Getting Back to Work

I hope that everyone had a blessed Christmas, that you were surrounded by family and friends and took the time to remeber what Christmas is all about. "Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!" 2 Corinithians 9:15.

We have taken off this week, we're not working on the houses. We'll resume our construction schedule on Tuesday, January 5. The New Year will be an exciting one for us, and a busy one! I hope that you will again take time this year to help us lend a hand to families in need. Because our construction schedule is picking up, we are in need of another standing crew of volunteers - much like the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Crews who are already in place. We will be putting together a Friday Crew. The first date for the crew to work is on Friday, January 8.

Perhaps you have the time to devote to helping others and will choose to do so with us and on Fridays! Please contact me if you're interested by emailing tori@hfhkp.org or calling 304-720-0141.

Merry Christmas!

Have you read the Christmas story? If you have not, I encourage you to do so - and make it a practice! It seems as we grow up, we no longer "have" to read the Christmas story, because we no longer "have" to be in church pagents and memorize one or two verses found in Luke. But, as we age our opinions should change - we now "get" to read the Christmas story for pure enjoyment and to remind us that while we were unworthy, God himself became man in the form of a babe and came to this earth.

We all know the Christmas story - a young man and woman make their way to Bethlehem where they have to pay their taxes. There was no place for them to rest for the night, except in a barn - basically. It was in that barn that the baby was born. God could have waited 2,000 years before he sent his son; Mary could have given birth in the best hospital in town with the best doctors surrounding her and with the most sterile equipment. But He chose to come into the world in a dirty barn.

Jesus was sent to the earth for all people, not just a select few.

Everyone at Habitat wishes you a safe and Merry Christmas!

Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon

This past Monday we were able to thank our faithful volunteers with a luncheon at Blessed Sacrament. The folks at the United Disciples of Christ Church did an outstanding job with the food!!

We were also excited to have David Rubel with us. David recently wrote a book called "If I Had A Hammer" that focuses on Habitat for Humanity. David spoke of the book, gave a brief history of Habitat and also told about his time on a Jimmy Carter project in Thailand.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

“Make a career of humanity – and you will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” These words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. echo the mission and vision of Habitat for Humanity to develop communities with people in need by building and renovating houses so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which every person can experience God’s love and can live and grow into all that God intends.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. embodied the ideals of Habitat for Humanity, and was connected with Habitat for Humanity in its very beginning. Koinonia Farm, located in Americus Georgia, is the international community that is the birthplace of Habitat. In the 1950s, the farm faced continual harassment for its commitment to integration and equality. In 1957, a Ku Klux Klan rally made its way to the farm in an attempt to force its sale. The community stood its ground and refused to sell.

In the next two decades, Koinonia would continue on in brotherhood, surviving and thriving in South Georgia. Out of Koinonia’s unwavering dedication to ideals of love, compassion and equality in the face of resistance, Habitat for Humanity was born. King recognized and encouraged Koinonia to continue then, and we continue today. The Day of Service is a valuable opportunity to recognize both King and Habitat for Humanity’s past as we move forward.

We will honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his ideals of equality and freedom and justice for all on the third Monday in January - January 18. You can join us by signing up to volunteer on that date and being part of the incredible journey of Habitat.

Christmas Time's a Comin'

I, for one, am excited that Christmas is close! Christmas is my favorite time of the year, because I love the scents of Christmas. A freshly cut frazier fur, Christmas cookies in the oven, and even the old popcorn that we use to decorate our tree completes the Christmas experience.

At Habitat, our schedule changes a bit this time of year. Our regular crews will be working until Wenesday, December 23. We will resume our construction schedule on Tuesday, January 5.

In the new year, we've some exciting things planned that you'll need to be a part of. We have an All Womn's Crew who volunteers one Saturday per month. This is a great group of ladies who want to learn some construction skills.

There will also be a Saturday Shift. Many times individual volunteers are reluctant to come out on a Saturday because they're normally filled with businesses, church groups, etc. This year we're giving individuals a chance to volunteer as a team, and the first shift is on Saturday, January 9. Be sure to sign up!

We're also starting a Friday Crew. Our construction schedule is picking up, and we need a Friday Crew to keep up with the pace. If you're interested in joining a Friday Crew - please let me know!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I trust that each one of you had a blessed Thanksgiving. At Habitat, we have so much to be thankful for - a wonderful staff who truly believes in the mission of the organization, many volunteers who also believe in the mission and work hard week after week to ensure that we accomplish that mission of providing safe and decent shelter for God's people in need.

I read an interesting blog from the Pastor at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Charleston. He wrote in his blog that "Compassion means to have the same feelings - to bear one another's burdens, to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep - to do what Jesus would be doing if He were here."

