As an Americorps member assigned to family services, I knew that I would be working with interesting people.  What I didn’t realize was how remarkable the families are! Their life stories are moving, endearing and heart rendering. Habitat’s vetting process for accepting families is thorough and deliberate.For families to go through the process and to be accepted into the Habitat program is vigorous. Our families are “cream of the crop” individuals who are hard workers, have strong ethics and who want to make a better life for their families by becoming homeowners. They realize the commitment of earning over 325 sweat equity hours through mandatory class attendance, constructing their home and representing Habitat at various functions. Their self confidence grows immeasurably.I feel honored to know our families and to work with them to help them achieve one of their life’s dreams.   

 

Written by Loretta Himmelsbach

Congratulations to HFHDC’s three nominees for the United Way Community Volunteer Awards! These awards recognize individuals, families, groups, and businesses who strengthen our community through volunteering.

Jim Peterson has been a regular volunteer with Habitat for five years.  He works in our warehouse coordinating operations there, maintaining inventory, and repairing equipment.  Jim has also created and coordinated Habitat’s efforts to recycle and reduce construction waste. 

Oregon High School’s Home Construction Course students have spent the last several months building a home for Habitat for Humanity of Dane County.  Building a 1 unit condo in a 4 unit building, the students were able to learn and practice their carpentry skills and gain a better understanding of Habitat’s affordable housing program in Dane County.  The unit will be sold to the Borntrager family in May.

Target Commercial Interiors not only provides financial support to Habitat, but makes an employee investment of time. The company provides employee volunteer support to HFHDC, is a major sponsor of the Benefit Dinner and Golf Outing, makes product donations to the Habitat ReStore and provides committee meeting space.

Thank you to all of this year’s nominees.  With your help, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is able to provide low-income families with the opportunity to own homes and provide safe, secure environments for their children.  Award winners will be announced April 22.

Written by Deb Kavalar

     On Saturday, February 20, three daring souls jumped into the freezing waters of Lake Monona, decked out in nail belts and hard hats in support of the Special Olympics.  Family Services Coordinator,  Angie Grim, Program Manager, Sue Chiaro, and Hospitality and Outreach Specialist, Deb Kavalar, participated in Special Olympics Wisconsin’s Polar Plunge at Madison’s Olin-Turville Park.  The team, representing Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, raised $565 for the cause.
     Since its first Polar Plunge in 1999, Special Olympics Wisconsin has held the event annually, and has grown to ten Polar Plunge locations statewide in 2010.  In Madison, this year 2,526 plungers raised roughly $430,000.  To learn more about Special Olympics Wisconsin or the Polar Plunge, please visit their website at http://www.specialolympicswisconsin.org

 

Habitat Young Professionals 

Starting with four committed Habitat supporters, in three short months HYP has raised over $2,000 towards their goal of fully funding a home. In November they had a successful kick-off wine tasting event that generated a buzz of interest.  More than fifty young professionals have participated in a HYP event, attended a monthly HYP social hour, or volunteered on a HYP build day.

Twenty-five Habitat Young Professional members, ranging in age from early 20’s to late 30’s come from a wide cross section of professions. They serve on HYP committees and are dedicated to improving the world around them by helping families through giving a hand up not a hand out.

If you consider yourself a young professional and want an opportunity to network for a cause, HYP offers social opportunities for individuals as well as activities that address the housing needs in Dane County.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our mission is to enrich Habitat for Humanity's partnerships by providing opportunities for young professionals to volunteer, advocate, and network with other positively-minded young professionals.

Visit HYPdanecounty.org for more information.

 

In honor or Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - deemed "A Day On, Not a Day
Off"- six AmeriCorps National Direct and VISTA members, currently
serving at Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, prepared and served a
meal at the Ronald McDonald House in Madison, WI.

Members prepared a meal for twenty people which included a chicken
enchilada casserole, Spanish rice, broccoli, rolls, and clementines.

The Ronald McDonald House provides a "home away from home" for
families whose children are undergoing treatment at Madison area
health facilities.  It allows families to stay together during an
often very difficult time.  For more information about the Ronald
McDonald House, please visit their website.
http://www.rmhcmadison.org/

Since 1994, the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday has been named
a national day of service - "a day on, not a day off".  To honor the
work that Dr. King did to advance equality, social justice, and
opportunity for all, Americans are encouraged to get out and serve
their communities.  To learn more about MLK Day or how you can serve,
visit http://www.mlkday.gov/

Wednesday: More Tuck Pointing, Concrete Block and Band, Measuring

On Monday, 200 people checked in the medical tent for heat stroke and
a little less that Tuesday. Bumrungrad, the largest private hospital in Southeast Asia, is a huge donor. Saudi Arabians go there to receive to quality treatment.
We receive exceptional treatment. Medical tourism is yet another emerging business in Thailand. In addition to heatstroke, our fingers have alkaline burns from the portland cement and dust from the concrete lingers in our lungs. We work with bandaged hands.

