"Our Habitat Volunteers were the backbone of our builds this last year in Indian River at the two job sites on Will Drive. We would not have been able to build these two houses without their help. Our Volunteers were often assigned positions on the job sites of all natures and occasionally asked to handle tasks they had no experience in. They all managed to do an excellent job even though very few of them have been on a house build before. They would show up everyday ready to work and excited to be there. They understood what they were there for – to help in any means necessary. Their role often was not defined, before they showed up at the site, which means they really had no expectations for the day other than to take on whatever challenge needed to be done.
I would also say that our volunteers were always passionate about their work. Having people around that are passionate about what they are working on increased positivity on our job site environment. This had a positive impact on many other facets of our operations. For instance we had a fun job site that was productive as a result more volunteers came to help. The gift that our volunteers gave to our job sites this past year. By showing up, even on the hottest of days, has helped us greatly with our mission of supplying safe affordable housing to people who need it. To our volunteers, I salute you!” -Ron Hart, Construction Supervisor
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"Over the past few weeks, we have decided to take some of the furniture items that were not in great shape and turn them into repurposed paint projects for staff & volunteers. Going through the process of prepping, base coating, painting and sealing has been a learning experience, as I have never worked with chalk paint before. It’s very interesting to learn all the different things you can do with Dixie Belle’s selection of products and it’s amazing to see your vision of what something should look like come to life!
There are so many varieties of colors it can be difficult to pick just one. The metallic chalk paint colors are super pretty as well! I recently purchased a hutch that I’m going to repurpose with the Lucky Lavender chalk paint, I’m excited to see how it turns out! I definitely recommend anyone who enjoys repurposing furniture to stop into the ReStore, you never know what you could find! We are currently repurposing an armoire and turning it into a coffee bar; painting it a coffee bean red on the exterior and a subtle tan on the interior, I’m very excited to see the end result! It’s amazing what something could be turned into! Repurposing not only makes something look better but it also saves it from going into the landfill. Millions of furniture items tend to end up in the landfill because they are “old” or “out dated,” repurposing can turn something that looks “out of style” to something that is more “modern day”." -Anna Ellis, Sales Associate
"Even though I work in the administrative office for our Habitat affiliate, I sometimes wander into our
ReStore to help or to see the customers that come in. One of the best parts is seeing all the local people that I know come in to shop and see what they can find in the ReStore. Sometimes helping out in the ReStore gives me the opportunity to see what we have to offer because otherwise I don’t get the chance! I see so many DIY projects that are possible with our furniture and the Dixie Belle paint (though I never seem to pull the trigger to do them), but I still get so many ideas! Recently I purchased a small white bookshelf for my kids, that I plan on painting with some of the cool colors that we offer from Dixie Belle. When I see what one of our volunteers can do when she repurposes stools, benches, etc., it gives me so much inspiration! That is one of the best things about thrift shopping, all the different possibilities of repurposing and making something that used to be someone else’s into something for yourself! You never know what you can find in our ReStore and every time we get something new, I can’t wait to see what it might be!" -Hailey Jeter, Program Services Coordinator "I’ve only been with Cheboygan County Habitat for Humanity since September of 2023 but in
those short few months, I’ve met and work/worked with the greatest people. From Program Partners to my coworkers, this organization has been the best job to come into. One of the best parts is also working with our volunteers. Without our volunteers we wouldn’t be able to make such a difference in our community! These people take the time out of their own lives to come help build someone else’s home, work in our ReStore, and anything else that we may need help with. These volunteers help keep our organization running and we are always looking for more! Volunteering not only impacts our organization and our Program Partners lives, but our community as well. With the help of our volunteers, we are building more affordable housing for our community members! So get out and volunteer with us, other organizations and help your fellow community members!" -Hailey Jeter, Program Services Coordinator Cheboygan Habitat for Humanity is hosting a HUGE cash raffle that supports our mission to provide safe and affordable housing!
