The first home closing after I joined the staff team of Habitat for Humanity in 2011 was for our 200th home. As a former volunteer and board member, I wasn’t new to the Habitat mission, but I loved learning more about what it takes behind the scenes to make the mission possible. Already hooked on the model of a “hand up, not a handout,” I was excited to have the chance to work with an exceptional team each day to deliver the mission in partnership with hardworking homebuyers. I learned a lot in that first year – there was never a dull day. Fast forward 11 years, and you might think that has all changed…but nothing could be further from the truth. As we approach the start of our 300th home, I am struck by the learning we all continue to do each day to further the Habitat mission. |
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Surrounded by a dedicated staff and volunteer team, I’m grateful for the opportunity to partner with families like our 300th build family, the Bowers.
Ryan and Jasmine have become fixtures in our affiliate this year as they complete 600 hours of sweat equity. As new parents, time is short and nights are long – but they have still worked through their sweat equity at a record pace. When Ryan, Jasmine and baby Allison move into their new home, we know they will continue to be essential parts of our Habitat family.
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We hope you will join us through our 300th house giving campaign in this celebration with a special $300 gift in addition to your already generous giving or to join us on the build site of the Bowers’ home this fall. Thank you for your continued support and love for our mission and homebuyers!
Peace and Grace,
Amie Fraley - Executive Director
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Helping Others to Help Themselves
Aging in Place with Support from Habitat
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Preserving existing affordable homes for elderly and disabled members of our community is a growing component of our work at Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills. Although our repair program began in 2000, it wasn't until 2019 that our program took off, thanks to incredible local, state, and federal partners. Since then, we have completed over 300 critical repairs. Most of our repairs are on a home's exterior – replacing a roof, windows, HVAC, or septic system or rebuilding or adding a safe porch or wheelchair ramp. We believe these types of repairs help our neighbors age in place safely and affordably.
Although we provide repairs to our entire service area of Moore, Richmond, and Hoke counties, we are big fans of the Neighborhood Revitalization model. Our program usually begins with a few community members reaching out to us to see if we can work within their neighborhood to assist residents with needed repairs. We then meet with as many community members as possible and assess the need and willingness to partner. Working in partnership with a community allows us to leverage our skills and resources in a big way – plus, we build relationships in the process and come away with memories in addition to a job well done.
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Recently, we began working with the Little Philadelphia community in Rockingham, North Carolina. It is a small community that has faced injustice in land ownership rights, a reputation for dangerous activity, and an aging and lower-income demographic. We could see there was a dedication from residents. Some grew up in the community but have since moved away (a professional baseball player even joined us last weekend for a repair even though he moved away from the community years ago). We began our partnership by identifying a few key leaders, including a pastor of the Methodist Church, Rev. Bethea, and a church member, Thomas Covington. We attended two zoom Bible studies where we could share our mission and describe how we might partner. Some attendees already knew of our repair work and new homeownership opportunities and could attest our reliability and quality of work.
Next, we spent an afternoon with five residents distributing repair applications. In walking with one of our leaders, it was clear that giving back his community meant a great deal. After leaving the doorstep of an elderly man, our key volunteer noted, "that man used to gather up all of us teenage boys in the summer and take us to work at a nearby farm – he knew keeping us busy would help keep us out of trouble and also help us earn money. It feels really good to have him see me coming back to the community to return the favor."
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Once the word was out, it was time to get to work! Our first request of the volunteer recruits who were excited to provide repairs for their neighbors was to help someone in need outside of their community. The first repair was a huge success, with the men gaining new skills and creating a sense of community. Our Aging In Place Coordinator, Jim Parsons, led them. The addition of Jim to our team has been transformational as he has an extensive construction background and a huge Habitat heart. Jim enjoys getting to know the volunteers and homeowners, loves teaching, and always provides us with great pictures and stories of the day. After the first repair, the team was off and running! They tackled two separate repairs within their neighborhood for the next two Saturdays and have now completed eight repairs with more schedule in the weeks ahead.
This work would not be possible without the Capacity Build Grant that allowed us to hire Jim full-time and dedicate resources to this program. His role has also enabled us to tackle many more projects effectively, which has led to awarding a USDA HPG grant, two grants under the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, and several other local grants – for over $500,000 invested in home repair over approximately 18 months. Much of this is happening in Richmond County, where there is a dire need and few resources available. Thank you for supporting this impactful program through Habitat for Humanity. We love showing off our work any time – please feel free to let us know if you would like to visit us in the Sandhills!