I was reminded that Habitat for Humanity began as Christian organization, rooted in the idea of "koinonia" - a Greek word that appears a few times in the New Testament and refers to fellowship and partnership. In the book of Acts, we find koinonia referred to in the 2nd chapter, verse 42. "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

I am thankful for this organization - Habitat for Humanity - who is not afraid to stand up and say that we are a Christian organization. We do believe in Jesus Christ. We are thankful for his teachings, and our mission is to demonstrate his love and his teachings by advocating and building decent homes for God's people in need.

Construction is moving along. On Saturday a group from Merrill Lynch and a few of our Regular Crew members finished setting trusses in Elkview, and got the house under roof! Thanks to Merrill Lynch for supporting Habitat by volunteering!

The Workin' Women's Crew

Tomorrow will be the first shift for the Workin' Women's Crew (WWC). We're excited about this new crew of volunteers, and hope that you will make plans to be a part! This crew of women will volunteer at a construction site the third Saturday of each month. Upcoming Workin' Women's Crew dates are:
November 14
December 19
January 16
February 20
March 20
April 17
May 15
To become a part of the Workin' Women's Crew simply click on the "Volunteer Now"button to the right of this screen. Sign up to become a volunteer, then register for one of the Workin' Women's Crew dates.
You can also contact me, Tori, for more information by emailing tori@hfhkp.org

State Farm Sends Volunteers!

It's been a busy week at Habitat...with two dedications approaching, we've busied ourselves putting the finishing touches to the two homes.

We still have more work to do, as evidenced by the photographs of the State Farm employees hanging drywall at House #131. Special thanks to State Farm!

Busy Weekend!

We had a very busy weekend, with ample volunteers! Thanks to Wells Fargo and Generation Charleston we were able to get a lot of things done!

Generation Charleston plans for working on a house, got "rained out", so they worked in the ReStore. It now smells like a bottle of windex - so clean! GC also worked on turning an old tool room into an office.

Wells Fargo was a big help on Friday, they did trim work at House #128. That means they put on door knobs, installed closet shelves, touched up some paint. The house is very near completion, the keys will be handed over on Saturday.

We're Back!

Wow! It's been quite a while since this has been updated, and I apologize for that. I suppose I should start this blog off by introducing myself and congratulating Miss Donna!

Most of you know that Miss Donna has moved to the Jackson County affiliate office as the Executive Director - congratulations and good luck!

I'm the new volunteer coordinator, my name is Tori Holstine. I'm from a little, big town called Alum Creek that spans two counties - Lincoln and Kanawaha. I live on the Lincoln County side. I graduated from Duval High School, then WV State University, then High Point University in North Carolina. I'm glad to be back home, and excited to help Habitat for Humanity expand its mission by recruiting new volunteers!

I visited a couple of construction sites today, and forgot to take pictures. Volunteers were hard at work today at Central Avenue and at North Hills. At Central, they were haning kitchen cabinets and installing flooring. At North Hills - they were taking a break ;). No, they were painting and hanging doors.

Tomorrow we'll be framing at 417 19th Street in Dunbar and we'll also be working at Central painting base and caulking windows and doors. Perhaps you can help!

Calling All Volunteers!

We have a very important goal to reach by the first week of August and we will need all of our volunteer's help to achieve this goal! We are in the process of bringing 4 new homes for these four families out of the ground in the next 30 days!! If you or someone you know would like to volunteer please contact donna@hfhkp.org or give her a call @ 304-720-0141.

Montgomery House is Complete!

Saturday, June 28, 2009 is a day David and Lisa Lewis have been dreaming of for a very long time. It is the day of their Dedication Ceremony! This simple ceremony is to give thanks to God and the many volunteers that chose to serve him by volunteering their time and energy in making the Lewis' dream come true.
If you have never been to a Dedication for a Habitat family, you should make it a point to do so at some time. It is a very moving experience for everyone.
In the Montgomery case, the WVUIT Biology students were the first to volunteer. They installed the subfloor and have not seen the house since it's very beginning stages. The Saturn Crew and Bowles Rice team that built and raised the walls and set the trusses. The volunteers from DuPont and AEP that helped to get the roof shingled, the insulation installed and the water lines installed after 9 straight days of rain. The operating room nurses (AORN) and the Knights of Columbus that painted the house inside and out. And of course, the ever faithful, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Crew members.
The Habitat for Humanity Dedication Ceremony brings the family and all of the people who have helped to make this event happen, together, to give thanks.

The "Blessings" House

Last November, Habitat for Humanity Of Kanawha and Putnam County hosted an event in which we acknowledged the many “Blessings” of our ministry, including the servant leadership of Mike and Tina McCready.  We were also able to raise enough funds to build a house in honor of the McCready’s!

