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


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

With snow and frost starting to stick to the ground, it is impossible to deny that winter is getting closer.

The arrival of winter has brought about the near-completion of the final four homes of the Eco Village, which are scheduled to be completed roughly late this month or in January.

To celebrate this wondrous occasion, our affiliate will be having the final home dedications and Eco Village celebration sometime in January. A definite date for the celebration has not yet been selected, so a special newsletter will be released later this month with the finalized details.

Until then, remember to bundle up and enjoy the upcoming holiday season.

Have a great day,
Kayla
Make Room for the Holidays
Worried about where to put all of your holiday items this winter season?

Make room by donating some of your items to our ReStores!

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

Donation Assistant - New Richmond

Donation Assistant - New Richmond
Corporate Partners
A Gift 79% of Your Friends Would Rather Have
Did you know that 79% of people said they would rather have a donation made in their honor than receive a present this year?

This holiday season, change the way you thinking about giving, and consider giving the gift that keeps on giving.

You can support the work we do at St. Croix Valley Habitat and honor someone special to you by clicking the Donate button below, contacting our office at 715-425-5623, or sending a donation to 116 E Elm St., River Falls, WI 54022. You can also send a donation through our Facebook page. Like us on Facebook

All of your donations will be used to help us build three safe, decent, affordable homes in New Richmond, WI starting in spring of 2016.
The Ending of an Era
At the end of this year, our esteemed board of directors will experience some changes. Current president, Kelly Cain, and member Carol Merriman will step down from their respective roles after serving faithfully since 2007.

Carol Merriman retired from the Andersen Corporation after having worked there for 29 years. It was during her time with Andersen when she first volunteered with Habitat. After that first time volunteering, she was hooked, which was one reason she joined the board. During her time on the board, Carol served as president for three years, vice president, and as a member of the A Brush with Kindness, construction, personnel, ReStore operating, and sustainability and long-range planning committees.

Kelly Cain was professor emeritus of environmental science, management, and land use planning at UW-River Falls for a number of years before founding the St. Croix Institute. When Kelly joined the board, the Eco Village was merely an idea. However, thanks to Kelly's ardent support and leadership and the expertise of the St. Croix Institute, the Eco Village has now transformed to what you see today. In addition to serving as board president for this past year, Kelly has served on the personnel and sustainability and long-range planning committees.

While St. Croix Valley Habitat and its board will undoubtedly feel the loss of two such talented and intelligent individuals, the leadership is still under good hands next year as Sarah Bruch, Bill Stokes, and Don Richards continue on in their roles as vice president, treasurer, and secretary (respectively). The discussion as to the next board president is ongoing.

Thank you once again to Kelly and Carol for your years of dedication and loyalty to the affiliate and its mission!
Kelly Cain
Carol Merriman
Surprise Donation
This past month, we received a surprise donation from the Weekes Family Foundation. 

We'd like to thank the Weekes Family Foundation, which is an offshoot of Weekes Forest Products for their kind and generous support of our affiliate. We would not be able to do what we do without donors like yourselves helping us along!

Carter Works 2016
From Habitat for Humanity International's Newsroom:

Former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, along with country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, helped build a home today in Memphis, Tennessee, and joined Habitat for Humanity in announcing its 33rd Carter Work Project, which will take place in the city's Uptown neighborhood, Aug. 21-27, 2016.

"Rosalynn and I are thrilled to play a role in helping Habitat continue the great work underway in the Uptown neighborhood of Memphis," said President Carter. "We look forward to returning in August next year and by then, I know a wonderful family will have made this house we are starting today a home - where they can find the strength and stability they need for a brighter future."

Since 1983, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis has been dedicated to eliminating substandard housing throughout the city, where more than 29 percent of the population lives below poverty level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Habitat for Humanity has served more than 445 Memphis families through new home construction and an additional 80 families through critical home repair projects in the Uptown neighborhood. With support from volunteers and donors, Habitat will help improve living conditions for Memphis families during the Carter Project, as well as continue to improve communities in the city and surrounding areas.

Habitat's Carter Project volunteers will conduct multiple projects during the build week, including new home construction, beautification projects such as minor repairs, painting and landscaping, and Aging in Place projects, including critical home repairs, weatherization, and modifications to enhance accessibility and mobility for low-income seniors.

"We are excited to work alongside President and Mrs. Carter, our volunteers and the partner families in Memphis next year," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. "The efforts in Uptown are great examples of what can happen when members of the public, private and social sectors invest in a neighborhood. Tremendous opportunities lie ahead for families who will have a mortgage they can afford and the stable foundation they need to build strength and self-reliance." 

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will also build with Habitat during the 2016 Carter Project, which will make it the country music stars' eighth time to volunteer with President and Mrs. Carter. Brooks and Yearwood have been helping Habitat improve communities since 2007, including building homes after Hurricane Katrina and in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.

President and Mrs. Carter have worked alongside 92,000 volunteers to build, renovate and repair 3,943 Habitat for Humanity homes in 14 countries, while raising awareness of the critical need for affordable housing.





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