"A world where everyone has a decent place to live..."


September 2015
Habitat News Tribune
A Message from the Editor
Hi, everyone! 

To share a little bit about my personal life, I grew up on a dairy farm that has been in my family since my grandparents originally bought it in the 1940s. Once my dad grew up, he then purchased the farm from his parents and raised me and my seven older siblings there.

However, now that all of us kids are off of the farm, and my dad is closer to seventy than he is to sixty, my parents have made the difficult decision to sell the farm at the end of this year. Although it is an emotional time for our family, my siblings and I are excited for our parents as they start on their journey of building a new house!

The first thing my parents decided to do was visit the Eco Village to get ideas on how to build a eco-friendly house. They were amazed at simple, sustainable practices that quickly add up to large savings! Although there are some things they would like to do differently (like having a basement), it just goes to show that when it comes to building environmentally-sustainable housing, there is something for everyone!

If you would like a tour of an Eco Village house or would like to learn how to make your own house more environmentally sustainable, please don't hesitate to give us a call!

-Kayla
Homeowner Applications
The time of the year has come for homeowner applications! Our affiliate, starting in Spring 2016, will be building three homes in New Richmond, so we are looking for potential homeowners.

Applications are available at our website, administrative office, our ReStores, and multiple non-profit organizations throughout Pierce and St. Croix counties.

Feel free to contact us at 715-425-5623 with any questions you have, or you can visit our website for more information!
Let's Recycle!
Our ReStores are a great place to bring electronics (e-waste) and appliances (white waste) for recycling!

Between July 2014 and June 2015, close to 53,000 pounds of televisions and computers were recycled through our stores.

Let's recycle together!

Please consider dropping off your e-waste and white waste items at either of our two ReStore locations. 

If your donations are too bulky to bring in yourself, please call our Donation Pickup at 715-690-4984 to schedule a pickup. 

Our ReStores thrive on new inventory, so donate today!
Join our FAM Club!
The Fifteen Dollars a Month club is a hassle free and secure way to help fight poverty housing in the St. Croix Valley. Each month, for less than a couple meals at a restaurant, you can help provide a home for a local family in need.

With the FAM club, every month 15 dollars (or more, if you choose) will be securely transferred from your bank account to ours to help us cover the cost we incur on our noble mission. 

To sign up for the FAM club please, contact the office at 715-425-5623.

We at St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity would like to extend a very heartfelt and humble thank you to all of our donors for your beneficence; it is through your contributions that we may continue our righteous work.
Donate a Vehicle to SCV-Habitat, and Help Us Build Houses

Board of Directors
2014-2015

Kelly Cain

President

 

Sarah Bruch
Vice President 

Don Richards
Secretary

Bill Stokes
Treasurer

Directors
Carol Merriman

Peter Kilde

Heather Logelin

Roger Pavlis 

Joel Skinner

Maureen Otwell

Bill Richard

Staff
Executive Director

Project Manager

Construction Manager
 
Office Manager
 
Office Assistant

Outreach and Faith Relations VISTA
  
ReStore Manager - New Richmond

 

Donation Procurement 
Supervisor

 

ReStore Assistant Manager - New Richmond

ReStore Manager -River Falls

 

ReStore Associate - River Falls

ReStore Associate - River Falls

ReStore Social Media Consultant - River Falls
A Brush with Kindness Project Underway
On Tuesday, August 25, an ABWK project was started for an extremely deserving couple in River Falls. Bob and Diane Olson are the third generation of their family to have lived in their house, and the end of August marked their 40th year living there.

"When we first moved into the house, we were the youngest couple in the neighborhood. Now, we are the oldest," said Bob. "Our neighbors are so kind, though. One neighbor mows are lawn for us, and three neighbors take turns shoveling the snow off our sidewalk in the winter," continued Diane. 

While their neighbors offered as much help as they could, there were problems with the outside of the house that needed professional attention, such as new front and side steps, cement landing pads for the steps, a window and storm door, a roof, and paint. However, the multitude of medical problems that Bob and Diane have faced in recent years have depleted all of the money they saved for retirement, which meant that they were unable to hire professionals to complete the much-needed repairs to their family home.

