Upcoming Events

June 27: Blitz Build

Clarke Poos hired to come in and serve as new ReStore manager

You could almost say that Clarke Poos, Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity's new ReStore Manager, was called to the area for the job.

Or at least his wife, Rebecca was. She is the pastor at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Buena Vista.

After a lifetime of working in the resort industry, managing vacation resorts and sales teams in places like Park City, Aspen, Maui and Orlando, Clarke and Rebecca settled in the front range before they moved to Buena Vista for Rebecca's job.

Clarke, meanwhile, got involved in the community by serving on the Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce, the Collegiate Peaks Forum Series and is the current race director for the Burro races during Gold Rush Days.

"We loving being up here and getting involved in the community," Clarke said. "It's a great place to live."

Clarke is settling into his new position at the ReStore, learning the ins and outs of the job, and getting to know all of the valuable volunteers who work there.

So next time you're shopping at the ReStore, be sure to stop and say hello to Clarke.

Habitat to partner with Diesslin Structures Inc. for 2015 build

Community volunteers are working hard on a duplex at 502 & 504 Crestone Avenue in Salida. At the same time the community is looking forward to participating in a new program for us. Home Builders Blitz 2015 is a partnership between Habitat for Humanity affiliates and the local building community to make sure more families have a chance to own a simple, decent, affordable house. Diesslin Structures Inc. (DSI) has stepped up and agreed to be the lead in building a home during a two week period in June of next year.

The National Association of Home Builders encourages its members to participate in Home Builders Blitz. Habitat affiliates partner with professional builders to build affordable homes. The program has built more than 1,000 affordable homes across the country. The building goal for the 2014 event is 300 homes and the same in 2015.

Habitat's role is to secure land for the build and manage the development of the site. Provide house plans. Obtain permits for the homes. Provide fundraising publicity and marketing support. Select the homeowners based on Habitat's family selection criteria.

How you can help? 

• By assisting with planning and development. 
• Get more local business partners and suppliers to participate. 
• Be on site to provide expertise, coordination and labor to take a home from framing to completion.  

If you would like to get involved please call the CCHfH office at 719-395-0482.

Habitat hosts Women's Build Weekend and other focused builds  

There's been a lot of activity on our build site! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, June 25th, we kicked off the build season with a dinner and

dedication ceremony at the job site. Guests were able to donate $75 for a square foot and write a message on the foundation. Their art was later painted over and the well-wishes will remain under the floor.

 

 

 

 

 

Sixteen volunteers from Diesslin Structures Inc. built most of the first floor frame for a new Habitat for Humanity home Friday at 502 Crestone Ave. in Salida June 27 ad 28.

 

Constructing a Habitat for Humanity home takes around 5,000 hours, and putting the frame up typically takes Habitat volunteers a couple of weeks, according to a release from Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity.

 

However, with the Diesslin crew, the framing took less than 16 hours.

Founder and CEO John Diesslin came up with the idea of the "builder's blitz," in which the construction professionals worked on the build, the release stated.

 

"I would absolutely encourage other businesses or individuals to volunteer," Diesslin said. "It's a great experience for a great cause. It's important for our camaraderie as a team, especially since we're never in the same place at the same time. It's nice to get out and work alongside each other."

 

The release reported that Diesslin Structures plans to return next year with a goal to build a whole house in 2 weeks. "This is good practice for next year's build," said Diesslin. "We're already excited for that."

 

Follow this link to watch the first floor frame of the house go up thanks to DSI! They made remarkable progress during their volunteer day, and this time-lapse slideshow will let you see for yourself just how hard-working this team is.  

Builder's Blitz

 

 

 

After such incredible progress, we had the Bike and Build group stop by on Monday, June 30th. This group consists of young adults who bike across the country to aid the cause of affordable housing. 

Bike and Build and Habitat