Dear Habitat Supporter,
Welcome to the July edition of the Habitat Update!
The Habitat Update functions as a way to improve intra-organizational
communication, and will be sent once a month. If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact me!
As committee members, board members and other important volunteers,
it helps to know what is going on throughout the organization.
If you have information to send to others as part of the update,
or would like to make a suggestion in regard to the content or
style of the update, please contact me. If you prefer to have
a hard copy version sent to you or would not like to be included
on the list, please respond, stating your preference.
Take Care!
Mikaela
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JULY 2005 UPDATE
CONSTRUCTION VOLUNTEER OF
THE MONTH: Kelsey Dennis
GROUPS ON SITE: St.
David’s the King Roman Catholic Church Youth Group, Doylestown
United Methodist Church, New Goshenhoppen United Church of Christ
Youth Group, Doylestown United Methodist Church Youth Group, The
Gap, Doylestown Presbyterian Church, Toll Brothers
GROUPS PROVIDING LUNCHES: Pleasantville
United Church of Christ, Ridge Valley United Church of Christ,
Doylestown United Methodist Church, Blooming Glen Mennonite Church,
Toll Brothers
NUMBER OF VOLUNTEER HOURS LOGGED
AT EMERALD HOLLOW TO DATE: 67,396
NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS AT HABITAT
BUCKS IN 2005: 484
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WELCOMING…
Angel Abreu and wife, Rita Rodriguez, were recently
accepted! They currently live in Bristol with sons, Rangel and
Angel Jr. and daughter, Rosbel. The Abreu family has been accepted
for the EH1 model of home.
The Cucuzza family was recently accepted for the EH2 home model:
parents, Angelo and Rosa, live in Lansdale with children, Rosalia,
Esmeralda and Guiseppe. The Cucuzza family owns the La Cantina
Restaurant in Trumbauersville—so their new home with provide
them with a very short commute!
ON SITE...
100 People. Three Counties. One Day. That was the mantra for Toll
Brothers on 30 July when the office staff (not contractors) volunteered
to build homes at three different Habitat affiliates on the same
day. In Bucks County, about 40 Toll Brothers employees practiced
their framing and building skills and made great progress on the
first cluster of homes in Phase Two of Emerald Hollow. It happened
to be the same day that Senator Wonderling was filming his monthly
cable show on the project site, and so Toll Brothers employees
got to be interviewed personally by the Senator. Everyone participating
had a fantastic time! Our thanks go out to Toll Brothers, and
especially to Frank Alizzi for making this day a complete success
not only here, but also in Montgomery and Chester Counties.
Phase One:
Finish black top is complete
Phase Two:
Cluster 14 is still moving along trusses and roof sheathing should
finish this week
Cluster 15 footings should start mid August
Site work is progressing with the storm sewer about 75% complete
OUT + ABOUT…
The Family Support Committee is truly looking forward to the Habitat
Family Outing to the Franklin Institute on Saturday, 27 August.
Fourteen families have signed up to attend—we can’t
wait!
GIVING THANKS…
Another year of AmeriCorps service has come to
an end, as Jill Bakkum, Pete Cataldo, and Gina Diliberti will
all finish their terms over the summer. Their fun, easy-going
attitudes and strong work ethics will be sorely missed. Next year,
Gina will continue working with Habitat, serving as an AmeriCorps
member in her hometown with Habitat for Humanity Milwaukee. Jill
is also looking to pursue her AmeriCorps*VISTA service for a second
year in Montana. Pete will begin pursuing a Master’s Degree
in Social Work at New York University. Good luck to all three
of them in their future endeavors! Thank you for your invaluable
contributions!
JOIN US…
Entries for the 15th Annual Holiday Card Design Contest are due
by 26 August! Entries should reflect the spirit and mission of
Habitat for Humanity, and should not be representative of one
specific holiday. The winning image will be printed as a greeting
card and sold in Bucks County to benefit the important work of
Habitat Bucks. For an entry form and information, contact Sam
at extension 310 or click here, http://www.habitatbucks.org/holiday%20card%2005_flyer%20%2B%20entry%20form.pdf.
Building On Faith Week, 11 – 18 September: This weeklong
event is a true celebration of faith in action. Join and partner
with Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County and other congregations
as we express our faith through prayer, fellowship, advocacy of
Habitat’s mission, building homes, preparing and sharing
meals and raising money to help provide safe, simple, affordable
homes for those who need them. Come one day or for the whole week.
For more information, please contact Dan extension 312 or d.oconnor@habitatbucks.org.
Make plans to visit Elizabethan Christmas’ Open House and
see the company’s old stone farmhouse located in Bedminster
on Saturday, 5 November and Sunday, 6 November. The rooms in the
farmhouse and cottage house will be photographed for the Winter
2006 issue of Bucks County Magazine and Elizabethan Christmas
products will be showcased, including classic Christmas stockings,
new pretty glass icicles and stained glass snowflakes. Come take
in the beauty of the holidays, nibble on a Christmas cookie, and
listen to live piano. All $5 ticket proceeds will benefit area
community agencies, including Habitat for Humanity, the Network
of Victim Assistance, and Child, Home and Community. A beautifully
decorated Christmas Dollhouse will be up for auction, with proceeds
from the highest bidder donated to Child, Home and Community of
Doylestown, PA. For more information, visit the Elizabethan Christmas
website at www.elizabethanchristmas.com.
MAKING NOTE…
Planning for the 2005 Harvest Hoedown
is moving along nicely. The event will take place on Saturday,
November 5, 2005 at our red barn in Milford Square from 3pm -9pm.
