The Cleveland Daily Banner has been a strong partner with Habitat for Humanity over the years, helping to spread the word about volunteer opportunities and housing needs in the local area.  Most recently The Cleveland Daily Banner worked with Habitat’s 1^st Annual Bike to Build bicycling event, spreading the word to the local community.  The event ended up with 250 riders, 150 volunteers and was a great success for Habitat.

"Local volunteers and donors are the heartbeat of Habitat for Humanity and our success is directly tied to their involvement in our program,” commented Matt Carlson, Executive Director of the local affiliate.  “The Cleveland Daily Banner has been instrumental in helping us spread the word about housing needs and opportunities to get involved to make a difference in the community.  We would not have been able to accomplish building 79 homes over the last 20 years without the Banner’s consistent support.

Check out the Banner online and become a fan on facebook!

First Cumberland Presbyterian Church has ministered to the people of Cleveland, Tennessee for over 168 years. Partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland has been just one of their many ministry focuses. First Cumberland has been involved with Habitat for several years. They partnered with Habitat to build 9 homes over the past 8 years.  Not only has First Cumberland provided funds for building homes, but many members have sown into the lives of so many families by giving of their time, compassion and hard work. They have volunteered in many of the different areas of Habitat, including construction sites, various committees and the board of directors.

A few members of the congregation became involved with Habitat several years ago, and our involvement with Habitat has grown deeper and deeper over the years,” said Cliff Hudson pastor of First Cumberland. Below are the homes that First Cumberland Presbyterian has sponsored.

2003 – Couey family

2004 – Ball family

2005 – Castell family

2006 – Johnson family

2007 – France family

2008 – Venita Smith family

               Lead church for apostle build – Jordan family

2009 – Wilson family

2010 – Lead church for apostle build – Massengill family

We would like to thank First Cumberland Presbyterian Church for their continuing partnership with Habitat.

Habitat Office Volunteers

To be a volunteer in the Habitat office is to wear several different hats.  One day the order may be to label and file pictures of volunteers taken from the construction site.  Another day may include entering data from an expense report, helping the office manager track mortgage payments, or preparing the employee payroll.  Oh, and please water the plants!

We have been blessed to have many wonderful volunteers generously donate their time in the Habitat office over the last 20 years, and they are as unique as the jobs they perform.  We currently have two ladies who are willing to help in whatever way they can when events like Bike to Build, home dedications and special celebrations roll around.  They share a passion for being grandmothers to their grandchildren, and they don’t mind one bit making time to talk about them when asked!

Hazel Spain is our volunteer photographer, who captures the constantly changing construction of houses and volunteers.  Her dedication to the job not only blesses the regular construction volunteers who look forward to seeing her, but the future homeowners too.  Her photos are put together in an attractive scrapbook for the families to enjoy forever!  While helping in the office, Hazel is forever finding ways to better organize our new facility, and is constantly sought after for information about the organization.  She has been with us for five years and continues to bless our organization with her gentle laugh and cheery smile!  Thank you, Hazel for being a part of our team.

Vicky Byrd has been volunteering in the office for over ten years!  It is easy to assume that Vicky is an employee, as she works diligently on the computer preparing documents.  Her loyalty to the organization was deepened as a member of the board of directors, where she served a 3-year term.  She enjoys learning new software programs, and furthering her computer skills to keep her mind active.  Vicky’s positive, teachable spirit is contagious, and her assistance to the office manager allows for timeliness, accuracy and organization of important documents.  It’s hard to imagine the office without her!  Thank you, Vicky for your dedication!

Celebrating the Reality of a Dream and a 20 Years of House Building

The Habitat dream started in Cleveland when just three local community members got together for a hot cup of coffee in 1989.  From that meeting a vision was born, and soon after the cups of coffee turned cold the dream remained hot. In 1990, a Habitat for Humanity affiliate was organized and a short 20 years later 79 homes have been built and the mission remains the same; to eliminate substandard housing in the area by giving hard working families a decent, affordable home where they could live and raise their children. 

