotions, but also swinging a hammer. Many thanks to the Barnstable Clergy Association.
| Rabbi David Freelund |
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Rev. Angela Menke Ballou and
Rev. John Terry
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Cotuit Federated Church Sesame Street Day
Thanks to Cotuit Federated Church for devoting one whole Sunday to our Faith Build on Sesame Street in Barnstable. This is one devoted church community, and they truly know how to turn fund raising into FUN raising!
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Global Village Opportunities
Interested in travel? Like to make a difference? Habitat for Humanity International offers "Global Village" opportunities year-round, to over 40 countries. Build houses for vulnerable children in Africa, install healthy kitchens for families in Central America, or repair apartments in Asia - and experience a different culture at the same time. You can learn more by browsing the Global Village website about trips to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Canada, Latin America, and even the United States (Hawaii, anyone?) Special trips are also available, such as a Women Build in Alaska and a trip for veterans to Vietnam.
| Global Village trip to Macedonia |
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Construction Update
Volunteers may sign up with VolunteerUP, our on-line calendar, to work at any active construction site.
Orleans
Blueboard is installed at 16 Bevan Way, and plaster work has started. Heat is up and running at 19 Bevan Way, with kitchen cabinets are being installed. 10 Bevan Way has been sidewall shingled and the clapboard is on; soon it will be ready for subcontractors. Work days at this site are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Falmouth
The "Core Group" of volunteers just completed a round of punch list items and a deep clean of the site. Still a few details before Certificate of Occupancy, and we are waiting with baited breath!
Barnstable
Shingling, clapboard, and deck work are ongoing right now. Work days at this site are Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Harwich
We continue to prep this site for a spring, 2015 Wall Raising. Septic, electric, and water are the main focus, with plans for the road to go in in early spring.
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"Sunny Day Sweepin' the clouds away On my way to where the air is sweet Can you tell me how to get, How to get to Sesame Street? Come and play Everything's A-OK Friendly neighbors there That's where we meet..."
Sesame Street Theme Song
(c) 1969 Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo, Jon Stone & Bruce Hart
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Greetings!
Some people count their blessings at this time of year by the number of gifts given and received. At Habitat, we know that real blessings are seen in the smiles of homeowners who watch their new house come together piece by piece, are heard in the laughter shared by volunteers, and are felt in the love that pours out from caring communities. We hope that this holiday season finds you feeling festive and restive, and that you have many blessings.
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Stuck for a Gift Idea?
Why not make a donation in honor of a loved one or friend? Your caring gift will make it possible for us to help those seeking a decent, affordable place to live. We'll send this card on your behalf, recognizing your generosity.
To order your gift, call 508-362-3559
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Thanks - Cars for Homes
Thanks to those who donated a car in 2014:
Donate your car, trailer, RV, or boat - running or not - and help build affordable homes right here on Cape Cod. Specify Cape Cod, from anywhere in the country, and Habitat for Humanity makes it easy for you by arranging for pick-up and processing of the title. Call today! 1-877-277-4344 or www.carsforhomes.org
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Susan Anderson
Louis Colombo
Dennis Driscoll
Ann Evans
Kathleen Finn
Michael Irish
Jean Kane
Rachel Kirchgessner
Gerald Loftus
Kenneth Lowman
Eleanor MacDuffie
David McDowell
Daniel McMahon
Maud Murphy
Gerald Murray
Pamela Nickerson
Nancy O' Connell
Kenneth Palmer
David Purdy
Richard Silva
Shirley Simundza
Donald Smith
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Thanks - Kayak Volunteers
Once again, Pat Taylor and Bill Witmer's amazing kayak raffle has been an extraordinary fundraising event for us, one again raising over $30,000. Congratulations to the winner, Warren Stone, of Eastham. Not only do Pat and Bill contribute hundreds of hours in handcrafting this stunning work of art, they also accompany the kayak on its rounds, taking it to summer crafts fairs and festivals to sell raffle tickets. Dozens of volunteers help with this effort, and we thank each and every one of them for their part in the success of one of our most popular fundraisers.
Jeanne Adams
Marie and Bob Becker
Art Bodin
Priscilla and Parker Chick
Charles Christie
Heather Davis
Nancy Erskine
Larry Hake
Dave Hegner
Alison and John Kaar
Jake and Simone Ketchum
Barbara and Rob Leiden
Jim Lilley
Anne and George Mahon
Lynn McDermott
Joe Mistretta
Judith and Bill Page
Paulette Pfehlig
Gina Ramos
Joe Towle
Christine Twombly
Irene Van Duyn
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Volunteer Spotlight
Sue Ernst has been volunteering with Habitat since 2003. Sue had tried to volunteer with Habitat for years, but was contacting Habitat for Humanity International's offices in Georgia, because she didn't realize that there was a local affiliate on Cape Cod. Once Sue found a build site in her area - in fact, right in her neighborhood - she was able to dive into volunteer work.
Sue was no stranger to working with her hands, and construction work came easily to her. Both her father and grandfather encouraged her to build when she was growing up. Her grandfather, an architectural engineer who designed bridges, would "think stuff up and then make it for us." He also encouraged Sue and her four siblings to help with his boat, a 42-foot wooden Matthews Cabin Cruiser, which he kept in tip-top shape. Sue also remembers her father building, fixing, and repairing, and always trying to get the kids involved. Sue feels this influence led to her love of carpentry. "I like putting stuff together. I like power tools. And I like teaching other people how to do it."
After college, Sue decided to pursue an atypical career path. Her husband and his friends, graduates of Mass Maritime Academy, encouraged her to go to sea rather than graduate school. The seafaring life turned out to suit her. "I liked the lifestyle, I liked the work, and I liked being outdoors." She was a tugboat Deck Hand, and her first job was for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, working on the catamaran Lulu, which carried the famous Alvin submersible. Sue spent fifteen years at sea, working her way up from a Deck Hand to an Able Seaman, on tugboats pushing oil barges around the east coast from Virginia to Maine, and in the Gulf of Mexico from Houston to Port Everglades. She then spent another fifteen years in the marine transportation field working at terminals and docks.
These days, Sue keeps busy as a Habitat volunteer, working in her garden, and with many musical pursuits. "Oh, my gosh, I have so much music going on!" She is part of the Falmouth Chorale, the Falmouth Chamber Chorale, and the Greater Falmouth Mostly All Male Men's Choir. She is also the director of her church choir, as well as a member of Belle Weather, a female a cappella group. Belle Weather performed at the recent dedication ceremony at Glenwood Avenue, and attendees were talking about their renditions of "We Will Build This House" and "Let Nothing Evil Cross this Door" for days. Not every Habitat volunteer can claim to have both built the home and also performed at the dedication ceremony!
Some of Sue's favorite volunteer experiences with Habitat have been on Women Build homes. She remembers in particular the Women Build in Mashpee, where she was the House Leader. Sue considered part of her job to be getting the house built, but she also felt it was important to teach people new skills. She wanted to make sure that everyone who participated felt they were a part of the action, no matter what their skill level. Sometimes this meant she had to come up with some creative tasks to hand out! "It made it fun for me to keep everyone involved. It was my job to make sure everyone was occupied and everyone was glad to be there." Sue's Habitat philosophy? Simple: "Everyone can be important. Everyone can be helpful - and that makes them important."
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28 Whites Path, So. Yarmouth (just off Exit 8)
508-394-6400
Open Wed - Sat 9 - 5
Visit our newly expanded store - nearly twice the size!
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