FW: blog

Friday before Sandy anniversary..

Flooded roads in Mamoroneck..Gov Spitzer visited, a war zone..fast forward army tents in breezy..roads filled with debris in belle harbor.

People mucking and gutting everywhere, many look like walking wounded..everywhere..

With that In mind, we continue..we work, we move ahead..

Today we again welcome Hancock financial instead of golfing in Hawaii with their top team…they came for two days to work…AWESOME!

We insulated and moved two homes ahead…we continue..amazing.

We also worked on a third families home..someone living in a trailer, we will finish quickly.

The cold weather yesterday reminded me of the winter out there..when no one was in their homes..

We worked on Frankies house in the rockaways..begging us to help..

We went..we worked on Aliciars house on 69^th street..no heat..

Pipes breaking in the winter..rapid repair program being created..and not always working..

Getting pneumonia…but keep heading out everyday, to help, to organize to plan, to love to cry and to rebuild…

Many families still need our help…

Tony a next door neighbor yesterday came out…thank you Jim…I posted on the facebook…you guys are still here..thank you!

It is an honor and emotional when you help with people in a crisis, we are blessed to still be there every day…

Hannah a reporter from Sky news wrote, you all are doing great work….we do it together.. please help..

http://www.habitatwc.org

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

 

FW: blog

The hurricane was moving…three four days before..we didn’t know if it would hit…the big one..might hit…like watching Katrina hit, only in our backyard, we moved and watched..I prepared our headquarters for sleepovers that nite..cots, food, and more..flashlights..generators, pumps…and then it came…

We were called to go help..my high school buddy, called, cfo of Sony Music, killer do you have generators, pumps, can you bring them….of course..after having delivered to Chappaqua, then cutting trees in Mt Vernon, Yonkers..we worked, we helped, we continued…..over the Whitestone bridge..back to the Rockaways where six weeks before had been for my friends daugthers wedding…only three times in my life had I been to the famous rockaways..his wedding, his daughters, and for us to play hoops together…

Now we were fighting a hurricanes wrath…ambulances stuck on end of road…we worked to get water out…then going from belle harbor to breezy, I went to see..the devestation…couldn’t believe it..the country of breezy I call it…a world, another world, a devastated world….thats all I knew, ..two people brother and sister wandering aimlessly,..can you get us to our home…can you help….we have to go to a shelter, but we have to get clothes if any….what aworld…three water, with my higher pickup truck..a war zone..army tents, police, fire depts…the first day….more tomorrow to follow ..of Sandys wrath and Habitat of Westchesters journey of relief…to this day..one year later….

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

 

FW: blog

Easy like sat morning…thecalm before the storm.the storm of good to kick out the storm ofbad…

This sat we don’t have too many volunteers.. Sunday plenty…but over the next three weeks like the last three, we have had an opportunity to work to get many in the Rockaways and yonkers moving..our Hurricane Sandy build and our Veterans blitz build….

Pray for our familes, pray for us..the spirit of partnership of love and success , in service, in home ownership and in changing lives..with that in mind..we celebrate the calm before the storm…the storm of great volunteers to come, for another three weeks…join us…relief@habitatwc.org

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

 

FW: blog

Another thought…we move ahead, this Hurricane Sandy anniversary..did the hurricane cause us to pray more..did we fall into lapse, are we pulled to forget that Sandy was there to remind us how fragile life is, that every second is gift..that we need God in our lives…we are a ministry…we have Christians, Jewish, SAI, hindi, and many more help us…we have volunteers from all over the world come and assist people of all faiths and no faith….when crisis happens, we get God, when it doesn’t we forget often..we all do.

As we come closer to the anniversary it is a recommitment to faith in action of Habitat of Westchester to our work…to our assistance, to our vital lives being there to help others, …our disaster swat team always ready…we are so grateful to God for guiding us..for all our resources, our donors, and you…did you pray today…can you help us still…God bless you . .

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

 

FW: blog

What an exciting time…we are in the middle of the purchasing of homes..helping homes get rebuilt..

Creating whole new revitalized neighborhoods and doing it with sweat  equity and volunteerism…

Neighborhoods.. a concept that has had a hard time existing in Westchester and NY…we hear the stories from parents grandparents, if only we could go back to the neighborhood…Neighborhood Revitalization is a heart mission, a healing mission, a soul mission, a rebuilding mission, a security mission, a mission of real war against poverty…

To that end we continue in Mt vernon, InYonkers, in New Rochelle …in Peekskill…we fix broken windows, we build, we help, we change lives and communities together..

So join us..this holiday season support us..help volunteer, donate..change lives together..lets bring back Neighborhoods…God bless you!

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

 

FW: blog

The fight continues..for simple decent homes, for green communities, for helping together..

