Tag Archives: Thank you

Merry Christmas From Habitat

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Fronning Christmas

A new Habitat homeowner proudly shares a picture of their Christmas tree.

There truly is no place like home for the holidays. That’s why, at Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity, we’re especially grateful this time of year. Since our organization started in 1991, we’ve partnered with dozens of area families who now have a safe, warm home to celebrate the holidays. We realize this is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted, as there is still a great need for simple, decent and affordable housing in our community. In fact, the demand is greater now than we’ve ever seen before.

Also, since this is the season of giving, I’d like to take the opportunity to again thank everyone who has offered us money, donations and volunteer time — not just during the holiday season, but throughout the year. Your continued support is the greatest gift we can receive. It is critical to our mission as we continue to work hard to raise funding in anticipation of the next build season.

So, on behalf of Habitat, I’d like to extend our holiday wishes to you and your family. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Rob Rich

Executive Director

Giving Thanks

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As you know, it’s that time of year again for us to count our blessings and give thanks. Admittedly, this Thanksgiving message may seem a bit cliché, but at Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity, we have so many things to be thankful for that we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to acknowledge the following people:

Thank you for partnering with Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity!

Partner families: Thanks to those who have partnered with us to build simple, decent and affordable housing to provide shelter and safety for their families.

Volunteers: Of course, the heart and soul of Habitat lies in its volunteers. Whether they help out at the ReStore or on the build site, we’re extremely grateful for each and every person who has volunteered over the years.

Committee members: Committee members are volunteers, too, but they work behind the scenes to help with marketing, family selection, resource development, church relations and more.

Staff: To make everything happen, we have a few key people on staff. They’re all very talented, dedicated individuals who put in countless hours to keep our organization running to provide housing for those in need.

Thank you for coming together to build homes, communites and hope.

Donors: Building homes isn’t cheap. It takes a lot of funding to keep us going. Fortunately, there are many wonderful individuals and businesses that support our efforts by donating money and building supplies to us.

The community: Finally, our organization needs support from the entire community to carry out our mission. We’re very thankful that the community has whole-heartedly embraced what we do.

Simply put, to everyone who has helped support Lake Agassiz Habitat Humanity, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you for Giving to the Max!

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Thank you for opening doors for families like this on Give to the Max Day and every other day of the year!

Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity is excited to announce together we surpassed our Give to the Max Day goal! We are thankful to all of those who answered the call to amplify your giving and help families in our community discover the impact a simple, affordable – and permanent home can have in their lives and in the lives of the generations to come.

You have made this Give to the Max Day the best one yet for Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity; we can’t thank you enough! In just 24 hours, 33 donors took advantage of the matching gift provided by Wells Fargo to raise a total $6,225!

The thoughtful donations that were given can make such a huge impact in someone’s life. It is great to hear why people choose Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity for their Give to the Max day organization. Here is what a few people shared as their reason for giving:

“[Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity] brings hope to many deserving families, giving them a chance to realize the dream of home ownership. Through the generosity of donors and volunteers in our community, we have been able to partner with dozens of families over the last 20+ years.” -Joshua Hoper

“An organization close to my heart. Thank you Habitat for all the wonderful relationships and great memories.”  -Searle Swedlund

The donations raised in this one day will open many doors for families in our community. Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity sincerely thanks everyone for their support on Give to the Max Day and throughout the year.

Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity Honors Dedicated Volunteer: Stan Franek

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Each year since 2006, the Harvey Stalwick Award for Volunteerism is given to an outstanding Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity volunteer in honor of former LAHFH Board President Harvey Stalwick.  Harvey Stalwick was an integral part of LAHFH’s growth- giving many hours of his time to help many people in this community.  Under Harvey’s leadership, LAHFH completed 8 homes between 2001 and 2006, which provided 14 adults and 29 children a simple, decent place to call home. Harvey was the driving force of the implementation of the Habitat ReStore, which celebrated its 6th year of operation this past July.

LAHFH Executive Director Rob Rich presents Stan Franek with the 2012 Harvey Stalwick Award for Volunteerism.

The 2012 Harvey Stalwick Award for Volunteerism recipient is Stan Franek.  Stan’s involvement with Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity began in 2004 when Stan was asked by Harvey Stalwick to join the LAHFH Board of Directors.  In 2005, Stan was placed on staff with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans as the area director for the Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity program,  where he not only assisted Lake Agassiz Habitat, but many area Habitat affiliates to organize, build and complete their Thrivent Builds homes.  Stan retired from this position with Thrivent in 2009, but continues as a volunteer with Lake Agassiz Habitat & the Thrivent Builds program.

