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Dear Habitat Supporter,
Welcome to the October edition of the Habitat Update! The Habitat
Update functions as a way to improve communication about the goings-on
of Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County, and will be sent once
a month. 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 (m.martin@habitatbucks.org
or 215.348.2204 x306). If you prefer to have a hard copy version
sent to you or would not like to be included on this distribution
list, please respond stating your preference.
Take Care!
Mikaela
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OCTOBER 2006 UPDATE
CONSTRUCTION VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH:
Jan Wheeler
GROUPS ON SITE: Trinity
Lutheran Church in Lansdale, Episcopal Hammers, Women Build, Capmark
Financial, GMAC Mortgage, Hughes Relocation, Inc, Doylestown United
Methodist Church
GROUPS PROVIDING LUNCHES: Mary
Meister, Merck Retirees, Deep Run Presbyterian Church, Blooming
Glen Mennonite Church, Indian Creek Church of the Brethren, 1st
Savings Bank of Perkasie
NUMBER OF VOLUNTEER HOURS LOGGED
AT EMERALD HOLLOW TO DATE: 85,779
NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS AT EMERALD
HOLLOW TO DATE: 9,916
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WELCOMING…
As an active participant in the Women Build program
since it began, Bev Cupo has quickly become an indispensable volunteer.
She has been on site more Saturdays than not in the past year
and does an awesome job of keeping Ray in check. She’s so
great, in fact, that we offered her a job! Bev joined the site
crew as a staff member in July and we look forward to having her
around every day of the week. Welcome, Bev!
Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County recently hired Linda S.
Andrews as Executive Director and Trish Schoor as Resource Development
Director. Andrews began her career with Habitat for Humanity as
a volunteer in 2001 during a NARI “blitz build” at
the Habitat community of Emerald Hollow. She has been active in
an annual toy drive since then, as well as the affiliate’s
Women Build program since 2005. “I am very excited to be
at Habitat! I’m privileged to participate in an organization
that so dramatically and positively affects the quality of peoples’
lives – and provides stability not only to our own community,
but throughout the nation and world.” Schoor has many years
of experience working in the affordable housing field, most recently
as a Community Development Program Specialist at the Lancaster
County Housing and Redevelopment Authority. She is a long time
advocate for affordable housing, having worked as an educator,
an advocate, a fundraiser for non profits, and as a grantor for
the county. Andrews can be reached at l.andrews@habitatbucks.org,
Schoor at t.schoor@habitatbucks.org.
On the Habitat Bucks website:
> http://habitatbucks.org/pressReleases.asp,
read the full press release about Trish and Linda.
Younan Kamel recently completed half of his sweat equity requirement,
which means that he learned which house in the Emerald Hollow
community will be his! Younan will be moving into Cluster 12,
with the Ngorimo and Kaufman families as his next-door neighbors.
Congratulations on reaching this benchmark!
Two new AmeriCorps members joined us this September: Connie Yung,
originally from NJ, is a recent graduate of the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in biomaterials engineering.
Hopefully, working under Ray on the construction site will not
require her to manufacture new body parts for herself! Jessica
Robinson from Baltimore Maryland has extensive experience as a
Habitat volunteer and her enthusiasm for the mission is obvious.
Jessica has a degree in social work and political science and
hopes to use her spare time (when Ray’s not watching) to
volunteer in a human services capacity. We are grateful to both
of these ladies for dedicated the coming year to service with
Habitat Bucks and we look forward to getting to know them. We
hope you will too!
IN PARTNERSHIP…
Habitat Bucks and local Lowe's (lowes.com)
stores will be teaming up this holiday season to fundraise and
advocate for the Habitat mission. Homes for Holidays is a national
partnership between Habitat for Humanity and Lowe's through which
Lowe’s customers have the opportunity to make a donation
to Habitat Bucks as they go through the Lowe’s check-out
counter. Our affiliate will receive 100 percent of the donations
raised from our local stores:
· Bensalem - 3421 Horizon Blvd, Trevose
· Langhorne - 1400 E. Lincoln Hwy
· Quakertown - 1001 S. West End Blvd
· Warrington - 425 Easton Rd
Get your lists ready now to shop for Habitat Nov. 13 through Dec.