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Weekend of Caring
September 15th,16th, &17th
12 Volunteers Each Shift
- Thur: 8am-1pm
- Fri: 8am-12pm and 1am-4pm
- Sat: 8am-1pm
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United Way of Richmond County and Habitat are partnering on one special weekend to build affordable housing. We will be working on two new homes in Rockingham! We are seeking a total of 100 volunteer with both morning and afternoon shifts available. |
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Finding Land and Lots in Moore County is a Talent
We have a great team trying to connect with you!
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Jim Whitlock, Peggy Raney, Tim Venjohn, Farrah Newman, and Samantha Cole |
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As property values increase, so does the cost of doing business as the number one builder of affordable housing in Moore County. As our population grows, so does our need for a robust workforce to work in our service industries, hospitals, and schools. Without affordable housing, attracting talent to help grow our businesses is hard. Habitat is determined to acquire enough land to secure the next 10 years of building 15 houses a year. With your help, we can create safe, energy-efficient homes for qualified family partners who perform 300 hours of required "Sweat Equity" and pay a guaranteed affordable mortgage.
Access to land lies at the heart of ending poverty. Without land, there can be no housing, and housing is the key to stability and opportunity. By using your voice to improve access to safe and secure land, you can help create the foundation for better housing. Whether you have a lot, a parcel of land, or know someone who does, now is the time to reach out. Partnering with Habitat can provide your family legacy and safe, affordable housing for others and future generations.
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August Faith Relations Meeting |
Save the Date for our Faith Relations Meeting on Wednesday, August 17th at 12:00 pm. at First Baptist Church of Hamlet at 208 Charlotte Street in Hamlet. We are looking for community partners and volunteers to advocate for affordable housing.
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Summer Interns help Expand our Reach!
"Bonus Team Member"
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Although our core staff team remains relatively unchanged at Habitat, we often have "bonus team members" who join us for a season as interns. We have enjoyed students from UNC Pembroke, Sandhills Community College, NC State, and this year from Methodist University and Appalachian State! Our interns have focused on social work, construction, and marketing. |
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This summer, Tyler Marinelli, a third-year Occupational Therapy student from Methodist University, helped us develop and expand our repair program into a Housing Plus/Aging In Place program. The focus of this program is not just on the homeowner's current needs through home repair and modification but on increasing safety and addressing potential future changes. This program increases the likelihood that individuals will be able to live in their homes as they age. |
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Also joining us this summer was Finn Fifield, an architecture student from Appalachian State. Finn knew that gaining hands-on building experience could be valuable in his architecture work, so he spent several weeks with our construction crew learning how to build what he may soon be designing.
We are grateful to both of these young men for their partnership and support this summer! If you know of a student who may want to intern with Habitat, let us know!
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Homeowner Application Sessions
Once a Year Opportunity - August 30th and 31st
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Our 2022 Homeowner Application sessions will take place on August 30th and 31st. The first night, at the former Aberdeen Elementary Auditorium, is an informational session where applications will be handed out and your questions answered. The second session will be in walk-in format from 9 am-5 pm, where applicants will submit all required paperwork. If you or know someone who may qualify for the program, please send them to our website to register. |
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Pinehurst Patriots Join Volunteers in Carthage
Building Wheelchair Ramps
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In Carthage this month, we had four families on the same street needing wheelchair ramps. We are thankful for the football players from Pinecrest Patriot Football and their coaches who heard our call to action and joined us to get the job started!
Pinecrest player Nahjiir Seagraves noted, "I already want to go back – it was great to see how we worked so well as a team to get the ramps built. I got to work on the saw and do some hammering and screwing in the floorboards – and it was cool to do it alongside my teammates."
Many thanks to the homeowners in progress and the other amazing volunteers who joined us today!! You can find repairs on our calendar by visiting sandhillshabitat.org and clicking the big blue VOLUNTEER button!!
