Happy October!

We are having an exciting month at Habitat CFC with a homebuyer information seminar, home dedication and so much more!

I hope that you received our Annual Appeal that we mailed out earlier this month sharing about a great opportunity to double your gift due to the generosity of George and Carol Bauer. The Bauer Foundation is offering a dollar-for-dollar match for donations up to $500,000 to help Habitat CFC purchase a property in Bridgeport, CT where we plan to build homes for 10 more families. Thank you for supporting this sustainable and transformative development.

As you know, Habitat CFC partners with donors, supporters, volunteers, elected officials, and community members to help homeowners achieve the strength, stability, and independence that families need to build a better life for themselves and for their families. We thank you for helping us to continue to build new houses that low-income, working families can call home.

At Habitat CFC, we put God's love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Thank you for continuing the journey with us.

It was a lovely dedication ceremony on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 65 Clifford Street in Bridgeport, CT. We were joined by Mayor Joe Ganim, CT State Representative Andre Baker and other City of Bridgeport elected officials to celebrate the completion of the home which was sponsored by the City of Bridgeport through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Nidia Contreras, Trino Rascon and their family are delighted to be moving soon into their beautiful new home. Without the support from our sponsors, donors and volunteers this dream could not have been fulfilled – thank you all! Our mission to build decent and affordable homes in stable and welcoming neighborhoods continues, thanks to your support. Congratulations Nidia and Trino!

Sponsors: City of Bridgeport/ARPA, Connecticut Housing Finance Authority/HTCC, Citi Foundation and Wells Fargo

Look out for future dedication dates to be announced.

This year our donors, friends and family are receiving Habitat CFC’s Annual Appeal early because we have an important and time-sensitive opportunity that we need everyone’s help with to make possible.

In this third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the importance of a home couldn’t be any clearer. Yet, with ever escalating housing prices, the security of a simple, decent home is still out of reach for many families living in Coastal Fairfield County. Property acquisition is always the first step to building a Habitat CFC home. With the current housing market, securing land is more challenging and more expensive than ever. However, we are excited to announce that longtime, visionary supporters George and Carol Bauer have come forward with an exciting solution.

The Bauer Foundation is offering a dollar-for-dollar match for donations up to $500,000 to help Habitat CFC purchase a large property on Chopsey Hill Road in Bridgeport, CT. This property will be subdivided into 10 building lots. The necessary infrastructure improvements and purchase price will bring the total building cost to $1 million.

We are pleased to announce that Kevin Moore, current Director of Construction, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Kevin first joined Habitat CFC in 2008 as a site supervisor guiding volunteers through the process of building Habitat homes on our build sites. He then went on to serve as Habitat for Humanity of Greater Providence's (RI) Construction Manager for 3 years. Kevin rejoined Habitat CFC as our Director of Construction in 2014. In his new role, Kevin will oversee our Construction, Site Acquisition, Family Services, Volunteer, and ReStore departments.

Kevin is looking forward to building upon the meaningful work Habitat CFC is already engaged in and expanding our organization's reach into new communities throughout our service area."It continues to be a great privilege to have a hand in the life-changing work Habitat CFC is engaged in each day. I am excited to work with our terrific staff and committed volunteers to grow our affiliate's impact and build many more homes throughout Coastal Fairfield County," Kevin said.

Originally from New York, Alayne began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in the Bronx, NY through her local church. When Alayne moved to Bridgeport, CT, she reached out to Habitat CFC to find out about volunteer opportunities. Since then, Alayne has been an active volunteer, not only on our construction sites through days with Women Build and Youth United, but also as a volunteer at our ReStore. In the last few months, Alayne has volunteered at our Annual Golf Outing and began serving on our 2023 Gala Committee.

As a person with a philanthropic personality, Alayne began to realize that the most valuable thing she had to offer was her time. “Being able to use my time to love people and help them achieve their goals and dreams is something I value. At Habitat you are making a difference in your community.”

When asked what her favorite volunteer activity has been, Alayne said, “Build days and the ReStore are the best because you are challenged. Volunteering challenges you especially during physical activities, but it can also teach you valuable lessons like being a better communicator and learning how to be a leader. You learn that you are far more capable than you ever imagined.” 

We look forward to having Alayne volunteer with us even more and her message to anyone who is thinking of volunteering is simple. “Just do it! You only live once and volunteering is an experience that will create positive change in your life forever. There is no way you will not have a positive experience, because you are planting seeds of hope for other people in our community.”

Habitat CFC is proud to offer the pride of homeownership to low-income working families. On Saturday, October 22, 2022, Family Services held its Homebuyer Seminar for prospective homeowners.  

Our First Gala Committee meeting took place in October and together we are in the process of determining member roles, as well as coming up with some fun themes ideas. The 2023 Gala will be taking place on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at the Woodway Country Club in Darien, CT. If you are interested in joining our Committee, please reach out to our Events Coordinator, Andrea Bien, at (203) 333-2642 ext 126 or abien@habitatcfc.org. We are still looking for individuals connected in the community to help with ticket/table sales, sponsorships and solicitating live/silent auction items. Or if you have other skills, let us know how you can help.

We are delighted to host a Women Build Meet-Up on Thursday, November 10, 2022 from 6:00 - 8:00pm at Brewport located at 225 S. Frontage Road in Bridgeport, CT.

Space is limited. Register below to reserve your spot as we expect this event to reach capacity. Registration will close when the event is full.

You can keep even more materials out of landfills by donating your gently used furniture, appliances, and building materials to our Stratford Habitat ReStore!

Drop Off Your Donation | 1785 Stratford Ave, Stratford, CT

Donations gratefully accepted at the store.

If you are dropping off a donation, please arrive 30 minutes prior to closing.

Tuesday to Friday 10 AM to 5:30 PM

Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM

Closed every Sunday and Monday

email preferred – donate@restorecfc.org

or call 203-383-4358