11 and stay tuned for special events surrounding the program!
For more information, contact Trish at t.schoor@habitatbucks.org
or x303.
On the Habitat Bucks website:
> http://habitatbucks.org/partnership.asp,
learn more about the partnership between Habitat and Lowe’s,
read an official press release and get directions to your local
store.
The Junior Youth Group of New Goshenhoppen United Church of Christ
(newgoshucc.org) in East Greenville is hosting a holiday party
for all current and future Emerald Hollow children on Sunday,
Dec. 10 from 2 to 4:30pm. This is the third year the youngsters
have shared their holiday spirit with Habitat kids. Games, food
and fun are sure to be had!
JOIN US…
The Faith Relations Committee will meet on Tuesday
Nov. 14 at the Habitat office at 6:30pm. We’d love to see
you there! Committee members partner with faith groups in Bucks
County to promote Habitat’s mission. They focus on advocacy,
diversity, fellowship and fundraising and organize the annual
Building on Faith Week. Members also assist with dedication ceremonies,
speak to congregations, and promote Habitat’s mission at
special events. For more information, contact Laura at l.mcclellan@habitatbucks.org
or x302.
The Family Support Committee works to enhance each Habitat family’s
experience by providing emotional and informational support and
serving as a resource for other services. Members partner with
families from the time they are accepted into the homeownership
program until they’ve been living in their home for one
year. They meet monthly (at the Habitat office at 7pm) to plan
workshops and social activities and take an active role in fundraising
to cover the costs of these events. For more information or to
attend the next meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14, please contact Laura
at l.mcclellan@habitatbucks.org
or x302.
Register now for the Fifth Annual Habitat 5K at habitatbucks.org!
Just follow the link on the front page to downlaod a registration
form, or to register online. The race will be held on Saturday,
Nov. 25 at the Quakertown United Methodist Church. Registration
begins at 8:45am and awards are at 11am. The race is sponsored
by the Quakertown Rotary Club and Quakertown United Methodist
Church. Email Bill at wtuszynski@comcast.net
for more info!
On the Habitat Bucks website:
> http://habitatbucks.org/calendar.php?display=event&id=393&date=2006-Nov-25&returnto=month,
register, read about the fun prizes, and get the race schedule
details on our calendar!
The Family Support Committee is hosting a workshop on Saturday,
Dec. 2 at 9:15am at Christ Lutheran Church in Trumbauersville.
Featured presentations are the Emerald Hollow Homeowners’
Association (HOA) and Energy Saving Tips. Babysitting will be
provided, and, of course, yummy refreshments will be served! Contact
Stefanie at s.clark@habitatbucks.org
or x 307 for more information.
It’s not too late! There will be one more opportunity to
raise funds for Women Build 2006: on Saturday, Dec. 9 at the Artists
taking Action – Building Hope with Habitat event. Organized
by Courtney Andrews, a performing arts major at DeSales University,
Artists Taking Action will bring performing artists together in
a show to benefit Women Build. Performers include the DeSales
Dance Company, a pianist, a soloist/guitarist, a contemporary
dance company (coming in from Maine!), a percussion group and
more! Artists taking Action will be held at Central Bucks South
High School (1100 Folly Road, Warrington) at 7:30pm. Tickets are
just $10 for adults or $8 for students/seniors, and can be purchased
online at http://habitatbucks.org/shopProducts.asp or by contacting
Linda at l.andrews@habitatbucks.org or x308.
On the Habitat Bucks website:
> http://habitatbucks.org/calendar.php?display=event&id=396&date=2006-Dec-09&returnto=month,
get more details about the event, follow links to buy your tickets,
and download a copy of the flier for this great event!
