Tag Archive for: Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity

Computers and Phones, Not Hammers and Nails

by Jonathan Dermid

Here at Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, there is a small but dedicated group of volunteers that helps carry out our mission – without wielding a hammer at the jobsite or sorting donations at the ReStore. These are our Office Volunteers and they work diligently every week in our Administrative building, supporting the staff by doing data entry, answering phones, and much more.

This week, we honored them with a special appreciation lunch to show them how important they are to our cause.

Seven of these volunteers work at the front desk (reception), answering phones and greeting visitors with an openly social and cheerful demeanor that reflects our drive to serve the community.

“The volunteers do a lot of miscellaneous stuff that most people wouldn’t even think about, but it’s all that really essential behind-the-scenes work that helps us out so much,” said Office Assistant Abby Suarez.

They also work “independently but together” on a large project for the ReStore. “Everyone who donates to the ReStore gets a receipt, whether it’s a pickup or a drop-off,” Abby said. “With the help of office volunteers, we can keep track of merchandise donations and repeat donors, including businesses.”

With various backgrounds, including current college student and retired teacher, there are some specialized skills such as technical support and dedicated data entry.

One volunteer, Carol, works with Communications to organize press clippings and highlight quotes about Habitat. Another, Aaron, is a wiz when it comes to data entry. Abby noted, “Someone said at the appreciation lunch that Aaron has a respect for data that not many people have, and that’s super helpful!”

Perhaps most important is our office volunteers’ dedication to serving as representatives of Habitat, simply through their position of being at the front desk of the main office. “Front desk volunteers are sometimes the first faces that potential partner families (and anyone) see when they come in,” Abby said. “They really have to believe in the mission of Habitat just as much as all of us, because they sit at the front and say ‘I’m Habitat, how may I help you?’”

Whether behind-the-scenes doing data entry or out front greeting visitors, office volunteers, like all of our volunteers, are dedicated to the Habitat mission. And for that, we thank them!

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a volunteer, please click here.

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This holiday season, help change the future.

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Thanks to an affordable Habitat mortgage, Maria Lomeli, a warehouse forklift operator, is now able to provide her children with an opportunity that she didn’t have at their age – higher education.

Her children took her advice and studied hard in their new, quiet and safe home. Now, her daughter, Maria, is at UNC-Asheville, Abel attends UNC-Chapel Hill, and Emmanuel studies at Berea College in Kentucky. Josue, a junior at Asheville High School, has his sights set on attending UNC-Chapel Hill, too. In the face of Asheville’s housing crisis, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity is committed to providing more hardworking families, like the Lomelis, an opportunity to own a home – a home that can be the foundation for growth and success.

Donate ButtonYou can change the future for families in our community.
Please donate today.

P.S. – Every dollar matters! $10 can buy a
porch light, $50 a kitchen sink, $150 a front door…

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Thank You Thrivent!

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by Jonathan Dermid

Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is a multi-year, multi-million dollar mission partnership between Thrivent Financial and Habitat for Humanity International. Thrivent is the largest non-government partner and sponsor of Habitat for Humanity, and this is the eighth year that Thrivent Financial has sponsored a Habitat house here in Buncombe County. Each time, they have donated 50% of the affiliate’s construction costs ($75,693), which is nearly 1½ times the designated full-house sponsorship level.

This year’s Thrivent Builds House partner family is the Hodoroba family. Originally from Moldova, Ion and Natalya have lived in the Asheville area since 2010. For more than five years, Ion has worked as a forklift driver for Carolina Transportation. Natalya stays at home to raise the children. They have a 3 year old, 2 year old daughter and a newborn baby girl.

With unseasonably warm temperatures and under sunny skies, today was a beautiful day for the dedication of their new home. (Photos coming soon!) The family is thrilled to be moving from an old, moldy apartment to their new GreenBuilt NC home complete with a yard, in a neighborhood full of children. And they are grateful for their house sponsor, Thrivent Builds and the partnering churches, that helped make their dream of home ownership a reality.

Today’s dedication event was made even more special by our special guests. We are pleased to be hosting Thrivent volunteers from Ohio, Wisconsin, and elsewhere around the country. They are spending the week working on our jobsite as part of Thrivent Builds Worldwide, showing a solidarity that goes beyond Asheville. These Thrivent members, through their loyalty to and trust in Thrivent, are providing both funding to build Habitat houses and making a hands-on contribution by volunteering.