Our work is doing amazing… we continue in Sandy relief areas, we continue in Yonkers in our buildathon..

We work together, to build…communities from the bottom up. I just confirmed  I will speak at the Beach Channel High school, to engage the future of the Rockaways to help build with us.

We are grateful for  our youth getting involved…from here the Rockaways..On a day when fifteen days of the government shut down, it only makes sense that we must help our communities, that our youth have to learn to be community builders..that they realize sweat equity is vital for the success of their future.

Vertical farming, community gardens, walkable cities, flood proof neighborhoods, homes built green and safe..thats what we fight for…..

Now my high school leaders move onto corportions, into teaching, into leading in professional endeavors…they have become leaders and still help us rebuild…..join us!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

 

FW: blog

Early morning Friday….1000 volunteers later in three weeks, we continue….

Today Cisco comes out with us..to help to work to build! No question…

We are blessed to have so many assist us, so many work with us….this weekend Jenny Moss has her bat mitzvah project on site…Scarsdale and Hastings High schools…

St James Episcopal church of North Carolina continues and St Bonaventures University comes in for another weekend of work..Columbus Day we have the Episcopal church come and join us…from Cold Srping Harbor, we are so blessed…

But not enough…we need a swell of support..of donations, of volunteers…WE WILL REBUILD NY TOGETHER..For homes, for green sustainability, for less concrete and cars and more homes, bikes and gardens..its time…..NMU…

So join this vital effort, as we prepare for our HURRICANE SANDY ANNIVERSARY…and our VETERANS BLITZ BUILD…! The time is now!!!!!!! relief@habitatwc.org

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

 

FW: blog

We are blessed in all we do..

No question..

We work we pray, we love we laugh we cry, we help in hurricanes, in bringing hope, in stopping foreclosures in neighborhoods, in NMU, in teaching people to build, in changing lives, families, volunteers, board members, donors, and CEO’s ..me included..daily

With that in mind, I remember quite a bit now..it is our 25^th annnviersary, hfhi’s 30^th..

Last nite I walked on E 6^th st and avenue see…I walked by Mascot flats, where I helped build…where we walked on beams and could look straight down four floors, because they were all gone..where we reconstructed, removed debris with buckets, where we worked, laughed, held a street fair and dedication, board meetings…at E 6^th street, and helped to make it a place where Wanda Colon and her kids could live…one of my heroes…

The lower east side is a different world now..there were drug dealers, homeless, many empty buildings and more…I lived right up the block in Stuyvesant town..and was happy to go to try to reach out to homeless in Tomkins sq park, to try to rehab homes, to try to create jobs…

Now it is viable, no drug dealers, better stores, trendy bars and restaurants…honored to be part of making HFHIs anniversary a reality on E 6^th street, I have been with them from the beginning..Millard is there in spirit too. God bless you….

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

 

FW: blog

Blessings in all we do, for sure, we have so much to be grateful for.

This weekend our west point cadets, along with our high school “soldiers” Grenwich, New Rochelle and many more..blessed us with hardwork in Mt Vernon and Yonkers…as well as mitzvah builders from Temple Beth el…

A world to change…today we work in the rockaways, Breezy and Mt Vernon…one of our biggest weeks ever this week…

With that in mind we say THANK YOU!  we have built and continue to build energy efficient housing, energy green, resilitent hurricane SIP homes…and work to continue to help rebuild the world in ways never done before..

Join us ..donate to us, lives depend upon it..

God bless you,

 

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!

 

 

FW: blog

For years as school begins, I have many student leaders, who are teachers, who take to heart the seriousness of leading their habitat clubs and efforts….one of the most important things ever we have done, is to have students in a county that has denied affordable homes being buit to be able to help work with us on our sites..to plant the see that simple decent homes are not a bad thing, to show youth who have everything that others who have nothing are as fine as they are..and that every student no matter where they live, how much they have, deserve to live in a simple decent home.

So I am reminded agan of leaders like marc Brandon, athletics, teacher at Harvey School, or Mr Hausmann, who is a teacher at Yonkers high school, Mrs, Darcy at Scarsdale High School, Ms lastaria at Eastchester high school, Mr Rubins at New Rochelle High, Ms Pisani at iona Prep, and so many more I cant name them….including Ms Berman at Roosevelt High school, and Sr Mary Alice at Good Counsel along with my friends at Solomon Schechter and Yariv, who is at SAR school…all habitat heroes to me, helping to lead their students in service…so thank you! for all your efforts, it will be another great Habitat school year because of you..you will help me change the county more this year than ever before..and plant the true seeds of education, educare, to liberate..to liberate students from just being SAT hungry success stories to success stories of service, of giving back, of helping to change the world again! God bless y ou!

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

"Like Us" on Habitat for Humanity of Westchester Facebook!