September Habitat Highlights

September Habitat Highlights

TWO HABITAT HOMES DEDICATED ON AUGUST 23

On Saturday, August 23, two of the homes being built on the College Street site were formally dedicated. Shannon Selah, Executive Director for Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity, started the ceremony by welcoming families, volunteers, and neighbors gathered on the paver driveway between the two houses. She thanked the many volunteers who gave their time over the last couple of years to help the two families towards their dream of home ownership. The families gave short speeches to thank the volunteers who worked beside them and were grateful for the opportunity to move into a house that would be their own and out of an apartment.

Throughout the construction of these two homes, there had been three different construction supervisors. The two who stepped down to become fully retired could not stay away from volunteering as part of the Habitat volunteer family. Jeff Council continued at the build site to help train Miche McCausey, and Doug Vondrachek built all the cabinets that were installed in each of the houses. These three worked closely with the two families on the many weekends throughout the years as the homes went from foundation to framing and then to inside construction.

Like every home dedication ceremony, Habitat presents the family with gifts to remember the special day. Each child of the two families, who would soon be moving in, were given new handmade quilts to start the decorating of their new bedrooms. A welcome mat and a potted plant were positioned at the front door to not only greet the family, but to invite all the citizens in of the small crowd to enter and take a tour of the homes.

Shannon Selah thanked all who contributed to the project, and then Mayor Bill Rosacker of Newberg said a few words of how owning a home can change a family’s life. Shortly after, Miche, Shannon, and Mayor Rosacker assisted the families in the ribbon cutting to officially open the new homes to the families and the citizens. All citizens in attendance were encouraged to take a self-guided tour of the inside of the homes and then join the families for a fried chicken, salad, and dessert lunch to celebrate the completion of the first two homes at the site.

The College Street site has incurred some issues since the beginning of the building of the first two homes. The site will have seven homes at the end at this construction site, and most of the issues with the initial site work and infrastructure happened during the construction of these two homes. Because of this, the two families are still waiting for the final move-in day and hope that comes to fruition before the holidays. While they are waiting, they have been finalizing their mortgage paperwork in anticipation of receiving the keys to their home for which they have given 500+ sweat equity hours. Senator Jeff Merkley also sent a letter to the families.

Thanks to all the key sponsors and donors who provided funding, materials, and supplies at the College Street site. Special thanks to Joe Shipman, Norm Daviess, Jared Jones, Paula Kriz, Mike Jackson, Lowell Davis, Joe Ourada, Norman Baer, Hut Calhoun, and Carol Jones who as the top ten volunteers on this project deserve the highest praise. It is through their dedication every week, whether rain or shine, that they are found on the build site creating homes to make a stronger community.

RESTORE NOW OPEN ON WEDNESDAYS

You now have an opportunity to shop at the ReStore on Wednesdays. An extra day of shopping just might mean an extra day of savings. The ReStore Summer Sale which is still running, allows you 50% off everything until the end of the month. That includes outdoor furniture, lawn and garden tools, mowers, spreaders, and more. All purchases from the ReStore helps support the building of new homes within the Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity service area.

Jacob Breazile’s Heart Is About Giving

At the end of July 2023, a Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity (NAHFH) board member stepped down and since they were an A-dec employee, one of Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity’s partner organizations, it was the goal to fill the empty seat with an A-dec employee. Although Jacob Breazile lived in Salem, he was attracted to the position because he was interested in volunteering for a non-profit. He knew that donating his time for an organization whose money helped strengthen the community one home at a time was a good fit for him. Jacob might not have known much when he first joined the board, but he knew that building affordable housing for a community was a worthy goal.

Once a board member, he learned that NAHFH was building approximately one home per year. “I became a board member when there were a lot of new faces. I could tell the board was a close-knit group who were passionate about Habitat. We were a group sensing this was an opportunity for change, “ stated Jacob.

In order to create that change, they first looked at their practices for efficiency and knew buying a volunteer and donor management software would help. Next, they outlined a strategic plan that laid out their goals for the next three years. They had to be clear about what they were trying to do differently and what were the steps to make that happen.

One of the goals was to build affordable homes at a faster pace than one home a year. The aspiration was to build four homes and complete 15 repair projects each year. The board knew that would not happen overnight. The board realized setting goals and figuring out how to accomplish their plan was essential to create the construction opportunities. This board also had discussions about the NAHFH service area, which not only includes Newberg, but also Dundee, Sherwood, Dayton, and St. Paul. “Newberg is only one community within our service area. We have got a rhythm in Newberg, and we cannot relax knowing we can affect people’s lives throughout our entire service area.”

It takes money to construct new homes and to repair others. Even though NAHFH receives grants and donations, in order to increase construction projects, the executive director, Shannon Selah, decided it was time to start the Resource Development Committee, which was already included in the organization’s bylaws, and the board voted to start the committee with four members, including Jacob.

After two short years as a board member and a year on the committee, Jacob became the chair of the Resource Development Committee which is now coordinating the Building Hope Gala to be held October 10 at the Sherwood Center for the Arts. Immediately, Jacob and the committee planned a small fundraiser to learn about their Habitat donors and what might be some challenges planning and organizing a large event.

One of the aspects we have learned is our contact list is not as big as I thought. We need to connect with more people. Because of this, we have done more cold calling, soliciting, and pounding the pavement to introduce ourselves and spread the word about Habitat.” Jacob emphasizes that the Gala’s objective is two fold: becoming a yearly fundraising event and a Habitat celebration to connect with donors, volunteers and service area citizens.

“The Gala will allow ticket holders to connect with our homeowners, learn about Habitat, and have fun together on a night that is organized to also raise funds.” The committee is cautiously optimistic that there will be at least 100 people in attendance and would love to see more citizens buy tickets since there is room for between 150 – 200. Tickets will be on sale until October 1 and the link can be found on NAHFH website.

Although Jacob enjoys spending his free time woodworking, hiking, camping, and biking, in the last year he has donated countless hours each week preparing for the Gala event. The success of this dinner and auction night is a step towards having the funds to build more than one house a year. “I have a heart for giving and everyone can give. You do not need construction skills. Everyone has a talent and there is something for everyone as a Habitat volunteer. ” Come join Jacob and the Building Hope Gala committee on October 10. You will be inspired by Jacob’s unwavering passion and commitment to Newberg Area Habitat, and you might be encouraged to join our Habitat family.