Monthly Archives: February 2012

Welcome Home Brackins & Melvin Families!

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West Fargo Twin Home

West Fargo Twin Home

With each home we build, we celebrate the day a new partner family gets to move in. We reflect on the relationship we’ve formed with the family and pray for their well-being. Today, Monday, February 27th, is an especially exciting day, as we welcome two partner families into a new duplex.

You’re invited to join LAHFH for the West Fargo Twin Home Dedication tonight at 5:30 p.m.  The brief ceremony will take place at the duplex, which is located at 405/409 Morrison Street in West Fargo. It would mean a lot to the Brackins family, Melvin family, and our organization to see you there.

Brackins Family

Tonette Brackins and her children on the build site for their new home.

“I am so thankful for all the work volunteers have done to make my new home possible- it’s been a blessing to work alongside them,” said new homeowner Tonette Brackins.  “My children and I are looking forward to moving in to our new home and can’t wait to get our keys tonight!”

“We are so excited to be moving to a stable, livable home with a great new neighbor,” said new homeowner Jessica Melvin.  “I have enjoyed working with Habitat and am so glad that they have given me the opportunity to provide this home for my children.”

 

Jessica Melvin and family at the wall raising celebration for the West Fargo Twin Home

The Brackins and Melvin families, like all families that partner with Habitat for Humanity, will not be receiving free homes, but instead will be purchasing the homes with a 0% interest free loan that will be repaid over the course of the mortgage. Both Tonette and Jessica contributed 250 “sweat equity” hours working on their homes and the homes of others as a requirement for becoming a Habitat homeowner.  They were also required to attend 20 educational classes to learn about topics such as homeownership budgeting, home maintenance, and home safety.

At the dedication, there will be a short program where Leann Wolff, LAHFH Board President, will speak.  Grace Backman from Eastern Dakota Housing Alliance, a major sponsor, and the new homeowners will also be available for comments.

Of course, none of this would be possible without our faithful supporters. So thanks again for all of your help, and we look forward to working with you again when the 2012 build season kicks off!

When: Monday, February 27th at 5:30 pm

Where: West Fargo Twin Home: 405/409 Morrison Street, West Fargo

 

Get Fit, Have Fun & Help Habitat!

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You know those pesky gawkers who always seem to “challenge” you from a machine over at the gym?  While these folks can take a toll on your energy and enthusiasm, there can be a purpose to it.  Interested? You chance is quickly approaching.

Each year, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity hosts Tour de Habitat. This stationary bike race involves teams that compete against each other – all in efforts to raise money for Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity.

Each six-person team competes for most miles biked and most dollars raised for Habitat. This year, the fundraising goal for Tour De Habitat has been set at $40,000.

Elle Tayler, who participated in last year’s event, says she enjoyed being a part of such a meaningful cause.

Members of Tayler's team: "NDID Handlebar Honeys" at the 2011 Tour de Habitat.

“First of all, it feels amazing to be part of a meaningful cause.  As for the actual event, it was a blast to see several groups being physically active and having fun with their team themes,” she said. “That was probably my favorite part – dressing up in our crazy costumes and meeting other teams.

You can still sign up!  Through February 24, teams can sign up to participate in Tour De Habitat by setting up individual fundraising pages and get ready to spin your wheels! The event is held March 3 at Courts Plus in Fargo.

Each cyclist on the team is encouraged to collect $250 for their fundraising ($1,500 for the team).  Reaching your fundraising goal isn’t difficult once each cyclist sets up their own fundraising page at www.firstgiving.com/LAHFH. After reaching out to family, friends, coworkers and neighbors, the generosity is sure to start flowing. The fundraising page securely raises money online up to the day of the event.

Tayler said the fundraising website was easy to set up and use. Several friends and family members can easily be reached through Facebook and e-mail.  In addition, it’s great for people to donate and use their credit cards online.

Taylor is an interior designer and believes in helping qualified families achieve their dream of having a place they can be proud to call home.

“Tour de Habitat is a good cause that assists families in our community with finding affordable, safe living. The event itself is a wonderful opportunity to bond with teammates and meet new people while also being physically active!” she said.

Building a team is easy!
Find 5 friends, coworkers, relatives, etc. and come up with a team name.  Then register your team by having each member set up their individual fundraising page at: www.firstgiving.com/LAHFH and follow the Team Checklist.

Questions?
Call Jackie at 218-284-5253 x2 or email habitat@lakeagassizhabitat.org

Habitat Holds Second Recycled Art Show

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On Saturday, February 4 Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity held its second annual “Home is Where the Art Is” Recycled Art Show and Silent Auction at the Spirit Room Gallery in downtown Fargo. Approximately 170 attendees snacked on appetizers provided from a variety of restaurants and bid on the 35 art pieces made by 33 local artists with materials from the Habitat ReStore. In total, the event raised more than $4,500 to support Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity’s mission of building homes and hope in Cass and Clay counties.

Here’s just a few snapshots from that night:


Share the Love with Habitat

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Looking to spread the love this Valentine’s Day? When thinking about Valentine’s Day, we usually relate it to romance, material goods, love letters, and things of that sort. Not often, do we find ourselves celebrating true, genuine, selfless love. Instead of spending $50 on a bouquet of roses for your Valentine, think about donating $50 to Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity. Make Habitat your valentine this year.  Share your love with families who are in need. With your donation, your Valentine can receive:

  • Kitchen sink $100
  • Window $75
  • Toilet $50
  • Can of paint $25
  • Box of nails $10

Every donation helps, so share your love this Valentine’s Day!