As we continue, it is as if this is our house too, not just the homeowners.
There are no specialized crews: roofing, tuck pointing, cleaning, door hanging, windows. There is just our little group of 12 on House 12, lead by Danny from Dallas, building Our House with the homeowners. Kiwis from New Zealand. HFH from Twin Cities. HFH from Dane County. Kelly and Kathy who were on the India Build.
Dan not only manages the work quality, but looks after our hydration and meals, encourages us, and makes us feel appreciated. He wears a hard hat shaped like a cowboy hat.

Tonight we eat another buffet style Thai meal for 2,000 people in the parking lot of a restaurant. The Americans want hamburgers and fries by now. Afterwards, we send off 4 ft tall lanterns heated by kerosene into the sky, hundreds it seems.

Thursday: The Roof

Today was the first day there power was on the job,  a squeal not heard before.
The American Consulate sends over extra people to help us with the roof and some stay to help, to our great relief. They clean the mortar off the floor before it hardens, move scaffold and help finish the tuck pointing.

Tonight, to my surprise, I have dinner with the homeowner and meet their children at an affiliate appreciation dinner. The older daughter is not shy and proceeds to touch and unravel my knitting yarn which facinates her.

-Homeowner Profile: Boonsong and Karagate Thongwee and Family-
Karagate Thongwee goes by the nickname "Grace." She and her husband have two daughters, 6 and 3 years old. Grace recently began working full time for Habitat for Humanity, and her husband is a construction worker. They live with five other people in her older sister's small house. Grace says there are too many people living together, and she thinks the environment is bad for the children. Grace plans to sell food in her new community, and her husband plans to help people add extensions on their houses. "I'm so happy to live in this new neighborhood, my mind has already moved in!" Grace said. "I'm excited to get to know everyone in the neighborhood. I want to watch the trees grow big and live here forever!"

Friday: The Last Day

My hope is Boonsong, the homeowner, gets enough work to come visit the United States with his family, if that is his inclination. Other long time Carter build volunteers have seen their homeowners come to a US Carter Build. I wear socks I had already knit and show them to the older daughter of the family.

The Carters take photos in the morning with each of the 82 families and their crews.

We work a light day. Cleaning, landscaping, installing the front walkway.

The closing ceremony includes an amateur show of swords by one of the homeowners, dancing, and popping party favors. We leave hoping to come back someday to be a witness for the growth of this community.

The final day of building at this year’s Carter Work Project was exhausting, emotional and rewarding, as volunteers hurried to finish construction and honor the 82 homeowner families with individual house dedication ceremonies. The presence of dozens of homeowners’ children (allowed on site for this special occasion) was a joyful reminder that it is all about the families. “Their hopes and dreams now have a chance to flourish,” said Habitat for Humanity Thailand president Chainarong Monthienvichienchai.

HFHDC's Construction Assistant Janet Chen was part of this year's Carter Work Project. Her posts about the experience are listed below.

Written by Deborah Kavalar, HFHDC's Hospitality and Outreach Specialist
On Tuesday afternoon, Habitat Restore's Kathleen Van Den Wymelenberg and I ran a Recycled Art event at the Pinney Branch of the Madison Public Library.  The event was a part of a sustainability speaker/event series that has been running at the
branch throughout the Fall.

We gathered all kinds of materials from the Habitat ReStore – PVC pipe, washers, springs, tiles, and other unidentified constructable objects.  We had eleven children, ages 2-12, participate in the event. They picked out their media and started to create their masterpieces.

Creations ranged from egg carton spiders to tiles with faces.  We had PVC pipe aliens and Marble launchers.  The kids had a great time and so did we!

From Janet Chen, AmeriCorps Construction Assistant, who is working on the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in the countries of Thailand, Vietnam, China, Cambodia and Laos

3 am, wake up.
Wait till 5 am for hotel breakfast.
Tom the HFH Disaster Relief instructor and I sign up for a zipline tour of the jungle (treetopasia.com.)
An hour out of the city, in the mountains, cooler, near streams and waterfalls, it is an eco-tourism with ziplines and platforms in the jungle. 22 platform or 30 platform courses. An eco-adventure/amusement ride, we scream in terror to unseen platforms hanging from body harnesses and almost pee our pants freefall drop from tree top to tree bottom. An interesting concept, the local people earn money from tourism: serving meals, handing towels, carrying ice to fill chests with water and beer. 10 percent is donated to preserving monkeys.  Additional industries include harvesting coffee, tea , and wild honey. Tom wanders to a vacation house under construction. Buildings are well maintained round wood timber construction with dimensional wood roof framing, steep grades, and big smooth rock boulders.