Carnivals are fun in the summer, but nothing beats a Christmas
Carnival! Free games, crafts, prizes and lunch for kids of all
ages are in store for Upper Bucks families on Saturday, Dec. 9
from 11:30am – 2pm at the Quakertown United Methodist Church.
The Quakertown Ministerium, HUBBUB (Helping Upper Bucks Be Universally
Better—a group of area agencies and ministries) and Toys
for Tots are hosting this third annual event. Habitat Bucks will
be helping kids create delicious “gingerbread” houses
again—volunteers are welcome for this fun, tasty and messy
activity! Contact Stefanie at s.clark@habitatbucks.org
or x 307 if you would like to participate.
This is what Habitat for Humanity is all about: please, join
us at the next home dedication! On Thursday, Dec. 14 at 7pm, we
will welcome the newest members of the Emerald Hollow community
during a brief dedication ceremony; immediately following, the
homes will be open to tour and light refreshments will be available.
The event is open to the public – friends and neighbors
are encouraged to attend! Attendees of the event may “pound”
our families by bringing a pound of non-perishable goods, such
as food or a cleaning product, to give to the new families. Come
celebrate with us! Please note that the entrance to the Emerald
Hollow community is on the 1700 block of Creamery Road, Quakertown.
For more information, contact Sam at s.martin@habitatbucks.org
x310.
GIVING THANKS…
After two years of putting his faith into action as our Community
Relations Manager, Dan O’Connor has embarked on a career
change. His team spirit attitude and wonderful sense of humor
is already greatly missed by the Habitat staff. Dan was able to
accomplish much in the realm of building relationships with churches,
schools and other community groups during his time with Habitat
Bucks – thank you, Dan!
In July, another year of AmeriCorps service drew to a close.
Both Laura and Jenny completed two full terms of service with
Habitat for Humanity. Laura spent both years here at Habitat Bucks
as our incredible volunteer associate, while Jenny served a year
in Austin before discovering the wonders of Bucks County. We are
deeply grateful to both of these fantastic ladies for their dedicated
service and all they have contributed to our affiliate. They worked
hard and “got stuff done,” but they also brought much
wit and humor into our lives. Jenny headed off to Tanzania with
Peace Corps in September. We just couldn’t get enough of
Laura, so we offered her the volunteer associate position full-time
and (gasp) she accepted!
Thank you to all who pledged their support to Neighbor to Neighbor
campaign this summer! In February, Habitat Bucks and the Bucks
County Association of Realtors, Inc. (bucksrealtor.com) launched
the Neighbor to Neighbor campaign, a partnership between Habitat,
the association and its members to build homes for deserving families
in Bucks County. The goal of the program is to raise $100,000
for a full house sponsorship and advocate the mission of Habitat
Bucks to make safe, affordable housing a matter of conscience
and action in Bucks County. For more information, contact Trish
at t.schoor@habitatbucks.org
or x303.
On the Habitat Bucks website:
> http://habitatbucks.org/neighbor.asp,
read more about this exciting program, see a current list of participants
and join the campaign!
Employees of several Lowe’s stores in the region (lowes.com)
visited Emerald Hollow for a day of building. In addition to providing
fantastic training clinics for our Women Build program, Lowe’s
also supports us with volunteers and donations of tools and materials
through their Lowe’s Heroes program. During this year’s
build day, in addition to assisting with framing and painting,
Lowe’s also presented Habitat Bucks with a gift of tools
and materials valued at nearly $3000! We can’t thank Lowe’s
enough for being such an incredible partner.
Stefanie Clark, Family Program Director, will be attending the
9am service at Christ Lutheran Church in Trumbauersville on Sunday,
Nov. 26 to thank the entire congregation for their continued generosity
over the years. The church has happily allowed Habitat Bucks the
use of its church building for family workshops, Application Days
and housing for Collegiate Challenge groups. The church has also
provided use of their fellowship hall for the Emerald Hollow Home
Owners’ Association to hold its annual meetings. Stefanie
welcomes Habitat families, volunteers and staff to join her in
giving the church a well earned “Thank You!”