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IN MEMORY
Since December 2021
Erma S Burley
Wiley Blake “Buck” Buchanan
Betty Wineland Chenowith
Dennis Conradi
Owen Gallagher
William Hackney
George Hazelton
Matthew J. Horbal
Elena Lau
Burlin Lowry
Mowery
Robert “Bob” Murphy
Bob Raney
Carter Wallen
Jack Zellers
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IN HONOR
Since December 2021
Al Beranek
Barbara & Bill Crownover
Ruth Doughty’s birthday
Janet B. Lowry
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ReStore Celebrates Year End Sales |
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Like many non-profit agencies, Habitat completed the fiscal year on June 30th. We will share detailed information in our Annual Report, but these numbers need to be celebrated. As you know, our long-time employee, Dondi Jones, has gone from driving the donation pick-up trucks to our ReStore Director and, with his team, has reported unprecedented closing numbers for 2021-22. Dondi has announced more than $100,000 in sales, and 8% increase compared to last year. For those volunteers who want to see how well their department did, detailed information is below.
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On June 30th, the final day of our fiscal year, we held a 50% OFF sale that brought in $15,789 in one day! Krystal Allen, ReStore Manager, says, "We plan to do this every year as a way to clean house and start fresh for the new year!"
We appreciate our donors for household items that we sell at the Restore. We use proceeds to build homes with a guaranteed affordable mortgage for our family partners. This year the ReStore financed SEVEN homes in the Sandhills, compared to one or two when Dondi first started. Dondi attributes his success to working as a family and loving your work!
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What’s even more impressive than the sales increase is the net income increase! After paying all of the necessary expense of running our ReStore (including the vehicle expenses for our free pickups, keeping the lights on and the staff costs), our ReStore ended up with a 21% increase in net revenue. This is a great example of our how our small but mighty staff team works to streamline our processes and how much our volunteers make a difference. We had a 15% increase in volunteer hours this year! Thank you for your donations, shopping and volunteering – maybe next year is $1.5 million?!?!?!
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Meet Joanne Berry
199 Volunteer Hours in Clothing
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-Where are you from originally?
I lived in Massachusetts, South of Boston. I was born and raised in Dorchester, a suburb of Boston, until I was in my 20s. I was married twice. I had three daughters with my first husband. We were married 50 years when my husband passed away, and my oldest daughter past away four days later. That was a difficult time for me, but God was with me all the time, and he always has been. Briefly summarize my life, I was a happy kid, rotten teen, stupid young adult, happy mother, and slap-happy wife.
I seem to lose everything! I haven't been able to locate my mind. I know it's here somewhere. Oh well.
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-Before volunteering?
I was a typist at Anins Co for two years. That is where I started doing hair cuts and styles in the ladies' room on our lunch break and also got an education from a new typist who showed us all how to bleach out our birth certificates in the sink with bleach tabs so that we could fill in the blanks.
-Hobbies?
I love reading my Bible all the way through. It has been incredibly life-changing for me. Moving down to Aberdeen was the best thing that has happened to me. I'm 78 years old now and old and cold like I'm supposed to be. But I haven't fallen off my porch yet.
-What brought you to volunteer and when?
My caregiver Laurie suggested I might like volunteering at Habitat because I didn't drive and wanted to do something useful. At 78, I don't want to sit at home. You overthink, and it can lead to unhappiness. But life is full of ups and downs, and this is definitely an upper. It gives you an incredible feeling of something accomplished. So! Get up off the couch and help us. We need help desperately and say to ourselves, "I ain't dead yet."
-What do you like most?
I love the camaraderie we all have together.
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Welcome Our New Habitat ReStore Employees
Stop by a say hello to our newest team members.
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Tony Bruton
Tony is 32 years old - Originally from Orlando, FL, and spent time in Colorado Springs. Tony has experience in hardwood flooring, landscaping, house maintenance, laborer, Walmart stocker, and Janitorial services. His hobbies are playing with his kids, housework, yard work, cleaning, and gaming with his sons. Tony came in to shop with his mother and felt good vibes in the atmosphere and the building; he thought he could be a helpful asset to Habitat. Tony enjoys the family atmosphere, great energy, and positive-friendly people that work together here at the Restore. Tony states he “loves this job and the family of Habitat.” Tony hit the ground running on his first day and has not slowed down since; he is an excellent worker and striving to learn more.
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Reggie McLean
Reggie is from West End, 18 years old, and just graduated high school. Family members already on our staff team introduced Reggie to the Restore. He was looking for his first job and figured it would be a great place to join. Reggie enjoys cleaning, organizing, and fixing electronics, as well as being a part of a team where everyone works together. He also enjoys sharing ideas with fellow staff members in the Restore. Reggie is a fresh young soul, happy to be a part of the team and eager to learn.
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Be sure to follow the new ReStore Facebook page
to learned about the latest inventory and sales
@sandhillsrestore
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