These three men knew they would need lots of help and many volunteers and since all three were members of Broad Street United Methodist Church, they went to the Broad Street Methodist Men’s Club and asked them to take Habitat on as a project.  The club accepted, giving Habitat the core group of volunteers needed to get started.  After two years of organizing, planning and fundraising, the affiliate began construction on their first house and completed it in the summer of 1992.  Since that first house build, Habitat has grown tremendously with many individuals and organizations in the community becoming actively involved.

David Ketchersid loves how successful Habitat has been in the community.  “Habitat is about people helping people.  I think it is great that Habitat has reached the 79 house level.  Due to the dedication and work of many individuals and a call and passion that would not stop, 79 families have new hope and essentially a new life.”

Bob Sain, a former president and longtime volunteer for Habitat, talks about why he works with Habitat.  “When you see the living conditions of some of these families: no heat or air, no beds to sleep on, some homes with no plumbing, you really want to help these families.  When the new home has been completed and you see a child’s face light up because they now have a decent, warm, safe place to sleep, you realize you have helped contribute to a better life for this child and the family.”

Local Habitat affiliates are unique in the fact that almost all support and direction comes from the local community.  “Every affiliate gets almost all of its support from the local community, whether it is volunteers, strategic planning, building donations or financial support,” commented Annie Kinworthy, Coordinator of Volunteer Services.  “We depend on area organizations and individuals to get involved with our cause and to help support it.  We’ve had many local organizations support us over the years and are very thankful for their dedication in making the community a better place to live for many families.”

Habitat Construction Volunteers

They come every Tuesday and Thursday morning, and stand ready when asked to come any other day, too.  They bring their tool belts, sack lunch, coffee and most importantly, the wealth of knowledge that can only be acquired with experience and a willingness to learn.  These men and women show up early to the job site, and work until the day is finished.  All work under the same principals; with excellent work ethic, precision, and heart!  At times they bleed, many times they sweat, and they actually enjoy it!  The best part?  They do it for free…they are the “regular” Habitat weekday construction volunteers, though there is nothing “regular” about them!

A few men have volunteered on the Habitat construction site since our formation in 1990; that was 79 houses ago!  Their blood, sweat and tears have literally been invested in every home.  While we have recently created a visual Habitat History Timeline, presented at the 20^th anniversary celebration last Thursday, these men are the best source for the facts!

The volunteers come from all walks of life, ranging from retired engineers, school teachers, office personnel, foresters; you name it!  So why do they come?  It depends on who you ask.  One will tell you how his father used to do construction, and that he feels good staying connected to the field.   Another will tell you how they are fulfilling a life-long goal of continuing to learn new things.  A married couple will probably say, “We are retired and now doing what we want to do!  We enjoy building homes!”  Some members of the team were recruited by their neighbors who knew they would enjoy the work. 

Enjoy the work?  Absolutely!  They will all tell you about the immeasurable sense of satisfaction gained from putting in a good day of honest, hard work for a cause.  The relationships made in working alongside the family for which they are volunteering is indeed a highlight to the job.

It is common to find the crew “cutting up” in the break trailer as they eat their lunches, and giving one another a hard time as they work.  They maintain a fun sense of camaraderie and welcome “newcomers” with a smile and a hammer.  When a large, inexperienced group of volunteers are scheduled to work on a Saturday, the regular volunteers will serve as crew leaders; volunteers who are skilled in one or several areas that can maintain/teach unskilled workers. 

It is hard to envision Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland carrying on our mission to build houses and hope with families in need of decent shelter without these men and women.  The Lord’s faithfulness and the hearts of these volunteers are the pillar by which we stand.  Thank you…regular construction volunteers, for being on our team and investing in Bradley County.  We cannot do this without your heart and dedication.  “The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others.” – DeAnn Hollis.

Below is a slide show highlight some of our weekly Habitat volunteers.