4 pm opening ceremonies
There is a faux food market set up to introduce us to Thai culture. A square with stalls on three sides and a band in the middle. Fresh sugar cane, blood and pork rice, sweet rice in bamboo, tiger balm tea.

There is also a faux craft market. No bargaining allowed.

We sit at round tables in a long wide path flanked on either side by trees in formal elaborate gardens with a temple high above a flight of stairs at the end. Big screen tvs on the sides show the speakers. Dinner is buffet style, not memorable.
We end early, advised no matter what complaint to end it with the statement "and that's how I want it." On the way out, the homeowners are standing together in a roped area. Tom runs thru them yelling his house number, a house he is leading.
 "77! Who is 77?" A man and a baby are pushed forward. He gives them a big, goofy, sloppy American hug. A warm and fuzzy moment.
Tomorrow: 3,000 volunteers.

Monday, Nov. 16, House 12
The site is an hour away. A Habitat ghetto or sorts, it is 82 house neighborhood on a grid, streets and curbcuts, located in an abandoned orchard. The King of Thailand is 82 years old.
Typical staging similar to the US:
Big container for groups of houses; Lock box for each house; Bundles of roofing material for each house; Stacks of concrete bricks in the house; Metal roof trusses behind the house; and Portapotties

Dan from Texas is our House Leader. We have Kiwis from New Zealand and some Twin Cities folks, 15 of us. Already existing, the slab and first eight courses.
We put up the next eight courses and the solid wood door and window frames.

2 pm, 200 of us leave for a VIP dinner for sponsors.
It is in another garden setting, food served in islands of different foods, live traditional music, and demo of carving melons into artwork. A special treat for us: celebrity sitings in addition to the Carters. Jet Li is one I recognize.
Christine Odom of HFHI and her assistant Ned greet and give gratitude to all the doners, even me. She pointedly wants to thanks even the small affiliates: warmly looking forward to meeting Perry, remembering Madison.

The three of us look at the sky while lanterns glowing with flames are launched into the night sky until they look like constellations. Ned has advised Christine against launching 1,000 lanterns, fearing they may cause fires. We comment how this would not be done in the US. Even with hosting thank you events, traveling to Vietnam and back, and demands for her attentions it was a moment of taking a breath to enjoy the evening with Christine.

Tuesday, Nov. 16: House 16

Jet Li was working on House 16 so I go there for the morning. It is a HFH China and Woman Build House. After taking papparazzi photos and talking to the women, I returned to House 12. We level, stack blocks and headers, move scaffolding around, prepare for roof trusses.

It has been 105 degrees F. Old trees left from the orchard give us shade. The Korean group in House 13 have no shade and huddle by our house. An American woman living in Bangkok says normally builders put up a roof first so the workers can be shaded.
Not in our case.

We return to the hotel after day two in the sun.
Dinner is 40 minutes away, buffet style, not much better than the lunches served at the worksite or the hotel food. The tired mob returns home dreaming of working under roofs.

 

AmeriCorps Construction Assistant Janet Chen is representing Habitat for Humanity of Dane County on the 26th Annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. The project is building or repairing 166 homes in Thailand, Vietnam, China, Cambodia and Laos. All countries that border the Mekong River. The project runs from Nov. 15-20. Here are some notes from Janet about her journey.

From Janet Chen ...

The travel was paranoid (forced to check in trowels, passport momentarily lost) but uneventful. Watched Julie/Julia, 500 days of Summer, Time Travellers Wife, tv, pandas. The China Airlines served sashimi on potato salad and after not eating for hours and it was heavenly.

I arrived at the Lotus Hotel and immediately washed my clothes in the tub. There is a laundry line in the bathroom, but unfortunately it does not pull out . In the elevator, there was a group of folks from Milwaukee.

Changed money. Got a haircut for 220 baht. (33 baht = 1 US dollar.) Yes, I travelled to Thailand to get a 220 baht haircut, including tip. In NYC, there are stylists from Shanghai who cut hair for $5. The Thai barber was better than the Shanghair barber. Asian and african hair is thick and sticks up if not thinned and I rarely get a good cut.  And they washed the white paint out too.

The alley behind the hotel is full of parking lots and street food vendor stands. Taipei is similar. My grandfather took us out to lunch and paid .50 for four of us.  A drink for 5 baht. Catfish in bannana leaf, brains in bannana leaf, and rice fo 40 baht. Other stands: whole fish on glowing coals, deep fry, smoothies. How does Pizza Hut compete?

On the way to the internet store I walked thru a night market. Was this the famous night market? Are there several? It is mostly clothes, though it is hard to tell by flashlight. They told us to bring a flashlight.

The water smells of mold, like the rooms in AL. It is 91 degrees F.