Celebrating our 10th Anniversary serving the Northeast Kingdom!
Ten Years: Ten Stories
2007 - 2017
Ten years! Wow. Habitat NEK began meeting at the North Church in St. Johnsbury in the fall of 2007 and from those beginnings, we have repaired nearly 100 houses, built two brand new homes, held yard sales and other fundraisers, opened a ReSale Store...then moved it... and then moved again to our current offices. Lumber, nails, drywall, paint. Lots of it. But most importantly, people. The folks who applied for Habitat help, and the folks who responded to the need. Amazing stories of people who just needed a hand up, of self-sacrificing volunteers who have been with us the whole time. In the coming months, on our Facebook page and through our monthly newsletters, we'll be highlighting these moments and the people who made them happen. In June 2018, we'll come together for a community-wide potluck dinner. You are invited to celebrate with us!
2012: Out of the Ashes

Groundbreaking

NEK Habitat for Humanity began construction on its long-awaited first "foundation up" house on July 28, 2012. Working in partnership with Blaine and Diane and their family that first day, we built the deck on the existing foundation, all that remained after a disastrous February fire that left them homeless.
 
Under the skilled guidance of Chris Fournier, site supervisor, a small army of enthusiastic volunteers raised the roof in record time. In the best Habitat tradition, the  project saw family, friends, neighbors, Habitat regulars, and committed members of communities throughout the Northeast Kingdom show up at the job site. A team of volunteers provided lunches and local vendors provided generous discounts or contributed specialized labor, thereby saving Habitat and the family precious dollars. 
 
The second Saturday saw all exterior walls built, sheathed, and erected, and the week after that Larrabee's Building Supply donated their crane and a skilled operator to help install the roof trusses. Subsequent Saturdays saw the interior partitions go in, windows and exterior doors go on, vinyl sidin g and trim installed, insulation in the basement, and a multitude of other tasks completed.
 
Each Saturday saw a new record in numbers of volunteers until, as September approached, there were more volunteers than work. The outpouring of volunteers was unprecedented, the enthusiasm contagious, and the dedication remarkable. The volunteers have been uniformly 
wonderful to work with, and every one the sort of folk one would like as neighbors. It serves to remind us of at least one reason why the Northeast Kingdom is such a wonderful place to live.
 
By Labor Day, the roof was on and shingled, the windows and exterior doors were installed and the siding and trim almost complete. The house was functionally weatherproof. At that point in time, the job had been under way for fi
ve weeks. The original schedule had estimated it would take twelve to make this much progress. We were still under budget and ahead of schedule.

Plumbing and electrical rough-in were next and once complete, insulation was installed, and dry walling commenced. Next tasks done were taping drywall, installing interior door and window trim, and interior doors, painting, and flooring. Finally the house was finished. 

2012 Open House
In November 2012,  we held a dedication ceremony at the Danville Congregational Church, which was followed by an Open House at the new ho use. A great celebration for work well  done, and love poured out,  to gi ve  this family a safe, secure, and  warm new beginning!
  



Celebrating Our Community Partners

For all of the financial support, time, in-kind gifts, concessions, referrals,  collaborations, coaching and advice that enabled us to help our neighbors, we are immensely grateful to each and every one of our mission partners. Even after ten years, all  continue to help NEK Habitat to serve its neighbors:
 
 



Alrich Cabinetry - Charlestown, NH
Clarke Atwell, Esq. - St. Johnsbury
Columbia Forest Products - Newport
Council on Aging - St. Johnsbury & Newport
Cover Home Repairs - White River Junction
Dave Hawkins - St. Johnsbury
Habitat for Humanity Ammonoosuc Region - Littleton, NH
Habitat for Humanity International - Atlanta, GA
Larrabee Building Supply - Danville, VT
Lowe's - Littleton, NH
Lyndon State College - Lyndonville
Mission for Independence - Williston
Northeast Computer Systems - Lyndonville
NEK Human Services - St. Johnsbury
Northern Counties Health Care
Caledonia Home Health - St. Johnsbury
Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital - St. Johnsbury
Parkway Realty - St. Johnsbury
Passumpsic Savings Bank - St. Johnsbury
Pumpkin Hill Singers -Danville
Rural Edge - Lyndonville
St. Johnsbury Academy - St. Johnsbury
United Church - Craftsbury
United Community Church - St. Johnsbury
Tim Ide - Danville
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture - Montpelier
Vermont Center for Independent Living - Montpelier
Vermont Veterans Outreach - Bradford
 


Pumpkin Hill Singers
SAVE THE DATE: May 25 and 26, 2018 - 7 pm

The Pumpkin Hill Singers  will be performing under the direction of Susan Terry in two concerts of traditional and original music for the benefit of NEK Habitat for Humanity. Special guest musicians will be Box and String, the duo of  Bill Quern  and  Sarah Gowan . Bill and Sarah are from Philadelphia and play instrumental traditional roots music from the American Appalachians, England, Canada, Scandinavia, and France as well as original music composed in traditional styles. 

Mark your calendars now for this special musical event!
Ten Years and Growing Stronge r
Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in." [Author Unknown]

If you would like to be a part of the NEK Habitat family by donating goods and services, by supporting our work with your dollars, or by volunteering your time in the office or on a work site, please contact us. Anytime. 802-751-1212.

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