Tag Archives: Home Builders Association

Habitat & ReStore at the Home & Garden Show

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If you’re in the mood for home improvement projects, you’ll probably be headed to the Red River Valley Home and Garden Show at the Fargodome this weekend. And if you are going, we hope you’ll stop by the Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity booth and say hello. You can find us at booth number C312 in the southwest concourse.  We’ll be there all weekend talking with people about ReStore product and deals. We’ll also be talking about upcoming volunteer opportunities where you can fine-tune your construction skills and learn a thing or two.

Show hours are 3 to 9 p.m. on Friday the 22nd, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday the 17th, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday the 24th.

For more information on the show, visit the Home Builders Association of Fargo Moorhead website.

Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity Dedicates Home Builders Care Build

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April Nelson with her children on the day the first wall went up on her future home.

Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity and Home Builders Care Foundation will hand a new homeowner their house keys for the first time at tonight’s Home Builders Care Build with Habitat Dedication. At 5:30 pm, volunteers, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity representatives, Home Builders Association representatives and members, Home Builders Care Foundation representatives, and, of course, the excited partner family will gather at 902 27th Street North in Fargo to honor the hard work, the generous financial backing and the community support that made this home possible.

The homebuyers—April Nelson and her children Blake and Brooke—are more than a little eager to move into their new home.  They have completed more than 250 hours of “sweat equity” helping to build the home, a basic tenet of Habitat for Humanity.  They will repay the no-profit mortgage over a period of 30 years, illustrating Habitat for Humanity’s objective to give families a “hand up” rather than a “hand out.

“It is amazing. One of my biggest dreams has been to own my house. We have had to move so much. My daughter has been in five different schools,” April Nelson says. “I can’t wait to move in to my house!”

The Nelson Family on the steps of their new North Fargo home.

This new home is a result of a partnership between Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity and the charitable arm of the Home Builders Association of Fargo Moorhead- the Home Builders Care Foundation of Fargo Moorhead.  Called the Home Builders Care Build with Habitat, this build was made possible thanks to generous donations of materials, funds, and labor from Home Builders Association members as well as countless volunteers from our community. Many of these volunteers were able to work alongside the new homeowner as April Nelson contributed her “sweat equity” hours.

“If it weren’t for the [Home Builders Association] members and Habitat, I would have never been able to buy a home,” Nelson shares. “I would like to thank the members and volunteers and donors so much. This means the world to my kids and me.”

You’re invited to join the Nelson Family and Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity at the dedication.

When: Monday, October 15th at 5:30 pm

Where: Home Builders Care Home: 902 27th Street North, Fargo

Meet the Nelson Family

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April Nelson has never owned a home. In fact, she and her children briefly lived in a Grand Forks women’s shelter to escape a violent relationship. The Home Builders Care Build with Habitat will help provide some stability that has been lacking in their lives the past few years.

Originally from Warren, Minn., Nelson moved to Grand Forks, got married and had two children. Five years ago, she divorced her husband and became involved with an abusive man. The relationship spiraled out of control and into a regular pattern of domestic violence.

“We lived in a shelter in 2009, which was right before I moved to Moorhead. I either had to leave that relationship or lose my kids. Social services had been called because of the violence, and I didn’t want my kids in that anymore anyway,” she says.

Today, Nelson lives in a rented Moorhead townhome with daughter Brooke, age 10, and son Blake, age 6. She has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and depression, her daughter suffers from anxiety and her son has ADHD, anxiety and cerebral palsy. Nelson says some of the mental health issues are lingering after-effects of the domestic violence they suffered.

Nelson Family

April Nelson with Brooke and Blake on the build site for their new home.

Nelson learned about Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity through Lakes & Prairie Community Action Partnership last year and sent in an application.“I never dreamed that they would actually call me!” she laughs.

But that’s exactly what happened. Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity called Nelson and the process for helping her achieve homeownership began early this year.  Nelson has been working alongside members of the Home Builders Association of Fargo Moorhead, the Home Builder Care Foundation and volunteers from the community all summer to make her dream a reality.  On Monday, September 24th at 5:30 pm Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity will dedicate the Nelson Family’s new home.

The home will be handicap-accessible to help accommodate her son’s disability. In a few years, doctors say he will be a candidate for surgery called dorsal rhizotomy to help increase elasticity in his legs, but the procedure will leave him wheelchair-bound for about one year.

“It is amazing. One of my biggest dreams has been to own my house. We have had to move so much. My daughter has been in five different schools,” she says. “I can’t wait to move in to my house!”

Like all families that partner with Habitat for Humanity, Nelson will not receive a “free” home, but instead will purchase the home with an interest-free loan to be repaid over the course of the mortgage. Nelson has contributed more than 250 “sweat equity” hours working on her home, the homes of others and in the Habitat ReStore as a requirement for becoming a Habitat homeowner. She is also required to attend 20 educational classes to learn about topics such as homeownership budgeting, home maintenance and home safety.

Nelson expresses thanks for the Habitat program, Home Builders Care Foundation and the HBA of F-M, “If it weren’t for the help from your members and Habitat, I would have never been able to buy a home. I would like to thank your members so much. This means the world to my kids and me.”

You’re invited to join the Nelson Family and Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity at the dedication.

When: Monday, September 24th at 5:30 pm

Where: Home Builders Care Home: 902 27th Street North, Fargo

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.

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.

Habitat Names Rob Rich Executive Director

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Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity named Rob Rich the organization’s new Executive Director.  Rich has served as the organization’s Construction Manager since 2008.

“Rob is committed to Habitat’s mission of building homes, hope and community,” said Leann Wolff, President of Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity’s Board of Directors.  “Rob brings years of experience in construction and working closely with volunteers.  He is an asset to the organization and will lead Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity to build more homes and serve more families in our community.”

“Habitat is a remarkable organization and I have enjoyed the opportunity to work directly with our Partner Families and countless volunteers from the community who make Habitat for Humanity possible,” said Rob Rich, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity Executive Director.  “I look forward to building on the success of this organization and addressing the need for affordable housing in our community.”

The organization also announced their plans to build 2 homes in Fargo during their 2012 build season.  The first is a single family home sponsored by the Home Builders Care Foundation of Fargo Moorhead.  This is the first time the organization will serve as the primary sponsor of a Habitat for Humanity home.  The second is a single family home 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.