Will you be our valentine?

 

Energy Saving Tips

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At Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity, we’re all about saving money. In fact, we often have to get creative to think of new ways to stretch every dollar that we raise. But when it gets this cold outside, one of the best ways to save money is fairly obvious, and that’s to reduce your heating bill. Here are five of our favorite energy-saving tips:

  1. Turn down the temperature of your hot water heater. Read the owner’s manual for your hot water heater to find out how to properly adjust the temperature. Chances are it’s hotter than it needs to be anyways.
  2. Adjust the thermostat while you’re gone. Programmable thermostats are great for letting the house stay cooler while you’re away or asleep. But even if you don’t have a programmable thermostat, you can still adjust the temperature setting before you leave the house or go to bed.
  3. Open the blinds. Open your window blinds or shades during the day, and let the sunlight heat your house naturally. It won’t do any good to keep your window coverings closed during the day.
  4. Change your furnace filter regularly. If you don’t change your furnace filter once a month, maybe you should reconsider. It takes more energy to pull air through a clogged filter. Keep it clean to keep your energy bill down.
  5. Keep your garage door down. If you have an attached garage, keep the door closed as much as possible. A warm garage will help keep your house warm as well.

Looking for some other great ways to save money with your home? Check out the great collection of items at the Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Items are donated and reused with proceeds benefitting Lake Agassiz Habitat. What’s not to love? Learn more at www.lakeagassizhabitat.org.

The Creative Process: One Artist’s Perspective on “Home is Where the Art Is”

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Creating a work of art isn’t easy.  Creating recycled art provides an even greater challenge.  Here at Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity, we greatly appreciate the hard work contributed by the artists participating in our “Home is where the Art is” Recycled Art Show and Silent Auction.   Each artist was given the task of creating a piece using at least one material from Habitat ReStore. 

Local artist Dawn Summerall Conant was inspired by this project to create a piece outside of her comfort zone.  Below she shares the creative process for her entry, entitled “Create Yourself.”

I went into the Home is where the Art is Recycled Art Show with the intention of painting a mailbox or a mirror.  I saw some of the pieces from the previous year and was really excited about getting the chance to paint a table or something.  But when I went down there, nothing really spoke to me.  Restore happened to be out of mailboxes that day and I didn’t really see a table I just ‘had’ to paint.  I saw one of the employees sorting through some plywood panels and preparing to throw some of the runty ones away.  One of them was large, but light enough for me to ‘get personal’ with.  I could easily carry it and work with it.  I asked if I could have that panel and he said that I could. This was what I started with.

"Create Yourself" created by local artist Dawn Conant.

I also got a mirror, but as I went on with that panel, the mirror got downgraded to just a single circular mirror acting as the moon.  I sanded that panel and painted it with white base coat, also from the Restore. Then I went out and bought some acrylic paint. This is not a medium I work with very often but I thought it would be fun to experiment. The theme was ‘Create Yourself’.

I had recently heard Bernard Shaw’s quote ‘Life isn’t about finding yourself. It is about creating yourself.’ It really struck a chord in me. A home is a powerful external expression of a person’s self. Creating a home and creating yourself go hand in hand.  I drew an outline of the design on the painted white panel, chose a color scheme with the help of the Adobe Kuler program, and painted like mad. I started painting in the living room and then dragged it in the bedroom. I turned it every which way and painted in circles and spirals. Then I outlined the spirit, who is reaching for the moon.

Finally, I was finished painting. It was simple and bright and it looked pretty good. I thought it would be a good idea to put a clear sealer over it for protection and a little shine. I used a paint I thought was a clear sealer. It dried in white stripes on top of my painting. It turns out it was a sealer for bare materials, not for paint. Live and learn! I didn’t know what to do other than scrub the panel clean and start over. At this point, there were three days left before the deadline to turn in the piece and I had only one day off of work out of those three.

I got over the great sealer debacle of 2011 and started painting again. I painted all day. I changed some things and I rethought some things I had done the first time. I took a break and bought some Krylon to seal it with.  I started and finished that painting on my day off. I learned so much from that stupid, reject panel. In the end, I’m glad to have finished the painting instead of just tossing in the towel and abandoning the endeavor. The experience I gained from this project was invaluable.

Thanks to Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity and Restore for providing me and other local artists with materials and opportunities to create ourselves and our art.

Art is available for viewing at the Spirit Room, 111 Broadway, Fargo and through the online flickr album.  The February 4th event includes a silent auction, wine tasting from Bernie’s Wine and Liquors and appetizers.  Tickets for the event are on sale now for $15 at fargostuff.com, the Spirit Room, and Habitat ReStore.  Tickets will be available for $20 at the door on February 4th.  Must be 21 or older to attend. 

Join us at the 2012 “Home is where the Art is” Event:

When:  Saturday, February 4th from 6:30pm – 9:30pm (Auction ends at 8:30pm)

Where:  Spirit Room, 111 Broadway, Fargo