FW: blog

The Earth is the Lords in all we do…today Tuesday..we visit the Long Term Recovery, committee,in the Rockaways.  We have worked throuoghout the Rockaways and breezy, seeing peolpes lives go from pain to joy. Did you know sheetrock brings joy..insulation, volunteers with empathy, flooring…who would think….after a Hurricane rebuilding homes is an honor for us to help no question..Now more than 900 proects later, we are still there.

 

  Also we are blessed to help build in Mt Vernon today. We help Natalia and her family refresh their home today. She was fortunate to have B Smith help her decoarate her home when she first moved in. Her kids were little back tehn, older now.  Seeing the children now go onto  college is amazing.

 

Tomorrow at 5pm our meal with the Pelham avenue fire victims continues. We  move ahead to help here.  We are also very excited that a television show wants to cover our veterans builds and moving ahead.  We are on the road for astrong next 25 years.

Let me say this..affordable home ownership is the number one issue of this state now..no question! In this County.  We cant get around it nor should we.   Lets go NY lets go!

Join us in the vital mission….follow us also on habitatwc on twitter and Instagram…we are honored to have you help!

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

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

 

 

FW: blog

Thanks to Rev Biglin of Holy name of Jesus church. He has been an advocate for smart development, where people need to be

Able to have simple decent homes and seniors, while too much high end development causes challenges and burdens for the citizens of New Rochelle.  I was honored to speak there yesterday at his church, with three Relig groups represented.

These groups of youth, who are in high school, will make confirmation are our Relig Builders….they come out and build with us regularly….twice next week for Presidents day and next Friday…

With that in mind we are grateful for their support, their prayers, their building….

The Gospel was about the city of God…in the Torah, you often hear about the new Jerusalem….Nehemiah builders…

To rebuild this city in #New Rochelle again.

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

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

 

 

FW: blog

Christina Griffin….nice to meet you..i said..at a Passive Solar award winning design house…in White Plains….she was the architect who won the award……..She responds…”You know I designed the first habitat house here in Larchmont.”  No way I respond!  The journey continues…no

Meeting is for coincidence in life.  In 1988 the dedication of a beautiful small cape home where the mortgage is paid..she designed. She did not have the expertise in Green sustainable architect, but she is amazing in her work, in her expertise now as a Green Designer, sustainable, recognized all over the county.

She graced our headquarters today in our #SUSTAINABILE SERIES we have been having….talking about #LEED development standards, the importance of building science, Irish Passive house designer #Thomas OLeary, the #German #Haus technology and much more!

We also had representatives from Manhattan and our team, as well as Flannery Hardware and contractor Dave Flannery bring in his expertise into the discussion.   Where the theoretical becomes the practical, the architect and the builder join together like a conductor and musician.

We take it all for granted don’t we! Our living space….our design, our healthy or unhealthy environments..  do you have chemicals in your paints, carpet, walls,…are you losing energy, daily thousands of dollars from your home, rather than get it tested for free energy audits, and fix it….ENERGY is one of the number one issues of our time. HABITAT OF WESTCHESTER IS IN THE LEAD, in CALLING THIS THE

GREENEST YEAR IN HISTORY!!!!!! 2014….WHY NOT!

 

I have seen thousands of homes ruined by Hurricanes and floods…no not just in New Orleans but here, in #Mamoroneck,# Bronxville, Yonkers, Rockaways, Auverne, Long Beach, NJ Sandy areas and more

Intentionally we are one of the GREENEST AFFILIATES IN THE COUNTRY..Since 1996 we have built with SIP homes…tried to introduce Solar panels on our nationally designed television show with Bob Vila only to be stopped, continued and now have Solar on our headquarters and have used ICFS, SIPS, Concrete SIPs and much much more. Our world is fragile…lets make it GREENER!

So Thank you Christina for your service…stay tuned for #Earthweek and #sponsorships are available!

Join us!

 

 

 

Jim Killoran, Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester

524 Main Street, New Rochelle NY 10801

(914) 403-4821

 

Spring into action; the next 25 years!