Forever grateful Habitat Bucks will be for the generosity of
the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce (centralbuckschamber.com).
The chamber’s Business Cares Foundation is awarding Habitat
and several other area agencies the gift of funds to be used for
holiday assistance to Habitat families. Habitat has been a recipient
of these funds for the past several years. Thank you!
The Bucks-Mont National Association of the Remodeling Industry
(bucksmontnari.org)
will again be making the holidays more exciting for all Habitat
Bucks kids. This holiday season marks their fourth year of providing
gifts for the children. We are grateful for their generosity in
sharing their energy, treasure and holiday spirit!
MAKING NOTE…
Thank you for showing your support by collecting
supermarket register tapes or registering your supermarket cards!
Would you like to participate in this simple way to raise funds
for Habitat Bucks? Every time you shop, a percentage of your purchases
will be donated to our mission:
· Genuardi’s Community Cash Back
program (http://www.escrip.com/merchants/identity/genuardis/index.jsp)
is powered by eScrip, an electronic fundraising tool. To join,
simply register your Genuardi’s club card or your credit/debit
card at www.escrip.com, or use a sign-up sheet at the Genuardi’s
customer service counter. Our Group ID Number is 149390004.
· If you shop at Acme Markets (https://www.acmemarkets.com/eCommerceWeb/LandingPageAction.do?action=begin),
just mail or drop of your receipts/register tapes to our office.
Have you heard the excellent news? Habitat Bucks has begun holding
Bargain Barn Re-Sale events on a regular basis! That means we’ll
happily accept the following donations:
· New and unused building materials and supplies, including
lumber, carpeting, windows, doors, unopened paint, lighting and
interior fixtures, etc.
· New appliances
· New and gently used garden, power and hand tools
· Extension ladders
· New and gently used furniture and children’s items
such as strollers and playpens
For more information, contact Trish at t.schoor@habitatbucks.org
or x303. Please be aware that we are unable to pick up donations.
Also, we are unable to accept used appliances, clothing, toys,
books or small household items. There are numerous organizations
in the area that accept things we cannot. Visit http://habitatbucks.org/donate2.asp
for a complete listing of those organizations, what they accept
and their contact information.
WHO’S WHO…
Professional Staff:
Linda Andrews, Executive Director, l.andrews@habitatbucks.org,
215.348.2204 x308
Steve Argue, Construction/Safety Coordinator
Laura Blair, Finance Director, l.blair@habitatbucks.org, 215.348.2204
x315
Stefanie Clark, Family Program Director, s.clark@habitatbucks.org,
215-348-2204 x307
Bev Cupo, Construction Coordinator
Vince Cipriano, Construction Coordinator
Kelly A. Hile, Outreach Director, k.hile@habitatbucks.org, 215.348.2204
x305
Ray Luszczak, Construction Director, 267.446.4635
Mikaela Martin, Marketing + Public Relations Director, m.martin@habitatbucks.org,
215.348.2204 x306
Sam Martin, Office Manager, s.martin@habitatbucks.org, 215.348.2204
x310
Laura McClellan, Volunteer Associate, l.mcclellan@habitatbucks.org,
215.348.2204 x302
Nancy O'Connor, Family Program Director, n.oconnor@habitatbucks.org,
215.348.2204 x304
Trish Schoor, Resource Development Director, t.schoor@habitatbucks.org,
215.348.2204 x303
AmeriCorps:
Jessica Robinson, Construction Associate
Connie Yung, Construction Associate
Volunteer Staff:
Beth Adams, Family Program Assistant, 215.348.2204 x2
Sara Bostancic, Fundraiser Database Coordinator, 215.348.2204
x310
Mike Fallon, Project Development Coordinator and Ray of Sunshine
Janet Pagenkemper, Volunteer Database Coordinator, 215.348.2204
x305
Kim White, Activities + Product Sales Coordinator, 215.348.2204
x309
Thelma Williams, Receipt Coordinator, 215.348.2204 x310
Cinder, Morale + Safety Director, 215.348.2204 x306
On the Habitat Bucks website:
> http://habitatbucks.org/contactus.asp,
keep an eye on staff changes!