In addition to this visiting team, we have our local Thrivent partners to thank. “We’re fortunate to be partnered again with Abiding Savior, Emmanuel, Nativity, and St. Mark’s in our Thrivent Build, as these folks volunteered on the house and have really been the backbone of the construction,” Betsy Warren said. “If we didn’t have the full support of our Thrivent Financial representatives, this would not be possible, so we thank them for that.”

Ed Hauser is one of the Thrivent representatives that makes the Thrivent homes come together, acting as the Chapter Build Specialist and doing background work that involves things like writing grants and planning events for the local Thrivent chapter. “I’ve been involved on the college level with grant writing and applications,” Ed said, “so it was a natural fit to be able to work with the local Habitat affiliate, particularly an outstanding one like Asheville Area Habitat, to bring something like this to fruition.”

Ed’s drive to give back comes from his own childhood experience. “I grew up the oldest of 14 children, and we lived in a 1,200 square foot farmhouse with no running water and a wood-burning stove,” he said. “So I know what it’s like to live in poverty.”

This experience allowed him to gain an appreciation for helping others as he was helped, and sees his work with Thrivent Builds as an extension of that.

“I’m thankful for so many people who helped me along the way, particularly when it came to college, because I was the first one of my family to go to college,” he said. “So, the gratification for me comes from helping others in a similar way, and in terms of Christian love and sharing, Thrivent Builds with Habitat is just such a great opportunity to give back.”

We at Asheville Area Habitat appreciate this love and sharing, and thank all of our Thrivent partners for everything that they have done, and continue to do, in the name of service.

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Asheville Area Habitat Volunteer Receives Statewide Award

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(extracted from NCHC press release)

At the recent NC Affordable Housing Conference in Raleigh, NC the North Carolina Housing Coalition (NCHC) honored individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help ensure North Carolinians have a safe and decent place to call home. Asheville Area Habitat’s own Spencer Duin (pictured, holding plaque) was the recipient of a statewide volunteer award! 

In recognition of his devotion and commitment to improving housing conditions for low-income families through volunteer commitment and sacrifice, NCHC presented the Sister Barbara Sullivan Award to Spencer. He has been an extraordinary volunteer and advocate for Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity (AAHH) since 2001, when he was employed with the Eaton Corporation. He has served as a jobsite volunteer, a member of the AAHH Board of Directors, Finance Committee, Golf Tournament Committee and Fund Development Committee, and on a work team that went to New Orleans in 2007. Spencer also chaired our $5 million Building a Way Home Campaign which was just successfully completed. This campaign provided enough land for 9 years of building, expanded AAHH’s ReStore and launched a Home Repair program that annually assists 40 community homeowners.

Outside of AAHH, Spencer serves on the North Dakota State University Foundation Board and chairs their Investment Committee. He also volunteered as an assistant in the math program at the French Broad River Academy. He and his wife Carol are active members of their local faith community and Building Bridges of Asheville, NC, and have a long history as foster care parents.

NCHC also honored Patricia “Pat” Garrett, formerly with The Affordable Housing Group and current NC Housing Finance Agency Board Member, with the Bill Rowe Service to Affordable Housing Award.

“Each of these leaders is a tremendous example of the great network of organizations and individuals who are working hard every day to produce more quality affordable housing in NC,” said Satana Deberry, NCHC Executive Director. “We need our political leaders to recognize the great work that is happening in affordable housing and provide more resources and governmental support so that everyone in NC can achieve an affordable place to live.  If we are going to remain a state with a great quality of life, planning for superior affordable housing near where people work and shop will be vital.  Each of these folks recognized today represent the work we need to build on if we are to make this a reality.”

 

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Side by Side for 17 Years and Counting

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by Jonathan Dermid

At the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore, we have been diligently working for 25 years to fund our cause – affordable housing. As we have shown in previous blog profiles, none of this would be possible without the work of our wonderful volunteers. Some of our volunteers have even been here long enough to help us grow from the small Home Store in downtown Asheville to the expansive, multi-level ReStore we have today.

Lee Fadden (pictured, L) and Jan Wright (pictured, R) are two of these volunteers, having been here for 17 and 25 years, respectively. In Jan’s case, she has been volunteering with us since our inception, and Lee for only a few years less.