 

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

 

 

FW: blog

Yesterday was a day of days….many families from the fire on #470 Pelham Road were affected, came in…they had no home, no clothes, little help. We gave each family member a check..thanks to our friend Pat Lanza..we also gave clothes and items from our Restore, and also gave much guidance.  They system is broke, people think that when it says people are getting helped in the paper, it actually is happening..not always by any means.

My history with help goes deep into the fountainplace fires, 50 families displaced in new Rochelle, the Nodine Hill fire in Yonkers, where six died and 300 displaced, and also to the FEMA disaster of Mamoroneck, Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy….extensive..

So I speak with some authority with my words.   We will create a disaster swat team for helping for assisting those in need in disaster,

With a gutting team of rehabbing homes, we can do this.

With immediate relief for those in need, we are there with our volunteers,

Its time..

We can do so much better in helping we must…

Stay tuned.. God bless you with your roof, with a safe day with health..from our homes and team of love to yours…                                             

 

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 a weekend..not because of the Superbowl…but because of our volunteers….and because of our work in helping fire victims in New Rochelle.

Five fires in the last couple of weeks. This one displaced in New Rochelle75 people in 36 apartments at least at 470 Pelham road.  The housing stock is getting older, heat, fires,

Wires not meant for the loads we put on them..heating units, candles, and more has caused nightmares to firefighters, municipalities and residents alike. People have died in these fires as well.

A tragedy.

The real isse as of this time becomes what can we do.

First Habitat ..we were there first, giving food and coffee, …we helped moved residents and their supplies to another place to temporarily live. We also had given

A large number of clothing from our Restore to the fire fictims…on the door it says, Fire Victims come here, in English and Spanish.

As head of the council of the community services for housing this year, housing is the most important issue have as of this time, no question.  No affordable housing, and when it does exist,

It is old ..and fires and substand housing problems occur. 

It is time to create a mantra in every citizen that affordable home ownership is not a bad thing, but a necessary thing. It will be an economic engine for creation of jobs..and primarily if it is ownership..then land goes back on the tax roles.-

It was and Is an honor to help those who suffered, like the hurricane families, and in this case like fire victims. I had taken the lead in helping Fountainplace fire victims get a place to live, fifty familes when displaced in new Rochelle a number of years ago.

We need to do better, create less luxury and more affordable housing, its time….

 

For residents in need frmom #470PelhamRoad we are here for you…come by our headquarters today, use our computers and phones, we have cots,

We can give you support…as we have done so much before.  God bless you all tonite safe in a warm place to live..

 

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 song goes…”Baby its cold outside…”  it certainly is..for sure.

We are working hard to help families into energy efficient homes.. but once in, familes also need to learn about keeping their heating units clean,  not to overuse them, to save electricity, to pull out plugs and more.

 

It is vital for us to help save energy…we are prepaing for our biggest earthweek yet..and announced this as our Greenest year in history.  Why not….lets get solar on our roofs, lets save energy, lets use extra blankets. Lets prepare to get more bike racks into our streets. ZI ti s vital.

So come go green intentionally…use less plastic, move ahead…

Its time.

Ps this weekend is our Superbowl Buildathon..amazng! join us in our work..from #Sandy Relief, to #superbowl buildathon..we need you!

God bless

 

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

Dr Martin Luther King stated..Our goal is ot create a beloved community and th is will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” 

What changes happen..in our lives…what service do we do….this week all week, we have our 15^th Annual Martin Luther King buildathon….we culminate at the end of the week

With volunteers from Temple Israel, Shiloh Baptist, Holy Family, Iona, Relig and more…..plus we have had twenty groups from last Sat…to this week coming…

It is the pinnacle of the kickoff of our year……We have a dream..that all can live in a simple decent home…..the mission continues…

 

The late Millard Fuller was eulogized in Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta….when I went for the service, presidents, paupers, people from all walks attended.  Habitat started

In Koiononia farms in Americus, then to Zaire, formerly the Congo, then back to Ga. Then like wildfire has spread.  Andrew Young former mayor and ambassador stated Jim,

It was so radical for black and white people to live together….we were told not to go there as kids..   is it still radical…are there communities you know still totally segregated…

For us ownership is the wealth builder, the bank, the home that changes histories of poverty, generations of them.  Kids get a new point of reference, education goes up, crime goes down.

