Jill comes from Texas to become Habitat's latest leader

The search is over! Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity's new Executive Director is Jill Smola from Dallas, Texas. Jill's first day of work was August 11th and she is excited to be a part of our organization. Here's some more about Jill in her own words:
 

"I began volunteering with a local Texas Habitat in 2004, working on the affiliates gala.  In 2006 I came on board as Development Director handling fundraising and grants.  Fundraising events included golf tournaments, 5Ks and the annual gala. 

In 2010, I was asked to take on the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative for the affiliate.  Since 2012, I have been with the National Kidney Foundation's development team focusing on regional golf tournaments and galas.

I am originally from Oklahoma City, I have two children, a son who lives in Houston and a daughter in Tulsa.  I also have two cats, Oreo and Domino."

We are so excited for Jill to lead our team. Please join us in giving her a huge Habitat for Humanity welcome! 

Construction Manager gives 110% to Habitat

When these homes are finished, Jim will have helped with 11 of the 15 homes built in Chaffee County by Habitat for Humanity. He has also helped build four homes in Espanola and two in Santa FE for New Mexico Habitat for Humanity projects.

Name: Jim McKeen    

Hometown: Hard to say, since my Dad was a sharecropper with a fourth grade education and we moved a dozen times in the first 18 years of my life to follow work that he could get. I was born in a tiny town in Georgia, but we lived all over Georgia and Alabama. Currently, I'm a BV guy and happy about it.

Career Background: After joining the military immediately upon high school graduation, I used the GI bill to go to college when I got out (fortunately surviving the Viet Nam War). I've tested missiles, worked on GPS well before the world knew about it, worked on F-111 and A-10 weapon delivery systems, and for many years worked on satellites and sensor systems for NASA and various intelligence agencies. I often tell people that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to build a house. I know, because I am one.

Your work/job with Habitat: I am the Construction Manager this year, but I couldn't begin to do the job without the huge support of Dale Shoemaker and Kim Brenner along with highly reliable, key volunteers like George Hardgrave and Jack Danielson. Unfortunately, we're a bunch of old guys (Kim excepted, of course) and we don't have any young prot�g�s to keep our momentum going as we inevitably slow down.

Your inspiration or reason for helping others: I grew up living in shacks that belonged to other people. Our family was so far below the poverty line that we couldn't see it with a telescope. My Dad died at age 65 having never owned a home. The people we build houses for are building something that should positively change their lives in many ways. I get huge satisfaction in seeing how a few dedicated volunteers with a few skills can make such a measurable difference by helping people, and odds are very good those who have been helped will "pay it forward" as the saying goes.

Favorite Experience: I love the satisfaction people get out of framing a wall and standing it up. There seems to be a special experience for all involved, especially if it is a complex wall that takes a lot of effort to construct and erect. Nothing else in the building process elicits such an immediate gratification to all involved.

Favorite Hobby: I reckon building houses is my favorite "hobby", but I love to bicycle, fish, build furniture and build hot rods.

Next time you see Jim, our very own rocket scientist, please be sure to thank him for all his hard work!

On July 29th, the second group of Bike and Builders volunteered at our build site in Salida. On the heels of the North Carolina to San Diego crew, which stopped by at the end of June, the Rhode Island to California group came by as a part of their 77 day trip. After starting in Providence on June 12th, the latest group's journey will take 31 riders over 4,000 miles to San Francisco, ending on August 24th.

Bike and Build is a nonprofit that organizes cross-country bicycle trips to benefit affordable housing groups, all of which are planned and executed by young adults. Over the past 12 years, the organization has:

     - Donated more than $4.5 million,
     - Built for more than 160,000 hours
     - Pedaled over 7.5 million miles
     - Engaged more than 2,000 young adults.

Rider Jill Zankowski said in a radio interview with KVRH that she became involved with Bike and Build after hearing about it from her friends. "I actually have known a lot of people who have done different Bike and Build routes throughout the years," Zankowski said. "Seven or eight of my friends over the course of the past three years have done it, so I fell victim to peer pressure and did as well."

Zankowski said she is glad she's participating this summer, which is the 8th year for the Rhode Island to California trip. In addition to having fun, she enjoys that it is all for a good cause.

 
"Every rider that participates has to raise $4,500," Zankowski said. "Roughly half of that is given to affordable housing projects across the country."

Office Cleaner: We need someone to come in once a week for cleaning tasks including trash and toilets. (Possibility of compensation with contract.)

Volunteer Recruiter and Coordinator: Do you have a passion for motivating and organizing people? Then you would be great at this position! 

At the Construction Site: We need help with various types of interior finish work.

In the ReStore:
     -Light Duty: Working the cash register and doing some light lifting
     -Warehouse: Yard work and moving things around; Lifting up to 50 pounds
     -Pick ups/Deliveries: Do you have a valid drivers license? We want you!
     

If any of these positions sound like something you're interested in, please call us at (719) 395-0482. 

Videos Highlight Habitat

Multimedia projects show the organization in a creative light

Check out the videos below to see what Habitat for Humanity has been up to!

On June 25th, we kicked off our build season with a fun event to celebrate the homebuyers and give attendees the chance to sponsor a portion of the home. Missed the Kick-Off? Watch this video to feel like you were there!

Build Kick-Off

Why should you volunteer with Habitat for Humanity? Because we need your help to make a difference!

Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. And we have fun while doing it! Watch this volunteer commercial for proof- and then share it with your friends!

Why Volunteer?

And lastly, reminisce about Women Build thanks to this great video by volunteer Judy Haines that captures the fun and spirit of the event!
 

Women Build 2014

Volunteer proves that one man's junk is another man's treasure  

ReStore volunteer Debbie Weeks has been taking selected donations to the ReStore and repurposing them into new items she has been using around her house and yard. 

"I truly enjoy repurposing items from the ReStore," Weeks said. "So many of the light fixtures have been there for months and would normally go to the landfill. Something as simple as a can of spray paint and an imagination can turn those items into something useful and fun."

Some of the items Debbie has repurposed include turning an old two drawer file cabinet into a planter for arugula, and the drawers into a place to grow herbs.

She also turned old light features into bird feeders, a dining room chandelier into an outdoor candle holder, and a bathroom light fixture into a candle holder.