We are so excited to announce our Cash Raffle! We only have 500 tickets for sale at $20 each so hurry and get your tickets while they last. Raffle tickets can be purchased in-person at the ReStore, from a Staff/Board member! There are prizes from $250 to $1,000. You do not need to be present to win and there are more than one chance to win! If you are drawn, your ticket will be re-entered into the drawing to get a chance at future prizes! Drawing dates are listed below! You can find a list of Staff and Board members here! All support raised during this raffle go to building and repairing homes across Cheboygan County. Not only are you helping the families that partner with Cheboygan Habitat, but you are helping to build a stable foundation that will strengthen the community for generations to come. Have you dreamed of owning your own home? What about a home that is safe, affordable and meets your families needs? Habitat for Humanity believes that safe, affordable housing is needed for all families to have a stable foundation for their lives. It enables parents to build safety and equity while children create lasting memories in a stable community, grandparents are able to live in accessible homes that meet their needs.
Cheboygan County Habitat for Humanity has a Homeownership Program that could be a perfect fit for you! To learn if you would be a fit for our program you can click the link below. Program Link: https://www.habitatcheboygan.org/homeownership-program.html If you have any further questions you can email us under the contact us tab! As I reflect on the year so far, I am truly humbled by our amazing community that has come together to rally behind our mission, “Seeking to put God’s love into action, we bring people together to build homes, communities and hope.” We can’t do the good work we are doing without every donor, every customer, every volunteer, every program partner, every staff person, and each and every one of you reading this. I am reminded of the bold statement I made that Cheboygan County Habitat for Humanity was kicking off our biggest year yet. Back in April, we were on track to build and rehab more homes through our Homeownership Program, repair more homes through our Home Repair Program and serve more families than we have in our local community in a very long time. I am strongly rooted in my belief of that statement. We ARE building more! We ARE repairing more! We ARE serving more! Not everything has gone exactly to our plan, but God’s love is being put into action. Our plan is changing, yet still allowing us to make a big impact in the lives of our program partners, volunteers, and community members. We are $35,000 away from meeting our fundraising goal of $600,000 for the calendar year. With just over $400,000 spent on direct construction costs, your support is critical to helping us build, rehab and repair more homes for those in need of a hand up, not a handout. -Mandy Martin, Executive Director As this year comes to a close we look back at all of the wonderful work that we’ve done and feel so accomplished. Yet, there is so much more still to come! Two stick builds from Indian River are being finished as you read this. We were able to complete 8 home repairs, returning homes to safe, livable conditions. The end of this year will mark over 50 local families that we have offered a hand up to. Over 50 lives that we were able to touch in positive ways. You can touch those lives around us as well. When you donate to Cheboygan County Habitat you make our community safer by providing safe, stable housing. It means you can help fund an accessible ramp so a grandmother can safely enter and exit her home. It means you can help build new homes with local families. It means you can help replace a decaying roof so a mother can provide a safe home for her children. It means you can help cultivate a stronger community for future generations. Every dollar gets us closer and closer to our goal. A goal where everyone, no matter what walk of life they come from, have a safe and decent home to live in. Home is just where a story of a lifetime starts. Will you help us help Cheboygan grow? Donation Link: https://www.habitatcheboygan.org/donate.html As we depart for our new journey into 2024, we’d like to reflect back on all of the work that has been put into our community along with celebrating the future lives we partner with. In 2023, we were able to partner with Michael Jenkins, a veteran living in Cheboygan County. Due to the work that everyone put in, he is now living in a safe, affordable home that he helped cultivate. We were also able to start two fresh builds in Indian River, turning two lots of untamed nature into beautiful homes. Not only that, but we found great fits for these houses, two hard working families that are so excited to have a fresh start, a place to start their story of success. Along with being able to assist many families with critical repair needs on their homes, returning them to safe and livable standards. “What I am looking forward to most in the new year here at Habitat is all the new projects! We are hoping to help more families in our home repair program with critical repairs to their homes which can include ramps, new hot water heaters, furnaces, etc. Also, with the closing of our two builds in Indian River coming in the beginning of 2024, that means more new builds for our Homeownership Program starting in 2024! All of this makes the new year so exciting because that means, here at the Habitat, we are helping more and more families in Cheboygan County! This new year is going to be great and I cannot wait for it to begin!” -Hailey Jeter, Program Services Coordinator. Our hopes for the future include new builds, more repairs and more positive impact across Cheboygan County. We plan on adding two more homes to the housing market and repairing current homes to safe standards to help provide stable homes for our community. It doesn’t matter where you came from in life, everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future for themselves.
You can give those families a hand up by donating monetarily to our organization, by donating gently used household items to the ReStore, by volunteering a few hours a month, and by sharing our message with your friends and family. Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. |
AuthorMandy Martin, Executive Director Archives
May 2024
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