It all works together for the good. For the great!

 

We had Hispanic, Italian, African American, Caucasian, Asian, all walks of life working together today.  A great blessing.

Dream with me…can you design simple decent homes and or coops or condos in your community…can you be the Dream Maker with Habitat of Westchester. 

Also our work in Sandy for families just to get back in, continued with  Fordham Alumni volunteering….Thank  you!

The Mission continues, the Holy Spirit blesses us, we can do this! Join us. 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

We are so blessed to have so many that love us..who help us..so we can love others with homes, with rebuilding and more.

I write at 7am in the morning with our Sandy relief volunteers, Norma and Tom.  Tonite we all get honored by Greybeards in the Rockaways. At a dinner for 400.  We stop and pause and recommit to rebuild.  We have to.  So many still not in their homes.

As we embark on our next 25 years we think of so much, our first home in Larchmont, the floods in Mamoroneck and our rehabbgin 250 homes, our award design house there,the beautiful home in Portchester, two homes in Bedford, a rehab in Pound ridge, a rehab in Rye,  the Bob  Vila House built in Yonkers, the six homes first built and white plains, then six other projects there, our 40 homes in Yonkers and many rehabs there, our 10 projects in Ossining, many projects and more than 800 homes worked on in the Rockaways from Hurricane Sandy.

 

We have just begun… Affordable home ownership is the most important effort for us to build, and driver of economics for the state of NY and our country. Also my proposal for a National Disaster University still stands, even the Vice President and Governor took the idea and announced it a year after I brought it to the Moreland commission, a year ago yesterday, at Suny Purchase (documented on News 12).

 

Plus we are naming this the Greenest Year in History. Today at our headquarters our third in a series on Solar panels and going green. We will be off the grid on our headquarters sooner than later..stay tuned.

25 more years, we need your support. No question, we are teaching thousands to build and pushing now more than ever…for everyone a simple decent home to live in! 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 to all we do.

We have so much..so many people who need help..someone says, I just got back from Florida, or I just came back from am onth..awesome…its hard when you seepeople die in Mt Vernon, when you  people die in fires..when you see people without a life…because they live din substandard housing..When you see Times square, yet we cant build decent homes..

What are we doing here..but there is hope..the Ruah..the Holy Spirit of the toarh, Koran and bible talks to us to work together to love one another to help heal and rebuild..

That’s our mission..So today we have hope..maybe no fancy vacation, but every time we see a smile that we helped someone, that we are close to moving another family in..that we saved energy for someone or taught someone to build…then our hope is moving with a hammer of love..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

We keep on keeping.

Each day is gift, we continue.. we work we move we

Help to fight for rights of people to live in homes, with building them.  This Monday I am so excited over our Habitat for Veterans initiatives…Mike and Nikki are on the move, ready to help build their own home,  they have been and we will dedicate it in April..two Vets families will move in.

We also have an excellent partnership with the American legion…having rehabbed one in New Rochelle, we continue…strong, to hire vets, rehab legions, help repair senior vets home and more..

Last our work on Battle Hill in Yonkers..to build Vets homes is in partnership with the city, with our sponsors like Andersen Windows, Levitt Furst, and more..amazing..

In that vain we continue…strong Habitat veterans strong! Oohrah..with your help…

 

And Today we prepare for our Martin Luther King buildathon..we have done it for years..before anyone, building the American Dream for families in need……changing neighborhoods, creating marching bands and more…ownership would change the face of neighborhoods..neighborhoods would stop killings and crime and murders..and drugs…ive seen, ive lived it..its time to make a large model shift away from rentals to ownership..stay tuned..WE HAVE A DREAM ..that all can live in a simple decent home…the Dream continues..with your help and sponsorship..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!