Monthly Archives: May 2012

Habitat for Humanity is the sixth largest U.S. homebuilder for the second year

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Volunteers building the first Habitat home in Barnesville, MN.

Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity built 5 homes in 2011, helping its national organization to rank as the sixth largest builder in the U.S., according to an annual survey completed by BUILDER magazine.

“I’m proud our organization contributed to this milestone locally by building 5 homes in partnership with low-income families in 2011,” said Rob Rich, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity Executive Director.  “The number of homes built by Habitat affiliates across the country is a testament to the need for affordable housing opportunities in the US.”

The 5 new Habitat homeowner families at one of the homes completed in 2011.

BUILDER, a publication for the residential construction industry, annually compiles data from U.S. builders and ranks them by the number of closings. Habitat built or rehabilitated 4,970 homes across the United States and is the only non-publicly traded company in the top ten ranking. The organization made an additional 2,795 house repairs to existing homes, which were not accounted for in the survey.

“I’m very proud of the work of our more than 1,500 affiliates in the U.S.,” said Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity International CEO. “The fact that they are continuing to build and rehab homes in these difficult economic times is a testament to their resourcefulness and their commitment to families, affordable housing and the communities they serve. We are grateful to our donors and volunteers whose generosity makes this work possible.”

Habitat ranked sixth on the list last year and first made the top 10 in 2010 as the eighth largest builder.

This year, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity is building 2 homes in Fargo. Construction is scheduled to begin in June on a single family home sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Fargo Moorhead’s Home Builders Care Foundation. This is the first time the organization will serve as the primary sponsor of a Habitat for Humanity home. Construction on the second home of the season is scheduled to begin in August. The single family home is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. This will mark the 12th home built by Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity as part of the Thrivent Builds program.

Habitat ReStore’sTop 5 DIY Summer Projects

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With warm weather and creativity in the air, summer is the perfect time for new and refreshing ideas. Check out these affordable do-it-yourself projects and revamp old materials like doors, sinks and flower pots into new pieces that are fun, functional, and unique.

You can find many of the materials you’ll need for these projects at the Habitat ReStore—and now we’ve extended our hours for all of your summer project needs! Come see us Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. to get the summer project materials you need on a budget.

DIY Headboard via Country Living

1.       Renovate an old door into a new headboard

A unique headboard can really liven up a dull bedroom. The problem: headboards are expensive. So instead of buying a new one, build and customize your own headboard—out of a door. The ReStore has a wide selection of affordable doors and paint colors that you can use to make a headboard that perfectly matches your room, and Country Living has the directions you need to create it.

2.       Re-purpose an unused window into a functional coffee table

Who knew that a window could be used as anything other than a window? If you have an old window lying around—or if you pick up a recycled one from the ReStore—you can turn it into a one-of-a-kind living room centerpiece with just a few materials and some paint. Check out HGTV’s article on how to build your own window coffee table. 

Cabinet door turned serving tray via Good Housekeeping

3.       Use an extra cabinet door as a versatile serving tray

A cabinet door seems useless if it’s not on a cabinet, right? Not anymore. Swing by the ReStore and pick up some paint and a pair of drawer pulls, and you’ve got a handy serving tray for summer parties and barbecues. Good Housekeeping shows you how to make your own cabinet door serving tray.

 

 

4.    Turn Terra Cotta pots into bright silverware displays

Looking for a new way to organize your silverware? All you need are Terra Cotta flower pots, which you can find at the ReStore, and some paint. Decorate them to coordinate with your kitchen or turn them into a family project and let your kids be the artists. Either way, you’ll end up with some creative and colorful silverware holders. Take a look at these finished holders on the Simply Seleta blog.

Sink birdbath via HGTV

 5.        Transform a salvaged sink into a backyard birdbath

Backyard bird watching is a fun summer activity—and it’s even more fun to watch birds cool off in a birdbath you made yourself. Check out the variety of sinks we offer at the ReStore and take a look at HGTV’s advice on how to turn one into a cool haven  for your feathered friends!