“We were downtown first, and when we had stuff to price, we just had a little tiny area and an old farm sink,” Lee said of her time at the Home Store downtown.

After retiring from a career at Eaton Corporation, Lee found that she wanted something new to do.

“I retired and I wanted something to do, and I believe in what Habitat does in terms of helping people and making homes affordable,” she said. This worked out well for Lee, because she was good friends with Jan even before volunteering.

“Jan is one of my best friends, and she’s been here since they opened downtown,” Lee said. “So when I was looking to do something, Jan suggested Habitat to me and I’ve been here ever since.”

Today, they volunteer side-by-side in the housewares department, cleaning and preparing various home goods for sale, just as they have for the past 17 years.

There has been a great deal of looking back the ReStore’s history in light of the store’s 25th Anniversary. It has been encouraging to see that not only have we grown in our ability to both promote and fulfill our mission, but that some aspects have remained the same, like the commitment of many of our volunteers. No matter how we grow and change throughout the years, it’s nice to know that there is a solid foundation of caring individuals like Jan and Lee that keep our cause alive in the community.  And for that, we thank them.

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Gratitude for Givens Estate Partnership

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By Jonathan Dermid

At Givens Estates, a significant number of residents actively and happily participate in community service, which vitalizes their community and gives it an identity of meaning and purpose. Their volunteer program has the primary mission of promoting wellness throughout the community, and the effect is certainly felt here at Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity.

Marge Marsh and John Nieburg are the two leaders of the volunteer program for Givens Estate residents, and under their leadership, 39 Givens residents volunteered with us in 2014. In the first six months of 2015, the residents collectively donated 500 hours of volunteer service to Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and the ReStore!

Volunteers from Givens also spearheaded “The Givens Assemblers” – a group that assists with bulk mail for us and other non-profit organizations in the area. By preparing our bulk mailings for distribution, the Assemblers provide an invaluable service to us!

Some Givens residents volunteer on a single project like a bulk mailing. Others, including Anne Justice and Peggy Manz, are “core” (weekly) volunteers. Anne has become known as the ReStore’s  jewelry lady as she receives, sorts and prices jewelry that is donated to the store – an extension of what she does in the Givens community too. Peggy is wife to Habitat core volunteer Dick Manz, and has been a valuable addition to our bookstore volunteer team.

Givens Estates is also a generous contributor of merchandise, and they recently donated a plethora of nice cabinets and other furnishing to our ReStore by way of our Deconstruction program. Specifically, we participated in a Deconstruction of several apartment units this month as Givens prepares to build new facilities.

We are grateful for the partnership of Givens Estates and many of its residents; a partnership that includes volunteerism, financial support and the donation of merchandise to our ReStore. Thank you Givens Estates for all that they have done, and continue to do for Asheville Area Habitat!

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Celebrating Our ReStore Volunteers

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by Jonathan Dermid

The bonding and teamwork among our volunteers is a common thread that links these blog profiles. Every week it seems, our volunteers share a similar sentiment – they love to volunteer because not only do they support the Habitat cause, but they also genuinely enjoy the bond they have with fellow volunteers.

So, it was very fulfilling to have so many of our volunteers under one roof as they ate, drank, and shared each others’ company at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Party at Highland Brewing Company. The event was graciously catered with homemade food from Alice Donnelly, chair of the Events Committee (and retired Asheville Area Habitat Accountant). The party also served as a way for us to celebrate the milestones of certain volunteers who have been with our affiliate for 5, 10, and 15 years.

The Enders, a partner family we highlighted in a previous blog post, offered remarks of gratitude before the awards ceremony. “We desired a home for a long time,” Michelle Ender said. “It’s a real blessing, and it changes our future completely. I’m very thankful that my children will have a place to call home.”

Michelle also shared her own experience in volunteering at the ReStore, saying “it really feels like a big family when I’m there.”

Lew Kraus, executive director of Asheville Area Habitat, shared a few words about how volunteering contributes to and ultimately shapes the work of Habitat. “I’m here to salute you for the wonderful things you have done and continue to do,” he said. “I reflect back on the many years I’ve spent here, and the true metrics of success are measured in the words of the Enders family. I don’t know how to measure the metrics when a family can come home at night, put their feet up, and say this is my home.”

