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In this Newsletter
Update: See how the Luna family is doing now in their affordable, Habitat home!
Upcoming Events
- Corporate Challenge 2016
- National Women Build Week April 30 - May 8
Announcements
Recent Events and Stories
- Results from Annual Community Builders Breakfast
- Hub Kennady's Innovative House-Warming Fundraiser
- Ethel Walker School Participates in 2016 Collegiate Challenge
- Transferring Ownership: At Habitat, Even Paperwork Can Be Emotional
- Habitat staff receive CPR training
From the World of Habitat
- Why is clean water important? See what Habitat tithes provided for one community in Bangladesh
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"Our situation made me believe we could never own a house... I believe I have achieved something special and show my kids a good example of working hard to get what you want... I feel good about myself and grateful to God for having achieved this with my wife and with Habitat.
If you have a little left over you can donate, that little can make a family happy... You are donating an entire life to a family through this house and the security it brings.... Everything you give will be given back to you by God"
- Raul Luna, Habitat homeowner
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| See how much the Luna family is enjoying their new Habitat home |
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 At B/CS Habitat, Faith IS Action!
Sharing God's love with our neighbors has always been at the core of Habitat-it's in our mission statement. A great example of this concept is a group of churches called Faith In Action (sometimes referred to as Interfaith). In 1997, 14 local churches came together for the area's first ever ecumenical Habitat build and constructed two houses for the Lewis family and the Harris family. Since then, Faith in Action has helped build 22 houses for Habitat families! The 23
rd
house built by Faith in Action will raise the walls on April 23
rd
(Vickie Montoya at 1532 Cassib St. in Bryan).
How exactly does Faith in Action build a house?
Fundraising is the first step, and each church tends to approach this differently. Some of the Faith in Action member churches simply set aside an agreed upon portion of the tithes and offerings provided during weekly giving from their congregations. Sometimes a special offering is taken specifically for funding a Habitat house. The second step is to recruit their congregations to volunteer on all the Saturdays that the house is being built, from the framing and wall raising to roofing, painting, flooring and landscaping, and everything between.
This past Christmas, a long-time Habitat supporter made Christmas ornaments to sell as a fundraiser, and raised over $2,000. Last October, Faith in Action hosted its first Pumpkin Patch, staffed by volunteers from the member churches. In March, First Christian Church hosted the "Run for the House 5k" and Faith in Action volunteers organized the event and staffed it.
The possibilities of ways to raise funds are endless, but they all start from someone believing that affordable housing is important and then making a commitment to put their faith into action.
There are a growing number of churches and faith groups in Bryan/College Station. The current members of Faith in Action are:
A&M United Methodist Church, Bethel Lutheran Church, Christ United Methodist Church, Covenant Presbyterian Church, First Christian Church, First Presbyterian Church, Dialogue Institute of the Southwest,
Islamic Community of Bryan-College Station,
Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Peace Lutheran Church, St. Andrews Episcopal Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church, St. Mary's Catholic Center, St. Thomas Episcopal Church and Unitarian Universalist Church of the Brazos Valley.
Do you believe that housing is important? Is your church listed here? If it is, get involved. If it's not listed, we need you to be the champion for Habitat in your congregation. We are trying to grow our membership beyond the 15 members we have now, and the answer we hear from church leadership time and again is that they are willing to join the Faith in Action group, but only if someone in their congregation is willing to lead the effort.
23 families and our Habitat staff thank all the faith groups who have come together over the years, and the leaders from each church who have organized the efforts that have accomplished so much for our community.
Our mission statement: "Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope." If you want to be a part building hope in our community, please talk to your church or faith organization about joining Faith in Action!
In partnership,
Andy York, Executive Director
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Dedication sign for home funded by local businesses last year through Corporate Challenge |
Corporate Challenge 2016
Our first
Corporate Challenge
occurred in 2003
when
local
business owner Larry Hodges
was celebrating the 10 year anniversary of
Copy Corner
and wanted
to give back to the community
.
Since then, business in our community have teamed up to build 20 homes for families in need of
decen
t
, affordable housing. Recent Corporate Challenge participants are
Wells Fargo,
Capshear
, Prosperity Bank, BB&T, The Bank and Trust, Douglass Nissan, Hilton Hotel, Sanderson Farm, BBVA Compass Bank, Bank of America, Mid south Bakery, Coca Cola,
Nutrabolt
, and many others.
Businesses provide funds to build an affordable home and their staffs come together to build the home.
Last year
,
local businesses raised enough funds to build
homes for the Cortez and Arreola families!
How will this benefit my company's staff?
Many
of
the
businesses
use
this
campaign
as
a
way
to
build
staff
ca
ma
rade
rie. When staffs construct
a house together, they
get to know each other outside the normal office environment and improve their ability to work as team, all while providing an affordable home and priceless hope to a family in need of decent housing.
We will work together to publicize our partnership.
Corporate
Challenge s
ponsors receive recognition by having their company logo on all TV, print and social media ads that promote the event and are mentioned in radio ads as well.
To see our growing online presence, follow us
!
If you want to build teamwork within your business and support affordable homeownership in our community, then join Corporate Challenge.