Stan has also been involved with Lake Agassiz Habitat by serving on the Church Relations committee, being a build site volunteer, and a Church Champion recruiter.  Stan continuously cultivates relationships with area church congregations and leaders.  He promotes and organizes church volunteer days, lunches, snacks and monetary donations.  His countless phone calls, emails and personal visits have engaged over 1,500 volunteers to pick up a hammer at a Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity build site.  Stan admits that he is known by our Construction Crew leaders to show up at the build site 5 minutes before lunch is served.

Stan is active in other area organizations such as Central Cities Ministries, the FM Area Coalition for Homeless Persons and serves on the Thrivent Board of Directors.  He is also very involved with his local church, St. Mark’s Lutheran, through their outreaches and committees.  In his free time, Stan enjoys golfing and pheasant hunting and being a pilot. Stan and his wife, Naomi, have two grown children, Robert and Anne.

We thank Stan for his years of volunteering and dedication to Habitat for Humanity’s mission.

Follow the link to watch Stan Franek accept the 2012 Harvey Stalwick Award for Volunteerism.

A Letter from the Executive Director

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The Excitement is Building!

As the sawdust settles from the 2012 build season, I am wrapping up my sixth month as the Executive Director at Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity. During the past months, I have been constantly reminded how many in our community support the mission of Habitat for Humanity.

Executive Director Rob Rich gets a bird’s eye view of a Habitat Build Site.

I always enjoy spending time on the build sites and seeing familiar faces as well as meeting new Habitat supporters. Whether you’ve volunteered on all 47 homes our affiliate has worked on over the past 21 years or you helped out for the first time this summer- the impact Habitat can have in our community is because of you, our supporters.

I enjoyed seeing and talking with many of you at last night’s annual Appreciation Event at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead. I want to say a special thank you to the Volunteer Committee for their hard work coordinating this event.  Whatever your involvement with Lake Agassiz Habitat may be, I thank you for your support of our mission to build homes, community and hope.  Whether you gave of your time and talents or contributed financially- you helped to make 2012 a successful year for Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity.

April Nelson and her children on the front steps of their new North Fargo home.

Recently, I was talking with April Nelson, the proud new homeowner of the home built in partnership with the Home Builders Care Foundation and Home Builders Association of Fargo Moorhead. She described the impact of Habitat’s supporter best when she said: “If it weren’t for Habitat and the volunteers, I never would have been able to buy my own home. I am so thankful for what they’ve given me – a place for us to be safe, to put my kids to bed at night- all at a price that I can afford to pay.”

April’s right. By supporting Habitat, you have opened the doors to families like the Nelsons. You’ve opened the door to safety, stability and security.  You opened the door to possibilities and futures.

Thank you for opening the door for April and her two children and for all the families we’ve helped over the years.  I look forward to working with you to open more doors for more families in our community.

Now more than ever, Help Build It!

Rob Rich

Executive Director

 

Letter from Shelby Cochran, 2011-12 ReStore VISTA

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As today is my last day here at Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity, I wanted to take a little time to reflect on the experience I have had this year as an AmeriCorps VISTA and thank the Habitat family for welcoming me into their community.

One of the events coordinated by Shelby this year was Habitat ReStore’s Appreciation Picnic in July.

For those of you unfamiliar with the AmeriCorps VISTA program, VISTA stands for Volunteer in Service to America.  I was among of thousands of individuals in the United States that pledged to spend a year in the national service program helping to fight poverty.  The program was founded in 1965 and each member’s goal is to increase the capacity of the nonprofit organization they work with.   VISTA members work full-time for their host organization and their benefits include a living allowance, loan forbearance and an end-of-the-year award.   This year, I was one of 12 VISTAs serving at Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Minnesota.

My goal for the year was to build the capacity of Habitat ReStore, which in turn would build the capacity of Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity to build more homes and help more local families.  While at Habitat, I was involved in public relations/marketing, volunteer coordination, strategic planning and event coordination for Habitat ReStore.  For each of these tasks, I could not have accomplished what I did without the help of dedicated volunteers, committee members, and the staff at Habitat.

Shelby had a great time participating with Xcel Energy in the Holiday Lights Parade.

While my AmeriCorps VISTA position with Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity is ending today, I hope to stay connected with the Habitat community.  I plan to continue living and working in the Fargo-Moorhead area and would like to become involved with Habitat as a volunteer in the future.   I strongly believe in the mission of Habitat for Humanity and have thoroughly enjoyed watching our partner families achieve their dreams of homeownership.