Habitat Volunteers from Habitat Cleveland on Vimeo.

ORBA and Habitat

The Ocoee Region Builders Association (ORBA) has been a long time supporter of Habitat for Humanity.  They have sponsored a home each year since 2005.  In addition to providing funding for these homes they also provide the bulk of the volunteer labor.  ORBA president, Charlotte Jones, says “Habitat provides such a wonderful way for various builders to come together to bless a family in our community.”  In addition to their annual build Habitat uses subcontractors through out the year that are members from ORBA. 

We would like to thank ORBA for their ongoing support and volunteer efforts. Here is a slideshow highlighting their involvement over the years.

ORBA from Habitat Cleveland on Vimeo.

OBRA is a non-profit that seeks to promote excellence in the home building industry.  You can learn more about ORBA by visiting their website, www.myorba.com.

In honor of our 20 Year Anniversary we will be featuring a different Habitat Partner for each of the 20 Days of our blitz build.  We celebrated 20 Years of Habitat this morning and we kicked off the Building Blocks house.  Today Whirlpool had a crew of volunteers on site hammering away to get the walls up.  Our partner for the day today is the City of Cleveland and Bradley County.  We are fortunate to live in a community that realizes the need for simple, decent affordable housing.  We would like to say thanks to all of our elected officials in the city and the county that have been working to help eradicate substandard housing in our community.

Here is a video of our partners symbolically nailing the first nails into our Building Blocks home at our 20 Year Celebration this morning.

The First Nails from Habitat Cleveland on Vimeo.

Click here to see a few pictures from the celebration this morning. 

Below is a write up recognizing the extensive work that the City of Cleveland and Bradley County has done to help us work towards the goal of eliminating substandard housing.  

Thank you for supporting Habitat!  Together we can build a stronger community!

City of Cleveland and Bradley County Partner with Habitat

In recent years the City of Cleveland and Bradley County have taken a hard look at the issue of affordable housing in Cleveland.  After looking at the local need, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work finding collaborative partnerships to help those in need. 

One successful partnership is between the City of Cleveland and Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland through the Community Development Block Grant program. This partnership has allowed the city to donate lots for home construction, provide down-payment assistance and most recently, provide funds to help build the infrastructure in Phase I and Phase II of Century Village. In turn, Habitat of Cleveland is currently building a total of 40 homes in Century Village, allowing hard working families, who otherwise may not have the opportunity, a chance to own their own home.

Bradley County’s most recent partnership with Habitat for Humanity was through the Bradley County HCI grant funding process to help build offices to use for program services.  This funding, in partnership with many other donors from the community, has increased Habitat’s capacity to serve more families, partner with more community organizations, build more homes and offer a variety of training opportunities for clients in the program.

“These partnerships with the City of Cleveland and Bradley County have increased our capacity to build more homes in the local area,” commented Matt Carlson, executive director of the local affiliate.  “Both local governments have fortunately stepped forward to help in many ways, which in turn allows us to put 100% of local community donations into home construction, benefiting more families.”

“We’re deeply appreciative of what Habitat has been able to accomplish in Cleveland over the years and very proud of the community involvement in helping local families in need,“ commented Mayor Rowland.  “Working together we can make a bigger impact and this successful partnership proves that we are making a difference.”

“It’s easy to see the growth of Habitat locally and their ability to help more families each year.  Besides Century Village, another example of Habitat’s strong presence in the local area is the new Habitat ReStore,” continued Rowland.  “There are so many positives to this concept of recycling donations, good prices, keeping millions of pounds from the landfill, and much more.  Also, the increased visibility at the new location is another way to remind us all of the work that needs to be done in the local community and how we can all make a difference in someone else’s life.“ 

Matt Carlson, Teresa Torbitt, Verrill Norwood signing papers to receive funding for the infrastructure of Century Village Subdivision. {tag_unsubscribe}

Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland invites you to celebrate our success of the past 20 years and to look toward our future of 

building hope in Bradley County.