You can also stop into the ReStore to get all the other materials you’ll need for your do-it-yourself summer projects, from ceiling fans that’ll keep your home cool on hot days to border bricks for your outdoor landscaping.

Take advantage of our extended hours and visit the ReStore Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Habitat ReStore is a home improvement thrift store located at 210 11th St. N. in Moorhead, MN that sells new and gently used building materials, furniture, appliances, and home décor.  Merchandise sold at Habitat ReStore comes from material donations made by community members as well as local builders and businesses.  All proceeds from ReStore support Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity as they build simple, decent, and affordable homes in partnership with families in Cass and Clay Counties.

 

Bound South Expedition Completes Journey

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Berg Brothers Bike from Alaska to Argentina to Benefit Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity

Brothers Nathan, Isaiah, and David Berg – natives of Starkweather, North Dakota – began a bicycle trip in Anchorage, Alaska on August 11, 2011 and finished in Ushuaia, Argentina (the southernmost city in the world) last Friday. A goal of their 15,000-mile journey, known as Bound South, is to raise awareness and $60,000 for Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity.

“Four years ago I led a bicycle trip across the United States with a nonprofit called Bike and Build. I fell in love with the rhythm of life on the road by bicycle and began dreaming of a longer, more rugged, and more adventurous undertaking,” said Isaiah Berg, 22. “I was passionate about Habitat for Humanity and soon began planning Bound South with my brothers.”

The brothers documented their journey across “Arctic tundra, Central American tropics, mountains, deserts, cityscapes and many other roads less traveled between Alaska and Argentina” on the blog http://boundsouth.org/.They traveled without support vehicles or assistants, riding alone with only the gear they could fit in their saddlebags. They did not prearrange stops or make hotel reservations.

“I am so lucky to have had the chance to meet a wide variety of people in such a short span of time. We’ve stayed with firefighters in Colombia, pastors in Mexico, and 80-year-old gauchos in Argentina. These chance meetings and relationships we such a blessing to us, and they augmented our trip in ways I couldn’t have imagined,” said Nathan Berg, 24. “We’ve seen some of the best natural beauty in the world, but this trip wouldn’t have been the same without the people that are found there.”

To date the brothers have raised $12,151 of their $60,000 goal; 100 percent of the funds raised go to Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity. The brothers plan to help build a Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity home.

“This is our dream and our vision. We pedaled across these proximate Americas and attempted to capture their stories,” said Isaiah Berg. “Our Pan-American bicycle expedition can build windows into the world and the walls of a single-family Habitat house.”

Rob Rich, LAHFH Executive Director, welcomes home the Berg Brothers of Bound South on Thursday.

“These 3 inspiring young men will change the lives of a local family by contributing funds to sponsor a Habitat home,” said Rob Rich, Executive Director of Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity. “And as that family repays their mortgage, allowing Habitat to build more homes, the Berg brothers will be touching the lives of the families we will serve for the next 30 years.  With such a great impact, we are happy to welcome the Berg brothers home.”

“I feel that I have grown significantly as a student, leader, and brother on this journey. You learn a lot about yourself, your comrades, and the world on an adventure of this scale; it gets ingrained in your legs,” said David Berg, 19. “The conversations and silence, trials and joys, and mountains and valleys of this experience will always be with me and my brothers.”

“We’re immensely honored and inspired by the Berg brothers’ determination, generosity, and vision,” said Leann Wolff, president of the board of directors for Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity. “They are incredible young men and phenomenal cyclists.”

The Berg brothers want to thank all those that helped them in their journey, specifically their family and friends for their support and love, their sponsors, Scheels and Paramount Sports, for gear assistance, and all the strangers who offered a helping hand between Alaska and Argentina.

Local Volunteers Celebrate National Women Build Week

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Women volunteers raised their hammers on a Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity construction site yesterday in recognition of National Women Build Week. National Women Build Week, held May 5-13, is a nationwide initiative of Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program developed in partnership with Lowe’s.