On May 26, we began construction on the “Blessings” house and we will be working on it throughout June and July.  Mike and Tina and their friends and church family, Blessed Sacrament, worked the first week of the build and were able to get the house under roof in 5 days.  Stephanie Southers, the future homeowner was and will continue to be on site to work alongside the volunteers.    

Remember, you don’t have to construction expertise to volunteer, just a willingness to help a deserving family realize the dream of homeownership.

If you are interested in volunteering on our “Blessings” house or any of our other houses, please contact me at 304-720-0141 or sign up on the volunteer section on this web site.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

 

Donna DeHart

Volunteer Manager

Habitat for Humanity

Kanawha and Putnam County

815 Court Street

Charleston, WV 25301

304-720-0141

 

 

 

 

Habitat Wins "Expect the Best" Award from Charleston Area Alliance

From the Charleston Area Alliance Press Release:

The Charleston Area Alliance last week announced the winners of its 2009 "Expect the Best" Awards. The awards, which spotlight organizations that promote quality of life and excellence in the workplace and community, will be presented at the Alliance's Annual Celebration, to be held on Wednesday, June 3, at the Clay Center.

The "Simply the Best" Award - Habitat for Humanity

"The winners truly represent the 'best of the best' in our area," said Matt Ballard, Alliance president and CEO. "We had a number of high-quality entries this year, and the judging process was difficult and deliberate."

Simply the Best
As the local affiliate for one of the most respected organizations in the world, Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha & Putnam County helps the region by providing home ownership opportunities for low-income families. Volunteer labor and donated materials allow Habitat homeowners to own for far less than fair market rental rates.

With its mission of eliminating poverty housing, Habitat forges partnerships between people who are in need of decent housing and those in our community who can assist them with their needs. The result is involving people personally in the issue of substandard housing.

Habitat's ReStore, meanwhile, has turned around in the past year and a half, becoming the premier ReStore operation in the U.S. In one year, it has increased its net revenue by more 114 percent and raised enough money to fully fund the construction of four of the eight homes built in 2008.

One judge commented that Habitat is "changing the community one home at a time."


Winners will also be showcased in an engaging video, produced by the award-winning firm "Motion Masters," that will be shown to the hundreds of business and community leaders in attendance.

WVUIT Biology Student Volunteers Begin Montgomery Build!

On Saturday, April 18th, Dr. Beutler and her Biology students volunteered to begin the Montgomery Habitat for Humanity house. They turned out in droves to celebrate a beautiful Spring Saturday by hammering down the subfloor of the 3 bedroom house. Thanks to Dr. B and her very special students for working so hard to help us to elimate substandard housing and to make David and Lisa's dream of homeownership a reality.

We are currently looking for local and other volunteers to help build this house especially during the weekdays. If you are interested in volunteering please call Donna DeHart @ 304-720-0141 or visit our web site at www.hfhkp.org .

Deconstruction Program Volunteers Needed!

Deconstruction is the hand demolition of buildings in the reverse order of their construction in order to carefully remove materials for reuse and recycling.
Habitat needs volunteers that can help us remove the salvageable material for re-sale in our ReStore. All proceeds from the ReStore build Habitat homes in our community.
Volunteers will be on call and notified when a project becomes available.
The first meeting for anyone interested in volunteering will be held June 2, 2009 at 6:00 in the Habitat offices-815 Court Street, Charleston WV 25301.
You can go to our website @ hfhkp.org and click on the Volunteer Up button, click on June 9 on the volunteer calendar and sign up for this new volunteer adventure!

University of Charleston Men's Soccer Team

A big thank you goes out to the University of Charleston's men's soccer team for the work they did Saturday, March 21st on Elsie's house. They dug the drainage system and shingled the roof.

Coach Chad Duernberger

St. Patrick's Day Volunteer Appreciation Party

Thanks to everyone that came to the St. Patrick's Day Volunteer Appreciation party! It was a great night to show a small amount of appreciation to those crew members that give so much to the Habitat mission. The night was a also full of fresh green ideas for building and recycling. Building houses that are more energy efficient is a win/win for everyone involved, especially by saving our Partner Families money on their utility bills.

Montgomery Bound

The day is finally drawing near, when we will begin working on David and Lisa Lewis’ house in Montgomery. We will be needing all of the volunteers we can get, to get this house completed, so please consider volunteering in Montgomery. This very deserving and patient family will be working side by side with you when they are not working or taking care of the grandbaby. See you in Montgomery!

Spring, Glorious Spring!

I saw my first Spring lily today! That is a sure sign that spring is officially on it’s way and it could not come soon enough. Kudos to the volunteers that came out in sub-zero temperatures and worked outside all day the past few months. They are some of the many heroes of Habitat!

