This year we had planned to celebrate our 35 years of partnering with families to create strength, stability and self-reliance through homeownership. COVID-19 has shifted those celebration plans significantly. The good news is that it didn’t change the impact that those 35 years have made, nor will it indefinitely impact the future trajectory of our impact.

Habitat CFC’s resiliency and perseverance allows us to stay the course. We keep building homes and building up the lives of our future homeowners. Sometimes, like this moment we are in, we have to slow down, adjust our schedule, but our goal remains the same - a commitment to getting families at the closing table as quickly as possible. We stay the course, one step at a time.

These 35 years have created real and enduring change for our homeowners. Together they have also helped strengthen the community of Bridgeport.

We are looking forward to what we will accomplish by our 50^th anniversary. As we engage in our '2020 Vision for Our Future' strategic planning process, we are defining the steps we need to take now to achieve that future. In the coming weeks we will be asking for input as we undertake planning our strategy for the future, and I invite you all to be part of that process—to take those steps with us.

I also invite you to step up for Habitat homes by participating in or donating to our Virtual 5K Run/Walk which kicks off tomorrow! (See details below.)

I suspect the founders of Habitat CFC never imagined the success our organization would experience, yet we are where we are because of the steps they took and then the steps so many others took in subsequent years. I look forward to seeing the mark all of our steps will make. 

Yours in partnership,

Dr. Cathy Collins

CEO

Questions? Please contact Suzanne Francis, Events Coordinator, at sfrancis@habitatcfc.org or 203-520-7690

Tune in this Saturday, October 3 for a very special MOVE-IN DAY House Dedication! Celebrate with Shellyann, Scott, and the kids as we dedicate their home at 10 am so that they can start moving in by 11!

To get the zoom link, please contact Suzanne Francis, Events Coordinator, at sfrancis@habitatcfc.org or 203-520-7690.

Congratulations, Ruben! We wish you a life filled with blessings and joy in your new home.

Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County is welcoming four new AmeriCorps members to our staff. Our members will be engaged in several roles and projects which will directly impact the success of our mission in our area. The project development VISTAs will work with staff members, volunteers, and community members to support the undertaking of a major comprehensive strategic planning process in 2020 called "2020 Vision for Our Future." This effort is intended to determine areas where we can serve more families through possible introduction of repair projects as well as how we can partner in new ways with community residents and organizations to support and strengthen community development efforts that increase the overall quality of life for all residents. The AmeriCorps Construction Crew leaders will work directly with our Project Managers building our homes and learning to engage volunteers and future homeowners on all of our work sites.

AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs, made up of three primary programs that each take a different approach to improving lives and fostering civic engagement. Members commit their time to address critical community needs like increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, fighting poverty, sustaining national parks, preparing for disasters, and more.

Stay tuned for our 2021 event date. If you have any questions, please contact Suzanne Francis, Events Coordinator, Sfrancis@habitatcfc.org 203-520-7690.

On Saturday, September 12th, members of the Habitat CFC Youth United chapter were asked to help freshen up one of our older Habitat CFC homes on Putnam Street in Bridgeport. The homeowner reached out and told us that they were unable to do the work themselves and asked if we could help. Youth United stepped up and was able to clean up their living space and once again make it a comfortable place for them to live. The group stained the front porch, cleared bushes, cleaned up debris, and even put in a brand new fence! A big thank you to our Youth United group and our Habitat CFC Project Managers for helping a family in our Habitat for Humanity community.

If you're interested in learning more about Youth United, contact Volunteer Coordinator Anthony Orfino at aorfino@habitatcfc.org.

If you love the Stratford ReStore, make sure you are following us on social media. Be the first to know when something special hits the floor, keep up with the latest sales, and stay in the loop on Habitat happenings!

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