While the event celebrated all ReStore volunteers, a handful were called out an recognized for longevity in service. Receiving the 5 year milestone award were Marge Marsh, Sheila Ray, Wally Lee, Norm Madden, Anne Tansey, Dick Hipp, Bill Kalavorich, and Tom Thompson. Denise Goodman and Sheri Waters received the 10 year award, getting their names on a plaque in addition to receiving a congratulatory pin. And Joe Kane, a volunteer of 15 years, received a hand-made copper tile (with a house design) to commemorate his many years of volunteer service.

Finally a very special award, the “Iron Man” award, was presented to our volunteer of 25 years, Allen Laws. ReStore General Manager Scott Stetson described him as being “just like family to us at the ReStore, and I think he gets as much out of helping us, as we do out of helping him.”

And so the night wound down, with the volunteers and staff gradually going their separate ways, the spirit of giving and selflessness filling the room. In only a couple hours’ time, the entire mission of Habitat for Humanity was conveyed by a simple dinner party, because without the efforts of the volunteers, there would be no party; there would be no Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity; there would be no homeowners receiving an opportunity to change their futures.

If you would like to be part of our life-changing work, click here to learn about volunteering.

 

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Couple Bonds Over Volunteerism

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By Jonathan Dermid

At the Asheville Habitat ReStore, no single volunteer is an island unto themselves. They all work together in collaboration to effectively further the cause of Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, and for some, this team effort extends beyond the store itself. Some are married, as is the case with Lou and Jerry Towson.

“My husband got started first. We’re both very interested in providing affordable housing for people, and I just wanted to do something where I’d be with other people,” Lou said. “I started at the cash register, but every time we had a lull, I’d be back there organizing and trying to ‘stage’ the shelves because I’m an interior designer.”

Both Lou and Jerry have been volunteering with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity for more than ten years. While Lou has found her niche at the ReStore, Jerry has been primarily involved on the affiliate side of things.

“He works regularly on the construction site, he was on the Board of Directors, and he was on the family selection committee,” Lou said. “He has a background in civil engineering, so he has been able to use that, because he likes to build and that’s a big help on the job site.”

Both share the common values that Habitat was founded upon: community members working together to enable everyone to have a safe, decent and affordable place to live.

“One of my core beliefs is that home ownership helps build family stability,” Jerry said. “A safe haven for parents and children usually reduces the stress of day-to-day living.”

He also sees the process of volunteering as being a positive in his own life, because it allows for an outlet for his energy.

“In my retirement years, by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, I can use my physical energy to help other families accomplish their goal of homeownership, and it has been pleasure to do that,” he said.

Lou echoes this sentiment, as she sees volunteering as satisfying for a few reasons.

“It makes me feel good because it’s what I like to do, but also because it lets me do a small part to help people who are seeking affordable homes,” she said. “The most satisfying things to me are making the ReStore look attractive and interacting with the other volunteers.”

Their volunteerism has also created a nice bond in their marriage, according to Lou.

“It’s kind of nice for us to volunteer together, because even if we’re not in the same place, we still go to all the functions together and we understand what the other is doing,” she said. “It’s something we’re both very committed to, and it’s nice to have that bond.”

If you would like to explore volunteering with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity on your own, or with a friend or family member, click here to learn more about opportunities and how to sign up.

 

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And the winners are…

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Congratulations to the winners of the 2015 ReStore ReUse Contest!

 

Best in Show – Paul Willard
Willard_tree house_BEST IN SHOWTree house built with recycled materials
“I redesigned and expanded a deck for a family with three young boys. Talk of a tree house was heard and I began stockpiling materials for the tree house. Old deck was harvested and 2×4, 2×6 and 2×2 materials were utilized in the tree house. Trex deck boards were reused, and 1000 sq feet of surplus deconstructed Trex was donated to Habitat. Siding is 1×6 fence boards from old fence torn down on site. Octagonal windows are salvaged. Interior bench was rescued from the dumpster. Columns are old antique table legs. Main deck of tree house surrounds a huge silver maple, and crows nest climbs into a smaller maple next to it.”

 

Homesteading – Ferrin Cole
F Cole_aquaponic system_HOMESTEADINGSymbiotic aquaponic system
“Using scrap plumbing from a job-site, plastic trays I found by a dumpster, an old bakers rack, a $12 pond pump, and an old coca-cola insulated drink bin, I made this. Raised Tilapia in the drink bin, and pumped the water with the nutrient-rich fish fertilizer in it to the top tray on the rack. Then gravity pulls the water from tray to tray, feeding plants until it reaches the tank again. Plants grow quickly in the soil-free pea gravel gathered and rinsed from an old landscaping project. The whole system is portable, able to work indoors, and all you do is feed the fish then eat them and the veggies.”

