Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Summer heat brings some wonderful updates on our work in La Pine. We are proud to report great progress, even amidst strict health and safety protocols and adaptations to our volunteer structure and access. Our Putney Place townhome build welcomed volunteers in late June, and with hard work and a dedicated crew, the three townhomes are now fully enclosed, with interior work beginning. The ReStore has continued to thrive, thanks to strong community support, donations ranging from families and business partners far and wide, and the steady leadership and work of our staff. Thank you for your partnership in our work!
This year, our Putney Place build crew includes three new homeowner families (and a collective four children) who will move into these houses in the fall. Homeowner Monica Clark expresses the enthusiasm which the whole group brings:
“I love that we get such an amazing opportunity to help with building our own homes. The people are so amazing and we have such a great time! A lot of hard work but a lot of fun as well. I love watching everything come together and knowing that it's all going to be worth it in the end".
Each homeowner family contributes 400 hours of sweat equity work: on the home build, in the ReStore, pulling weeds on the lot, and helping out in the office. This collective work is part of what makes a Habitat house, a home: volunteers and homeowners work closely together and become neighbors in the process of turning an empty lot into a completed home. Despite this year’s many uncertainties, our build crew is spirited, dedicated, and fun. We could not do this work without a steady crew of expert volunteers who work alongside homeowners and often, their friends and family.
Looking ahead to August, the build site days shift to Thursday-Friday-Saturday, with three crews spread between the three townhomes. Habitat is committed to health and safety for our family partners, staff, volunteers, and store visitors, alike: both the ReStore and build site require masks indoors and when a six-foot separation outdoors is impossible, and we are well-stocked with hand sanitizer and face masks. Thank you for your support for these important guidelines, which help us to remain open and to continue working with our volunteers.
The summer of 2020 will be one to remember; for our part, Habitat for Humanity of La Pine Sunriver will remember this as a time when our community pulled together to ensure that our neighbors all can have a safe, stable, healthy place to live. Thank you for your support as part of this important work.