This year’s theme, “The Build Generation,” reflects the event’s goal to recruit and train women volunteers, as well as welcome the next generation of Habitat Women Builders – young women, ages 18-24 – to help support Habitat’s mission to create affordable housing. Yesterday, women volunteers in Fargo worked with the Hudson Family on a special project for their new Habitat house. Lowe’s is providing Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity a $5,000 Lowe’s store gift card, as well as in-store volunteer training to support of this Habitat for Humanity Women Build home.

Here in Fargo Moorhead, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity has built 4 Women Build homes. Yesterday, local women build volunteers celebrated National Women Build Week by constructing and finishing a shed with the Hudson Family. The Hudson Family’s new home should be complete by fall of 2012.

Women volunteer at the site of the Hudson Family's future home in Fargo as part of National Women Build Week.

“It’s exciting for us to focus on women this week,” explains Katie McCormick, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity Program Coordinator. “Our women volunteers are passionate about this effort, and they’ve volunteered a lot of hours, learning the skills necessary to help eliminate poverty housing in Cass and Clay counties. Having a new group of volunteers take part has been exciting as well. It is nice to be able to share skills and empower the next generation to carry on Habitat’s mission.”

E! News correspondent and long-time Habitat supporter Kristina Guerrero, whose mother built her home in partnership with an affordable-housing organization in 1998, is building with her mother, sister and 25 women volunteers, in Los Angeles.

“My mom, brothers, sisters and I are living proof of the difference affordable housing can make in a family’s life,” said Guerrero. “I encourage all women to find ways to join Habitat this week. Whether it’s building alongside other volunteers or helping to recruit or train new volunteers, every effort helps families realize their dreams of homeownership. Through working together, we can make a difference in the lives of low-income families in need of affordable housing.”

Lowe’s, underwriter of Habitat’s Women Build program, has committed more than $1.3 million to National Women Build Week in support of 275 participating affiliates. National Women Build Week is one of the major initiatives supported through Lowe’s five-year, $20 million pledge to Habitat. As the underwriter of the Women Build program since 2004, Lowe’s conducts “How-To” clinics at stores to teach women construction skills, enabling them to support Habitat projects across the country.  Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity and the Fargo Lowe’s store hosted a “How-To” clinic to prepare women volunteers to build in Fargo.

“Lowe’s has been the proud sponsor of Habitat’s Women Build program since 2004,” said Marshall Croom, chairman of the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “Women Build encourages women from all ages and walks of life to pick up their hammers and build affordable homes alongside local families. Lowe’s salutes all the women volunteers who take time to build this week and values the difference Lowe’s and Habitat are making in the lives of families across the nation.”

The U.S. Census Bureau reports more than 12 million children—one out of every six—are living in poverty in the United States, where more than 70 percent of Habitat’s U.S. houses are built in partnership with women heads-of-household. Habitat’s Women Build program recruits, educates and inspires women to build and advocate for simple, decent and affordable houses in their communities. Since the inception of Habitat’s Women Build program in 1998 more than 1,900 Habitat for Humanity Women Build houses have been constructed in partnership with low-income families.

Calling All Women: Join Habitat for National Women Build Week

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Women volunteers will raise their hammers at Habitat for Humanity construction sites across the country in recognition of National Women Build Week, May 5-13. The event is a nationwide initiative of Habitat’s Women Build program developed in partnership with Lowe’s.

Now in its fifth year, National Women Build Week challenges women to devote at least one day to creating simple, decent and affordable housing in their local communities. Nearly 31,000 women volunteers from all 50 states have participated in the previous four events.

LAHFH Women Build volunteers

Volunteers flex their muscles at LAHFH’s 2011 Women Build site.

This year’s theme, “The Build Generation,” reflects the event’s goal to recruit and train women volunteers, as well as welcome the next generation of Habitat Women Builders – young women, ages 18-24 – to help support Habitat’s mission to create affordable housing. Lowe’s and Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity are looking for women to volunteer at a Fargo Habitat construction site on Thursday, May 10th. Construction or home improvement experience is not necessary.

Women Build Volunteers take part in 2011 Women Build Week.

Women Build Volunteers take part in 2011 Women Build Week.