That is when Bob and Diane reached out to SCV Habitat and were accepted for the ABWK program. When they were told that Habitat was going to help them with their home, their tears of joy could be heard over the phone. "We've had people say that they would help us, but they never did anything. Habitat is the first to actually follow through. Now, I go to bed smiling and wake up smiling," Bob said. Diane continued, "We are extremely blessed for everyone's hard work, but we don't really feel like we deserve it."

Volunteer crews, led by Chuck and Judy Sambs, mostly from First Covenant Church and some from the Andersen Corporation, have started scraping and priming the house, which means that new paint will be coming soon. The front steps have already been torn out, and new steps (equipped with railings) will replace them in the beginning of September. The roof, which needs to be completely reshingled, will be done in October.

While the homeowners selected for the ABWK project pay for the cost of the project through low, no-interest monthly payments, our affiliate is wanting to do something special for this incredibly deserving couple. The couple's 50th wedding anniversary is coming up in November, and as a "community gift" to this couple, we are trying to raise as much money as possible to relieve this financial burden from them.

If you are interested in volunteering with this project or donating materials or money, please contact Kayla through email or at 715-425-5623.
Chuck Sambs (blue shirt), volunteer project leader, and volunteers from the Andersen Corporation
It's hard to miss the bright orange shirts of the Andersen volunteers!
Who doesn't love priming?
The priming continues!
New front steps will be coming soon!

President Carter Faces Health Issues

From Habitat for Humanity International's Newsroom:

During a press conference this morning [August 20, 2015], President Jimmy Carter announced that he will begin treatment for melanoma. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Habitat for Humanity family are with President and Mrs. Carter at this time.

"Since first hearing of his diagnosis last week, the hearts and prayers of our entire organization have been with President Carter and his family. The Carters began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity more than 30 years ago and have helped bring worldwide attention to and support for our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International. "Through their leadership and passion, they have made us a stronger organization and have directly helped improve the lives of thousands of families. We are grateful for their longstanding commitment to our mission and wish President Carter well in the days ahead."

President and Mrs. Carter's first volunteer experience with Habitat for Humanity was in March 1984 in Americus, Georgia, where Habitat for Humanity was founded. 

Later that same year, they joined Habitat volunteers in New York City's Lower East Side to renovate an abandoned building in partnership with low-income families. That marked Habitat for Humanity's first Jimmy Carter Work Project, which was later renamed the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Each year since that time, the Carters have given one week to build houses alongside volunteers and families in communities across the United States and around the world.

Habitat's annual Carter Work Project has helped build, renovate or repair nearly 4,000 homes in 14 countries alongside 92,000 volunteers.

This year, the 32nd Carter Work Project will take place in Nepal in November.

"The example set by President and Mrs. Carter these past three decades inspire us all to make this year's project the very best ever," said Reckford. "During the week, 1,500 volunteers will partner with local Nepali families to build 100 homes in just five days. I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to the Carters than to ensure this year's project is an unprecedented success."
New Richmond ReStore Update
On Friday, September 4, the New Richmond ReStore will be open but will not be accepting donations because their parking lot is being resurfaced.
Also, because of this resurfacing and the Labor Day weekend, the New Richmond ReStore will be closed on Saturday, September 5.

Solar Panel System Donation
Solar World and Werner Electric have been great partners of our affiliate throughout the Eco Village project. As the Eco Village project is coming to a close, the two organizations solidified their support as they donated the entire solar panel system (worth an estimated $18,000) for the final Eco Village home.

Everyone at SCV Habitat would like to thank Solar World and Werner Electric from their very generous donation and continued support of our work!
World Habitat Day
Monday, October 5 is World Habitat Day, a day to recognize that the need for safe, decent, affordable housing is a basic human right. World Habitat Day attempts to raise awareness through various community-based projects, one of which is known as a door parade.

During a door parade, a household door is painted or decorated with  housing statistics and information about housing services in the area. These doors, which are often decorated by the local Habitat affiliate, other housing organizations, and even people in the community, are then placed in high-traffic areas in the community so that they can easily be seen by people passing by.

If you are interested in helping out with the door parade (donating a door for decorating; decorating a door; or offering a display place for a door), please contact Kayla through email or by calling the office at 715-425-5623.

Eco Village Update
The Andersen Corporation (represented with the bright orange shirts and hardhats) once again sent out multiple crews over the month of August to help us move closer to the completion of the final Eco Village homes.

Check out the progress below!

Putting up drywall is definitely not a one person job!





St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity
116 E. Elm Street
River Falls, WI 54022



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