To all of you who have worked with me, inspired me and put your trust in me, thank you.  I will certainly miss working with you and encourage you to stay in touch!

 Shelby Cochran

 

Habitat ReStore Celebrates 6th Anniversary—And You’re Invited!

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Over the past 6 years, everyone at Habitat ReStore has been working hard to make a difference for people in our local communities and fulfill our mission:

  • To generate funds to support Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity in building simple, decent, and affordable homes in partnership with families in Cass and Clay counties
  • To keep usable building materials, home improvement products and appliances out of local landfills
  • To sell new and gently used home improvement materials and applicances at affordable prices

And over the past 6 years, with the help of generous donors, shoppers, and volunteers, we’ve done just that. This past year, we’ve raised $ 335,327 for Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity and diverted 1,057,687 pounds of usable materials from local landfills! These great accomplishments have positively impacted our community, our partner families, and our environment, and they wouldn’t have been possible without you. That’s why we’re inviting you to celebrate with us!

Handy the Habitat Bear appreciates your support of Habitat ReStore!

Stop by the ReStore from Monday, July 16th through Sunday, July 22nd for our 6th Anniversary Sale. You’ll find special deals on new and gently used home improvement materials, appliances, and furniture during our biggest sale of the year! Then join us for food and fun at our ReStore Appreciation Picnic on July 20 from 11a-1p. It’s just a small way for us to show you our appreciation—and to kick off many more years of success!

Habitat ReStore is located at 210 11th St. N. in Moorhead and is open Monday – Saturday 10-6, Sundays 12-4.  All proceeds from Habitat ReStore support Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity’s programs and local building projects.  Material donations are welcome! For more information, call 218-284-5253 x1 or visit our website.

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.

NDSU’s “Big Event” Brings Volunteers to Habitat ReStore

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On Tuesday, April 24th, a group of North Dakota State University students helped out at Habitat ReStore in a BIG way as a part of the NDSU Volunteer Network’s “Big Event.”

The NDSU Volunteer Network, NDSU Student Government and the NDSU Alumni Association plans the annual “Big Event,”an all-day community outreach assistance program. This event brings together the NDSU community to volunteer in the Fargo-Moorhead community.

The Big Event sent over 500 student and alumni volunteers to local non-profit agencies, churches and private homes.

Go Bison!

This year, the NDSU Volunteer Network invited Habitat ReStore to take part in this event.   Tuesday afternoon, a group of NDSU volunteers were working hard at the ReStore.  They assisted with a variety of projects, including cleaning a large donation of refrigerators, sorting the paint section, and organizing the back lot of the store.

“Habitat ReStore has benefited in a big way from volunteers sent to us from NDSU over the past year, whether they are individual students completing service learning requirements or larger campus groups doing a one-day project,” said Shelby Cochran, AmeriCorps VISTA at Habitat ReStore.  ”Thanks to two NDSU volunteer events, the ‘Service Plunge’ on MLK Jr. Day and the ‘Big Event,’  we were able to conquer tasks that are usually too large for our small staff to handle.  We hope to continue our relationship with the Volunteer Network and participate in their events in the future!”

Habitat ReStore is a home improvement thrift store selling new and gently used building materials, appliances, and furniture to the general public at reduced prices.  All proceeds from Habitat ReStore support Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity‘s programs and building projects.  Material donations from local businesses, contractors, and individuals are welcome.  Tax-deductible donations can be made by dropping off materials at the ReStore, 210 11th St. North in Moorhead or by calling 218-284-5253 x3 to set up a donation pick-up. 

A Home is Community

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Volunteers raise the roof on a Habitat Home.

Since 1991,thousands of volunteers have spent countless hours to provide homes for families in Cass and Clay counties with Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity.  Without volunteers, there would be no homes built.  There would be no families stepping across the threshold into a home of their own.  There would be no Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity.  Volunteers are the most essential piece of the puzzle that makes up the organization.

Those that volunteer their time and talents with Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity are not simply volunteers; they are construction workers, bankers, architects, doctors, students, restaurant workers, moms, dads, and grandparents.  They are your neighbor, your friend, your family, and your coworker.  They come in groups or they come alone.  They are there in the heat, in the cold, in the rain, in the snow, and in the wind.  They volunteer on build sites, in the Habitat ReStore, around the LAHFH office, and on committees.  They are individuals that spend their time helping others.  They put aside their life to help build a life for someone else.  It takes time, dedication, love and understanding to be a volunteer.

To everyone that has ever volunteered with LAHFH, thank you.  You have made more of an impact than you may ever know.