 

Live and/or Work Space – David and Kim Hostetter
Hostetter_indoor off the grid pool_LIVE WORKIndoor “off the grid” pool house
“I built our “off the grid” pool house in four months using old windows, door and re-purposed wood. The windows and clear roof give it a greenhouse effect, which, with the black painted pool, keeps the water at a nice 80 degrees.”

 

 

 

 

 

Paige_garden bench_FURNITUREFurniture – Paige D.
Garden bench
“I made a bench out of an old bed frame I found on the side of the road, in someone’s trash! I cut the foot board in half and attached each half to either end of the headboard to serve as the armrests. I made a box see out of cheap lumber from Lowe’s and covered the seat part with scraps from the cuts. Lastly, I chose to paint in in old fashioned Milk Paint. Talk about Junk to Jewel!”

People’s Choice – Carla Berlin
Berlin_mobile potting cart_PEOPLES CHOICEMobile Potting Cart
“I purchased an old white bathroom cabinet from the Restore and used this as the base for my project. I used donated pallet wood, tile that was on sale because it was a broken box, paint that was rejected by another person and left on a sale bin, stain that I used on another piece of furniture, the original drawer pull and door knob that I repainted with spray paint that I picked up at an estate sale to match other hooks that I had picked up at Restore and were collecting dust until the right plan came along. One of my friends asked me if I could make a Potting Cart – now I love it so much, I cannot sell it!”

 

 

Click here to view all of the 2015 contest entries.

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Two Former Government Employees Find Fulfillment and Fun at the ReStore

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By Jonathan Dermid

If you’ve ever dropped off items on a Wednesday morning, you might never have guessed that two of the men helping you unload your donations are former employees of the US Department of State and the National Security Agency (NSA).

These two men are Bruce Ammerman(R), former foreign services agent for the State Department, and Dick Hipp (L), former technical writer for the NSA. In this photo, they are joking around with staffer Jason Butler (center).

Both men felt compelled to volunteer after retiring to Asheville, for similar reasons.

“I started volunteering because I moved to town, and I had retired, and I didn’t have anything to do with my time,” Bruce said. “I also think that it’s a laudable goal, making housing affordable for people who need it.”

Dick has a similar story of how he came to volunteer at the ReStore. “Pretty much like Bruce, I retired here from Washington D.C. and was looking for something to do that might be helpful to people,” Dick said. “I had a cycling friend that volunteered here and after asking him about it, I looked into it and I was interested. And since I’m not much of a handyman, I figured the loading dock sounded like a good fit.”

Dick worked for the NSA as a technical writer, which usually involved working with engineers and mathematicians and editing technical manuals and documentation.

He points to the social opportunities of volunteering here as another motivating factor, re-emphasizing the nature of teamwork that we have highlighted in past volunteer profiles.

“It’s nice to get out and have the opportunity to interact with people and work together with them for a goal; and I can do that here,” Dick noted.

For Bruce, volunteering was a venture that he only became able to do after retiring, and he exhibits a positive spirit in doing so.

“When I was working, I didn’t really do any volunteering because I was busy either with my family or with work, so I just didn’t have time,” Bruce said. “My dad volunteered for Meals on Wheels for decades, though, so I wanted to eventually do something similar in terms of volunteering.”

Bruce also points to a certain spirit of selflessness that permeates the volunteers at the ReStore and is worth honoring – it’s more for the sake of the cause than for individual praise. “I don’t think the people who volunteer here are necessarily interested in recognition,” he said. “Either something is worth doing or it’s not, but if it is a worthwhile endeavor, then it’s worth getting the word out.” In addition to volunteering in the ReStore, Bruce is also on our Outreach Committee so he can sometimes be found out in the community, staffing a Habitat table at a resource fair, for example.

Here at Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, we pride ourselves on our volunteers; both for their selflessness and for the breadth of past and present life experiences that unite under the common goals of Habitat for Humanity.

A big thanks to Dick, Bruce and all the volunteers who fuel our organization!

If you want to join our volunteer team, click here to read about opportunities or sign up for an orientation.

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