Habitat for Humanity of Westchester: FW: blog

Happy Valentines Day!

Maybe everyday be Valentines for you…for us here, it is.

We see our ministry as a work of Love, of helping others, or coming together to help families live and

To have homes of hope, of health of transformation.

We have been in existence for almost 30 years..Next year we celebrate a whole year of activity and

Success. From all our work in disasters, to helping rehab Zombie homes, to transforming neighborhoods, to

Building green, Zero energy and Passive homes..we have changed generations of families lives.

I often say no one has the challenges we do in this county in the country. We have the highest taxes, real estate is sky rocketing

And land being designated for luxury occurs quicker than I can get a piece of land for a Veteran returning from Iraq and their family.

However, with Gods help, and yours, our success becomes a reality! Your donation brings Valentines to many in the form of a safe simple decent home!

Now more than ever we need your support.

Heres some of what we have been involved in.

Yonkers: Our vital work in Yonkers continues! We have been moving ahead helping so many. Just last week our West Point Cadets came and will be out two more times just in February, building on Veterans homes in what we call Battle Hill. Our winter Warriors in the form of HOPES, habitat opportunities for experienced seniors, sees every Tues and Thurs volunteers build on our sites there. Horace Mann High school habitat builders continue with their great support of sponsoring their 3^rd Veterans home, amazing! They send every student out to build with us as well.

Chappaqua/Millwood: the work to get Chappaqua and Millwood off the ground has been moving ahead. Foundation work of shoring up what are historic structures

So that our building this spring is strong, we need your donation, in our sponsor a

Senior Rehabs: this week we went to yet another senior home to help rehab their kitchen. So Many seniors are burdened on fixed incomes to try to help rehab their home or keep it maintained while paying their taxes, a near impossible task. But with Gods help and Habitat of Westchester many seniors have hope…and their homes rehabbed with our Brush with Kindness program. From Pelham to Ossining, we have been

Veterans initatiives:we just sent 50 care packages to soldiers and their units overseas two weeks ago so they would receive notes of love and packages of joy from our volunteers. They arrive today, for those in units, with help from Trinity School, Byram Hills Highschool, NewRochelle Key Club and the American Legion. Our commitment to Veterans also include hiring local vets in partime to full time positions, into our quilt of love here, so our Veteran community can grow in support, and with roofs for families to have over their heads when they return from overseas!

Restore/ Headquarters….Our Restore becomes more than just a store…it has been salvific for homeowners who move into their first time home by getting supplies that they can rehab their homes, with quality, yet affordable purchases of cabinets, windows, doors, furniture etc, to help them be able to live in their home. Also we have donated more than 220 families free furniture in fires over the last two years. Our headquarters becomes another door of love and community, of shelter for fire victims, at 659 Main St as well as where during the holidays we gave more than 300 gifts to kids from the neighborhood as well as sponsoring local events like the Three Kings Event, a Community breakfast and yes on Feb 24^th a Mardi Gras Event with Dave Fabris and his Mudsole Band! Join us or email me jim@habitatwc.org to listen and join in the fun. Our response to disasters and fire victims takes a new form, when we are often there with water, coffee, supplies and the ability to help put up families and follow them through getting placed in homes. Because we are in an affordable housing crisis, often people think after a couple of days, victims are often settled. Far from the truth, it takes a long period of time, in this tight real estate market with no affordable rentals or homes, bringing pain and stress to those who lose their home in Mt Vernon Yonkers or NewRochelle.

With that in mind, we give thanks for the Love you exemplify with your all important donation for us to help go strong for the next 30 years. Would you consider making a monthly pledge to our work? Please donate today to this ministry of love.

Jim Killoran, CEO

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

659 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 636-8335 ext. 101

Join our Martin Luther King Jr. Build-A-Thon January 10^th thru January 16^th! Sponsorships are available. Visit www.Habitatwc.org

Poverty, because it’s not just in third world Countries. It’s in our world too.