Starting next weekend I have lined up 9 volunteer groups for Fridays and Saturdays in March and April in Charleston. Some volunteer groups such as Bowles & Rice law firm and Saturn of Hurricane commit to several workdays because they have so many employees that want to participate. Also, a new youth camp from Liberty, Indiana will be coming in April. In the summer months we have our usual youth camps such as Saint Michael’s and some new ones, too. As for Montgomery, I have volunteers on call for as soon as the site prep work and foundation are completed.

We can always use more volunteers! The more volunteers we have, the more houses we can build! The days are going to be beautiful and together we can work together in our own community to help eliminate substandard housing! If you are planning your Spring break, plan on volunteering one or more of those days on a Habitat for Humanity jobsite. We would love to have you. No skills or tools necessary, just a good attitude and a desire to make a difference! If you are interested in volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity job site, please give Donna DeHart a call at 304-720-0141.

FreeFoto.com

It's in the Driveway

At Habitat for Humanity for Kanawha and Putnam County, we have usually poured the driveways towards the end of a build. Starting with Elsie McClendon’s house on Hanna Drive, we are going to pour the driveway in the earliest stages of the build. We will also be landscaping and working on the lot.

In the past we have left this work towards the end of the build. Afterwards, it is very hard to get volunteers to “go back” and do these outdoor tasks. Although, in our defense, the last few months, it has been impossible to do any landscaping. Rather than wait for the first youth camp to come and landscape House #122 and #124, we will be utilizing the Job Corps as soon as weather permits.

With the driveway poured before major construction begins on the house it will get us somewhat out of the mud and we will have a level, dry area in which to set up tools, unload materials, etc. It will also make for a safer situation in getting in and out of the house. And in cases where we are not supposed to turn around in other people’s driveways, we can turn around in our own.

Donna DeHart

Volunteer Manager

Habitat for Humanity

Kanawha and Putnam County

815 Court Street

Charleston, WV 25301

720-0141

HFHKP vs. Winter

Just when I think it can’t possible snow anymore or be any colder, it does and it is. In spite of a very wintery week, the crews were able to get the back porch and the steps built on Cecelia’s house, as well as work on the siding and the soffit. Also, a very muddy Tuesday group, was able to get the foundation waterproofed and the drain system installed at the Hanna Drive house. We had been waiting for this window to open for a while!

On Saturday, volunteers from the Charleston Junior League and Wells Fargo, were able to complete the siding and soffit on Cecelia’s house. They cleaned the interior of the house so that it is “appliance and carpet ready”.

Again, I’d like to remind everyone of the St. Patrick’s Day event from 4:30 PM until 7:00 PM! I truly hope that you can join us in celebrating YOU!

This Week at HFHKP...

This week at HFHKP the plan is to finish installing the siding, build the back porch and install the appliances in House #124. On Saturday, a handful of volunteers worked at House #125 on Hanna Drive. They removed the leftover block and began to dig around the foundation.

This week we hope to finish digging around the foundation and also dig the sewer line. Weather willing, we can waterproof the foundation finally. Elsie, who is living patiently with friends, is thrilled that we are finally able to work on her house!

The lot in Montgomery is cleared! I have been working very hard to get volunteers in that area and the response has been good. Apparently the Davis’ are very well liked and respected in their community and lots of folks want to help! As soon as the foundation is in, we’ll be working there as well.

Just a reminder to all of the “Regular Crew Guys and Gals” about the event on March 17. I encourage all of you to attend. It will be very informative and fun and there will be lots of good food and friends. A good chance to hang out with the other crews!

A New Year!

Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam County seeks to engage volunteers from all walks of life as we strive to eliminate substandard housing. And now that winter is working it’s way out, everyone at Habitat for Humanity is gearing up to hit the ground running (or should I say building) as soon as the weather permits. In 2008, we were able to partner with 7 families and build with and for each of them a safe, decent and affordable house.

We were very blessed last year in that we had 44 faith organizations, 30 businesses and 5 youth camps join us in our mission. Several of the churches and businesses volunteered in the spring and had such a dynamic and rewarding experience, that they volunteered again in the fall. Needless to say, we look forward to partnering with them this year, too.

We are also very blessed to have a extraordinary group of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday volunteers that would love to have new volunteers on their teams. These volunteers work all year round and without all of these volunteers, the work that we do would not be possible.

So, if you are interested in joining a weekday team, bringing in a team of volunteers, need service learning hours for school, or as an individual volunteer, please call our office at 304-720-0141 and ask for Donna DeHart.

New Domain for Habitat

Just a quick note to bring to everyone’s attention that Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha & Putnam County has a new internet domain: hfhkp.org

You will note that staff email addresses have changed to user@hfhkp.org instead of the old user@habitatwv.org and the website is now “hfhkp.org” instead of the old “habitatwv.org/Kanawha”