Volunteers will be constructing and finishing a shed for a Fargo Habitat home.  Construction will begin at 8 am on Thursday, May 10th at 1534 1st Ave S, Fargo.  Lunch is provided.  Those interested in volunteering should call 218-284-5253 ext 2 or email habitat@lakeagassizhabitat.org to sign up.

To date, Women Build volunteers have helped construct more than 1,900 Habitat houses nationwide. Locally, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity has built 4 Women Build homes.

National Women Build Week is held the week leading up to Mother’s Day because of its significance to Habitat homeowners and volunteers. Families with children make up a staggering number of those in need of adequate housing. More than 12 million children – one in six – live in poverty housing in the United States alone.

Lowe’s contributed more than $1.3 million to National Women Build Week, providing $5,000 Lowe’s gift cards to 275 Habitat affiliates. National Women Build Week is one of the major initiatives supported through Lowe’s five-year, $20 million pledge to Habitat. As the underwriter of the Women Build program since 2004, Lowe’s conducts “how-to” clinics at stores to teach women construction skills, enabling them to support Habitat projects across the country.

To volunteer or donate to this project, please call 218-284-5253 ext. 2, email habitat@lakeagassizhabitat.org or visit www.lakeagassizhabitat.org.

The Excitement is Building!

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Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity’s third annual Hard Hat Breakfast, held Wednesday, April 25 at the Ramada Plaza Suites & Conference Center in Fargo, drew a capacity crowd.  The ballroom was filled with more than 200 people who each enjoyed breakfast and a program about the exciting impact Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity is making in our community.  The event raised over $7,000 for the affiliate.

“It was great to see so many people join us this year to learn more about the important work our organization is doing in the community,” said Rob Rich, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity’s Executive Director.  “I hope to see many of them on the build sites this summer!”

2012 Hard Hat Breakfast

Stan Franek speaks to a capacity crowd at the 2012 Hard Hat Breakfast

The morning began with Rob Rich, the new Executive Director, welcoming everyone and sharing some information about Habitat for Humanity. “Homeowner Impact,” a video from Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota discussing the 2011 Homeowner Impact Pilot Study was shown to demonstrate the positive effects homeownership can have on the lives of families.  Bryce Johnson, Executive Vice President of Home Builders Association of Fargo Moorhead, shared her thoughts about the long-standing relationship between Home Builders Association of Fargo Moorhead and Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity and what it means for them to sponsor their first build- a home to be built in Fargo in 2012.  Stan Franek, a long time volunteer and Thrivent Builds coordinator, spoke about the nation-wide Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity program and his excitement for the 12th Thrivent Builds home to be built by Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity in 2012.  Jon Mergens and Chelsi Argabright, co-chairs of the Concordia Habitat for Humanity Chapter shared their personal connection to Habitat for Humanity’s mission and why they choose to volunteer with the organization.

Homeowner speaks at Hard Hat

Habitat Homeowner Coreen Graham shares her story at the 3rd annual Hard Hat Breakfast.

Coreen Graham, 2008 Habitat Homeowner, shared her story with the crowd. Graham and her two children now live in a safe home and can use more than one appliance at a time without the fear that the poor electrical wiring will cause a fire.  She also spoke about how her children are no longer ashamed to have friends over and how she was able to take care of her father after he was diagnosed with cancer- all because of the Habitat home she built with volunteers from the community.

“Without Habitat, without the accessible home, my children would not have been able to spend the last months of his life with their grandfather,” Graham said.  “It’s more than a house- it’s our home.”

We would like to thank all the table sponsors and individuals who donated their time and talents to Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity.  Special thanks to our event sponsors this year:  Alerus Financial; Dawson Insurance; Ramada Plaza and Suites; Wallwork Truck Center; and Wells Fargo.  With your donations and support, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity is able to build homes, communities and hope in Cass and Clay counties.

If you are interested in becoming involved in Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity or would like more information, please call 218-284-5253 or email habitat@lakeagassizhabitat.org.  You can also visit our website to find out more about Habitat and how you can get involved.  If it is helping with a build, making lunch for the build volunteers, or becoming a part of a committee, we offer something for everyone.