Quakertown National Bank has stepped up to the plate as the first
Hoedown Sponsor. The Blue Mountain Gang will be providing the
music and square dancing. Food will once again be provided by
Duck Deli, and we have received commitments for several auction
items, which will be sold by Auctioneer Amy Grimly during the
evening. More items for the live auction (valued at $500 and above)
are now being accepted. Tickets for the event are $25 each and
children under 12 are free! Tickets are now available online at
http://www.habitatbucks.org/shopProducts.asp.
For more information, please contact Joe at j.morrison@habitatbucks.org;
extension 303.
WOMEN BUILDING A BETTER BUCKS…
Fundraising Campaign
Funds raised to date--$7691
We are thankful to Jones Apparel Group, Inc. for recently becoming
a sponsor of Women Build! Equally as exciting, the women of Women
Build continue to show us their support. $2691 has been raised
by women receiving these updates. We can’t thank you enough
for your support!
Keep track of our fundraising progress on the women build webpage
(www.habitatbucks.org/womenbuild.asp).
Women Build Advisory Chairs
Dawn Byers, Executive Director of the Central Bucks Healthier
Community Team, has joined our Women Build advisory board. CBHCT
and Habitat Bucks have a long history of partnership, most notably
through the MLK Day of Service. We are grateful to have Dawn’s
support and guidance!
Grant Writer Found!
We would like to welcome Andrea Wickerd on board as our Women
Build grant researcher/writer! Over the next few months, Andrea
will be researching grants applicable to the program and creating
a proposals to apply for the funds.
Build Week Registration
Registration for the Women Build week in October will begin next
week. Building will occur Monday, October 17th-Saturday, October
22nd.
The day will run from 8:30am-4pm. Please note that 15 is the
minimum age to participate in construction.
Tuesday, August 2nd: Registration begins for crew leaders, active
planning team members, and sponsors
Tuesday, August 23rd: Registration begins for Women Build members
(women who have previously expressed interest in the event and
are in our database)
Tuesday, September 6th: Open registration begins
To register, contact me at l.mcclellan@habitatbucks.org or (215)
348-2204 x302 and let me know what dates you are available. You
can register for one day, the whole week, whatever your schedule
will permit. We can accommodate 40-50 people per day, and scheduling
will be first-come first-served based on the timetable above.
Child care will be provided at Christ’s Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Trumbauersville (about a mile from the building site).
Please let me know if you will require child care when you register.
Opening Ceremony
The Women Build week will kick-off on Sunday, October 16th with
an orientation for participants at 1pm immediately followed by
an opening ceremony, which will conclude at 3pm. All are invited
to attend.
Volunteers Needed
On Saturday, August 20th and Sunday, August 21st, our crew leaders-in-training
will be constructing a shed in the Warrington Lowe’s parking
lot. We plan to raffle the shed off ($5/ticket), with funds raised
benefiting the Women Build program. Volunteers are needed to sell
raffle tickets at Lowe’s that weekend and during the weeks
following. If you are interested in helping out, please let me
know.
Training
Quakertown Lowe’s, located on Route 309, will be offering
its second round of basic training clinics in August. All clinics
will run from 7-8pm. To register, contact Cheryl at august02rose@msn.com.
Tuesday, August 9th:: How to Safely Use Hand and Power Tools
Tuesday, August 16th: How to Frame for Walls and Roofs
Tuesday, August 23rd: How to Install Insulation and Drywall
Tuesday, August 30th: How to Finish Interior with Paint and Trim
Warrington Lowe’s on Route 611 will be offering make-up
classes for anyone who missed one or more of the basic training
courses on Tuesday, August 2nd, Wednesday, August 3rd, and possibly
Thursday, August 4th. If you are interested, please register with
Betsy at betsynickel@verizon.net. A graduation ceremony for participants
who have completed all their basic training classes will be held
on Tuesday, August 16th.
Planning Teams
The Training Team arranges for construction skills and crew leader
training classes for Women Build participants. They coordinate
with other teams to publicize training opportunities and schedule
participants.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, August 10th, 7pm, Neshaminy Warwick
Presbyterian Church | Contact: Linda Andrews landrews@bucksmontnari.org
The Volunteer Team ensures that participating volunteers have
a quality experience. They help to determine appropriate partner
groups to target, strategies by which to reach out to them, and
contact groups. This team also works to involve girls in the event.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 14th, 7pm, Neshaminy Warwick
Presbyterian Church | Contact: Margie Horton mmhortonpa@comcast.net
or Christine Turturro mcturturro@mindspring.com
The Activities Team enhances the Women Build event by organizing
an orientation, opening and closing ceremonies, and daily morning
speakers.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, August 24th , 6pm, Habitat Bucks New
Britain Office | Contact: Theresa Durkin hailjas@comcast.net
The Food Service Team recruits individuals and groups to provide
breakfast and lunch during the build week as well as refreshments
or meals for specials events.
Next Meeting: Thursday, July 28th, 7pm | Contact: Janet Pagenkemper
janfran@erols.com
The Public Relations Team enhances Habitat’s image while
educating the community about the plight of women and children
in poverty, the goals of Women Build and the mission of Habitat
Bucks.
Next Meeting: Thursday, August 18th, 7pm, Doylestown Public Library
| Contact: Lauren Kirk laurenkirk2004@yahoo.com
The Fundraising Team implements a campaign to raise the funds
for one house sponsorship plus the tithe ($70,000).
Next Meeting: Thursday, August 25th, 6:30pm, Habitat Bucks New
Britain office | Contact: Kelly Hile k.hile@habitatbucks.org
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mikaela D. Martin
Marketing + Public Relations
Director
Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County
215 Matthews Avenue
New Britain, PA 18901
215.348.2204 x306
fax: 215.348.7988
It is the mission of Habitat for Humanity
of Bucks County to build affordable homes, better lives stronger
families and safer communities through partnerships with people
and organizations throughout Bucks County. |
