Habitat for Humanity E-Newsletter - December 2010

[Howard Hartman]

The Holiday season is a time of reflection. At Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, Maryland, Inc. (HFH-MC), we have many accomplishments to reflect upon this year. We hit a big milestone and dedicated our 50th home in March. We also completed Phase I of our Neighborhood Revitalization Program in which we rehabilitated 13 vacant, distressed homes.    In 2010 we placed 10 more qualified families into simple, decent, energy efficient and affordable homes. Through our efforts and your support these families will spend the holidays together in their new homes. They are thankful for your generous contributions that have helped them pull themselves out of substandard living conditions and put themselves into safe, healthy environments where their families can grow and thrive.   With every New Year, our goal is to do more. It is HFH-MC's mission to work with the community to provide deserving low-income families with the opportunity to better their lives through affordable homeownership opportunities. All of our programs work to promote this mission whether it is through the weatherization of homes that are not energy-efficient, the rehabilitation of distressed properties, the sale of discounted building materials, or the new construction of affordable homes.   The work we do is supported by the generosity of members of the community like you. We cannot place more qualified families in affordable homes without your support. Please make a donation to HFH-MC and give the gift of a home for the holidays.   The board and staff of HFH-MC wish you a safe and Happy Holiday and New Year. In 2011 we hope to see you at one of our events, volunteering on our construction site or in our ReStore.    Best,   John Paukstis Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, Maryland, Inc.   P.S. Please visit our website or donate now through Network for Good                                                          Double Your Gift to HFH-MC this Holiday Season   Did you know that many employers offer matching gift programs to their employees, retirees, and family members? By making a donation through your employers' matching gift program, your contribution to HFH-MC could double, or even triple this holiday season! Contact your company's Human Resource office to find out if they offer a matching gift program OR visit Habitat for Humanity International online at: www.habitat.org/cd/giving/giftmatch.aspx and make sure to designate your gift to your local affiliate.   Shop Online and Give Back to HFH-MC!    Raise money for HFH-MC by searching and shopping on the internet through iGive. 800+ stores are part of the iGive network including Best Buy, Staples, Nordstrom, Gap, Amazon.com, QVC, HSN, and many more. Click here to get started and learn more!    ReStore Holiday Shoppe Now Open!   Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County's ReStore's Holiday Shoppe features merchandise ranging from Christmas trees to winter decorations for your home or business. Donations for the Holiday Shoppe at ReStore are now being accepted. You will receive a tax-deductible receipt while helping HFH-MC build affordable housing for low-income families. Donation Hours: Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri., & Sat. 10am-4pm Thurs. 10am-6pm   Click here to learn more about ReStore    Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County is proud to announce that we have been selected to participate in Thrivent Builds 2011. This coming year will mark the third year of the partnership between HFH-MC and Thrivent Builds. By the end of 2011, Thrivent Builds will have helped HFH-MC increase the number of families served by four.    While Thrivent Financial provides 55 percent of the funding for each Thrivent Builds home, local volunteers-many of them Thrivent Financial members and members of area Lutheran congregations-assist with construction and help raise additional funds.  We are grateful for Thrivent Builds and the Lutheran community's support of our efforts to provide decent, affordable homes in partnership with families in need.   Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is a multi-year, multi-million dollar partnership between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity International. Thrivent Builds is designed to involve Thrivent members and Lutherans in helping provide a "hand up" to people who lack decent shelter, offering them a path to greater economic independence. Excluding government funding, Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is Habitat's largest single source of funding, constructing nearly 2,500 homes in the U.S. and around the world since 2005. For more information, visit www.ThriventBuilds.com.   Visit our blog  and read an interview with Hidar, a Habitat homeowner who benefited from Thrivent Builds 2010.   Women Build 2010 Participants   Real Women Build Houses In July 2010 HFH-MC dedicated a home to a single mother and her daughter; this was HFH-MC's first Women Build sponsored home. Women from around Montgomery County came together to fundraise for and participate in the rehabilitation of this house. Building upon this success, HFH-MC has plans for Women Build to sponsor a home in 2011 and we need YOUR help!   We would like to add to our committee of like-minded women who are interested in giving back to the community, and helping raise money for the Women Build project.  Please contact Amanda Fein, Manager of Individual & Corporate Gifts for more information at 301.990.0014 x20 or amanda.fein@habitat-mc.org.   Click here to learn more about our Women Build program.   Building On Faith   Looking to put your faith into action? Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County is currently seeking committed, passionate and motivated members of the faith community to help us fulfill our mission of creating homeownership opportunities for low-income families of Montgomery County. The completion of our first Inter-Faith House highlighted the strength of bringing together a diversity of faiths.   Keep that spirit alive and help with affordable housing needs in our community: volunteer on a team build with a group from your congregation, plan a fundraiser to incorporate your youth group, or join our Faith Outreach Committee.   Please contact Kelly MacBride-Gill, Faith Relations VISTA, at faith@habitat-mc.org or at 301.990.0014 x25.   Click here to learn more about our Faith program. Freddie Mac Team Build                                          November Team Builds A special thanks to the following groups who volunteered on our sites throughout the month of November! Also, thank you to all of our individual volunteers who dedicate so much of their time to building Habitat homes.   To view our future individual volunteer opportunities please visit Volunteer Hub or to learn how your group can become involved view our Team Build Packet.   November 5: Freddie Mac November 12: Freddie Mac November 13: St. John Episcopal November 19: Freddie Mac & Price Waterhouse Coopers November 20: Darnestown Presbyterian To view more build day photos, visit our Picasa Photo Site!                                                                                                    Community Events Monday, December 13, Lunch or Dinner CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN Washingtonian Center 301.330.0681 or Order Online! Montgomery Mall 301.469.5090 or Order Online! 20% of your purchase goes to HFH-MC with flyer *Print out this flyer and bring with you to CPK! For future events, visit our Community Events Website!  This Month Matching Gift Program iGive.com ReStore Holiday Shoppe Thrivent Builds 2011 Women Build Update Faith Update Weatherization November Team Builds Community Nights Montgomery County is one of the most affluent communities in the nation, however thousands of its residents are living in poverty. Habitat's unique homeownership model provides a solution to this problem by offering low-income families the opportunity to purchase their own simple, decent, affordable home. Our goal is to end the cycle of poverty and show families that with the right tools, they can have the confidence and competence to maintain their own stable community.   Upcoming Events Poolesville Homeownership Info Session: December 7 6:30-8:30pm Blueprints: Lunch Session December 8 12-1pm Community Nights Out CPK December 13 ALL DAY Washingtonian Montgomery Mall Habitat Home Dedication December 19 3-4pm Clarksburg HFH-MC offices and our ReStore will close December 24th and re-open January 3rd. Shop & Search   with Habitat iGive.com iSearch.iGive.com Social Media Fan us on FB Follow our Tweets Read our Blog Join us on LinkedIn Watch our Videos View our  Photos Sign up for Blueprints! New Volunteer Information Session Follow us Online

Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County Maryland, Inc. | 9110 Gaither Road | Gaithersburg | MD | 20877