Board of Directors:
Jim Dowling, President
Lawrence A. Reinfeld, Vice President, Attorney at Law
Jennifer A. Stark, AIA, Secretary, Stark & Associates, P.
C.
Julie Davis, Treasurer, Dunlap & Associates
William D. Kee, P.E., Project Review, Cowan Associates, Inc.
Paul Landes, Project Review, High Aim Resources
Nancy Buckner, Family Selection, First Savings Bank of Perkasie
Gena McCleary, Keller Willams Realty
Paul Payton, Faith Relations
Joel Stewart, Project Review
Bill Tuszynski, Family Selection, Ivanhoe Industries
On the Habitat Bucks website:
>http://habitatbucks.org/aboutus.asp
, keep an eye on board changes!
SPECIAL RE-CAP!
Women building a better bucks…
The second year of the Habitat Bucks Women Build program concluded
with a bang!... and a saw, and a drill, at Emerald Hollow in Trumbauersville,
October 14-21.
Women Build is a program that empowers women, through various
training and building opportunities, to enter the realm of construction.
By doing so, it also creates much-needed affordable housing options
for families in need, a group largely composed of women and their
children. Planning teams organize all aspects of the program,
inviting women to enter non-construction leadership roles, also.
In 2006, more than 100 area women contributed 1175 hours to Habitat
Bucks through the Women Build program. Of those women, 69 were
new volunteers, highlighting the success of the program at drawing
in women who otherwise would not consider themselves candidates
to volunteer on a construction site.
A partnership with Lowe’s is integral to the program. Two
area stores, the Quakertown and Warrington locations, offer free
training clinics on a variety of relevant topics multiple times
throughout the year. In 2006, 70 women were trained through the
Women Build Lowe’s clinics.
Additionally, Women Build days are offered throughout the year
on the Habitat construction site. These women-only days are a
perfect opportunity for women who have taken the clinics to try
out their new skills, as well as for women training to become
crew leaders to practice their skills in leading volunteers. Habitat
Bucks offered 3 Women Build Days in 2006, on which 30 women participated
and two crew leaders were trained through this year’s program.
Overall, Women Build-ers spent 755 hours training in 2006, an
incredible leap from 250 training hours in 2005.
Women Build also raises much-needed funds to fuel the process
of building homes. In 2006, largely through personal connections
and indefatigable energy, program participants raised more than
$54,000! The 2006 program was also sponsored in part by Capmark
Financial, Jones Apparel Group and Lowe’s.
All of the year’s planning, training and fundraising culminated
in Women Build-a-Thon Week 2006, an event that incorporates the
three resources integral to the Habitat mission- funds, advocacy
and action. In the preceding months, participants collected pledges
from family, friends, etc. to sponsor their build days. By doing
so, they raised nearly $12,000 while spreading the word about
Women Build and mission of Habitat Bucks. During Build-a-Thon
Week, 71 women contributed more than 900 hours building at Emerald
Hollow on a total of 9 homes!
For more information on the Women Build program, contact Laura
McClellan at l.mcclellan@habitatbucks.org. Stay tuned for the
Women Build 2007 kick-off in January ’07!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
www.habitatbucks.org
From 2005-2008, Habitat for Humanity will
build 36 affordable homes in Bucks County. Each home will require
a commitment of 2000 volunteer hours and financial contributions
averaging $4,250 per day. Habitat relies strictly on the generosity
and commitment of our neighbors and partner families to provide
these resources, and to make safe, affordable housing a matter
of conscience and action in our community.
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