Contact Director of Development Carl Orozco to join Corporate Challenge
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We are one of over 300 Habitat affiliates hosting National Women Build Week.
This year, from April 30th to May 8th, more than 17,000 women from across the country are expected to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity construction sites for National Women Build Week, where they work together to help build a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Join us!
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Executive Director Andy York at construction site |
After spending a year as Interim Executive Director, our board of directors unanimously voted in favor of hiring Andy York as Executive Director. Over the past year he has worked two jobs, taking on the role of Interim Director while also carrying out the duties of Director of Finance. Congratulations Andy, and thanks for all your hard work!
New additions to our staff include Ashley Burk and Victor Gonzalez. Ashley serves as our Development Assistant and brings experience from Habitat in Waco and from her service as an Americorps volunteer. Victor serves as our Family Relations Coordinator and brings experience to our affiliate that few others can... he's our first Habitat homeowner! He and his wife Amelia purchased their home in 1990 and paid it off a few years ago.
We are blessed to have such dedicated people working to provide affordable housing in our community. Thank you!
Meet the team
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The Felix family thanks supporters at their wall raising on April 2. |
Newest Habitat Partners
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Community Builders Breakfast
Through the generous gifts given at the breakfast, as well as the matching gift of $40,000 given by Stylecraft Builders, our community raised over $118,000 to build affordable housing in partnership with families in Bryan/College Station. Thank you for coming together to build homes, communities and hope. See what daughter of Habitat homeowner Cesia Sanchez said about the impact you've had on her life.
See more
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In partnership with Christ UMC, funds supprted the Estrada family build. |
Hub Kennady's Time to Give Back
As local attorney Hub
Kennady
mov
ed into his new
Kentucky-style
home
last year
in thePebble Creek subdivision
, h
e
f
igured
that
it was
a time to celebrate an
d
enjoy his version of the best local
ly-made
Kentucky BBQ pulled pork
(Hub's not from Texas but he got here soon enough). Hub also felt
it was
a time to give back to the community that had he ha
s
been a part of for so many years.
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Ethel Walker School Students |
2016 Collegiate Challenge Builds Felix Home
E
ach
year,
we participate
in
Habitat's
Collegiate Challenge
.
This event is an opportunity for
t
housands of students
across our country
to
selflessly give up their
spring break
s
to
buil
d
homes and improv
e
communities
through Habitat for Humanity. Our affiliate has been lucky
to
have the
same school
volunteer with us for the past three years
. The Ethel Walker School from Simsbury, Connecticut sends about 10 students
each
year.
This
spring break
, the girls who attended were able to work
alongside the Felix family,
Habitat homebuyers who have now moved into the home
. T
ogether, t
he
y
worked on projects such as painting, landscaping
and cleaning. While the
girls
were here, they
experience
d
Texas
A&M activities
, including
a
ttending a w
omen's
b
asketball game, visiting the George Bush Library, and
eating at the
Dixie Chicken. They
are
a great group of girls and we are always so thankful for their help and look forward to next year's Collegiate Challenge.
Contact Kylie Best, Volunteer Coordinator
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At Habitat, Even Paperwork Can Be Emotional
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Ezequiel Nunez signs deed and assumes ownership of his new Habitat home. |
Habitat home dedications are an exciting and emotional time, celebrating the completion of a family's new home and showcases the talent, determination and generosity of volunteers, donors and staff who were involved in this project. An equally emotional moment, but with less ceremony, is the title transfer. For the B/CS Habitat families, becoming a homeowner occurs in a room at University Title Company in College Station once they sign the deed and deed of trust.
Often, this is the first time in their lives that they've owned their own home. In fact, for many of our homeowners they are the first in their entire family line to own a home, and we hope that they are the first of many homeowners.
Read more
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Habitat staff receive CPR training
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Habitat staff learn proper chest compression technique at day-long training. |
As a home builder, construction safety and emergency response is always a top priority. This spring our staff is being trained (and in many cases, retrained) in CPR and first aid. Because we take seriously the health and safety of our volunteers, Weekday Crew members and everyone who lends a hand on our sites and facilities, we train and certify our construction staff, as well as most other staff, in CPR and first aid.
Whether at the job site or just at home with your family, you never know when you might save someone's life or your own by knowing proper CPR and first aid procedures!
A special thanks to the trainers Joshua and Elizabeth Cools of Dependable Resuscitation Training, LLC. This couple specializes in teaching proper and thorough CPR and first aid courses that are also lively and enjoyable. Thank you!
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From the World of Habitat: Why is Clean Water Important?
Habitat Bangladesh's focus on water and sanitation meant building three new deep-tube wells, each with a raised base and safe water collection points. We also constructed a lockable bath house to provide privacy for women and girls. A community committee on water, sanitation and hygiene was formed, and members were trained on management and finances.
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Don't forget to ReStore!
If you're moving or renovating your home, contact ReStore. Your donations are sold to raise funds so low-income families can own their own homes with an affordable mortgage!
Visit www.restorebcs.org
Nothing to donate now? You can still help by shopping at ReStore.
See latest inventory on Facebook
Donation hotline: 979-704-6245
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