The Womens` Build Begins
Transcription
The Womens` Build Begins
H omesteader the The Womens’ Build Begins www.hfhplymouth.org W By Roz Jones and Stephanie Baker e are excited to report progress on the Kingston Women Build project. As we reported in the fall, the Town of Kingston generously provided us with the land on Grove Street. We have the deed and have recently received the building permit! We are now actively working on getting bids for the excavation and foundation work and hope to break ground as soon as March. Once the initial excavation is done we will be in need of volunteers to help with the foundation which will be made of Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF’s). This will be our 3rd Habitat home using this energy efficient technology. Like other Habitat homes, it is a true collaboration of community, business and volunteers. Lowe’s is the national underwriter of Women Build projects and a partner with the Women Build division of Habitat for Humanity International. At various phases of the project Lowe’s in Kingston will provide workshops on basic construction skills for the volunteers. These valuable workshops will not only be useful on the project, but volunteers can also put their learned skills to good use in their own homes. Another unique aspect of this project is that it is being constructed as an energy efficient What’s Inside President’s Message p2 Braley Road Update p4 Farewell to Father Crowley Habitat Restore Walking the Talk Taste of Plymouth p4 p5 p5 p7 Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth, Inc. home. The project will utilize processes and materials that help to promote both environmental preservation and energy efficiency. Joining us in excitement about this build is our Habitat Partner family, the Silvia’s. The year 2008 has the makings of a GREAT one for Kathy and Jason Silvia and their four children Kleo age 10, Noah age 6, Hannah age 2 and nine month old Jonah, for this is the year that construction of their home in Kingston will begin! Jason, a Restorative Nursing Assistant at Life Care Center in Plymouth and Kathy, a hairdresser at Master Cuts in the Independence Mall, are very excited about their future. “We feel extremely blessed to have been given the gift of a brand new start in a brand new house,” remarked Kathy. “We will now have what we need – a home of our own and a sense of security.” The Silvia’s see this house as more than a structure to keep them dry from the rain and warm from the cold. They see it as the culmination of hard work, unconditional love, faith and wisdom – all ideals that they consider to be building blocks of their family. The chance to build the house from the ground up, along side the volunteers, will have quite an impact on this family. They will now be able to give their children something they believed was unattainable - a home to call their own, a place where they will always belong. The children have already begun claiming bedrooms and choosing colors for the walls. Coming from cramped quarters in their two bedroom rental home where she shares a room with two of her siblings, Kleo is really looking forward to having a home with more space. She’s excited about Spring/Summer 2008 having privacy for some alone time, having room to play, color and call friends on the phone. Their new home will be handicapped accessible, which will be important for Jonah, who eventually will need a wheelchair. Kathy is (Front to back, L-R) The Silvia family: Kleo, Noah, also excited that their Jason, Jonah, Kathy and Hannah. home will be a Women Build. She feels that this community involved parents. will set a great example for all of HFHGP, with the help of our her children. Their daughters will committed volunteers and generlearn that women have the ability ous donors, is very pleased to be to take charge and go after whatable to offer this worthy family a ever inspires them. It will also new start in life. teach their sons to have more rePlease stay tuned for upcomspect for the abilities and aspiraing developments on this build by tions of women. What a terrific checking the website and staying opportunity they will have to witup to date on progress. We are exness this first hand! cited to get started working with Kathy and Jason Silvia feel the Silvia family and look forward truly blessed by the chance they to everyone’s participation in have been given and look forward Women Build! ■ to becoming homeowners and S p o t l i g h t R e v. D i c k C o l e m a n By Kelly Robson I recently had the chance to speak with Reverend Dick Coleman, Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of Special Projects with HfH. Like most folks involved with Habitat, Rev. Coleman tirelessly dedicates his time to help those in need. He not only has offered 8 years of service with HfH in the local community, but has spent a substantial amount of time down in the New Orleans region, which still remains in need of vast amounts of rebuilding. Two weeks following the initial devastation in that region, Rev. Coleman went down as part of the Red Cross National Team. He explained that at that time, only those with specific clearance could get into the city, like damage assessment personnel. He then went on to work in the Baton Rouge, www.hfhplymouth.org Continued on page 4 Page 1 The President’s Perspective 38 North Main Street P.O. Box 346 Carver, MA 02330 (508) 866-4188 Email: [email protected] Website: www.hfhplymouth.org OFFICERS President: Donna Fernandes Vice President: Judy Randall Secretary: Diane Phinney Treasurer: Anne Soares BOARD OF DIRECTORS Reverend Dick Coleman Lorraine Enos Donna Fernandes Charlene Flaherty Eleanor Hanford Joan Hoye Carol Johnson Dottie Kelley Carol King Donna Martin Eunie McCarron Geni Medeiros Nancy Muckle Diane Phinney Judy Randall Doug Raymond Ann Soares Arnie Thorell COMMITTEE CHAIRS Church Relations Arnie Thorell Construction Nancy Morse & Steve Dyer Family Partnership Carol Johnson Family Selection Dottie Kelley Finance Nancy Muckle Fundraising Geni Medeiros Marketing & Webmaster Judy Randall Public Relations Diane Phinney Nominating Ellen Nix Site Selection Eleanor Hanford & Carol King & Danielle Justo Special Projects Allen Hanford Volunteer Coordinator Donna Martin AFFILIATE MANAGER Bill Slater For over a year, meeting every week if necessary, our dedicated Construction Committee carefully planned and prepared for our first “green” build. Their tireless efforts came to fruition when volunteers began the build on Braley Road in Plymouth in September. This build is our first Donna Fernandes President of HFHGP “LEED” certified home. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifies the energy efficiency of the home from the beginning stages of the land acquisition, through the land clearing process to the finished product. It includes an assessment of the materials used in the home assuring them to be sustainable and monitors them for their duration. Nancy Morse, Past President of HFHGP, Co-Chairs this committee with Stephen Dyer, PLS of Cubellis Corporation. Steve too, has been with the affiliate for several years and is a dedicated volunteer serving in numerous ways with his expertise. Other key members of the committee include David G. Drain, P.E., Daniel Tousignant, PMP, MA Construction Supervisor, Allison Strassel, Architectural Designer, and Jennifer Drain, Architectural Designer, ArchiPlicity, Inc. Our Women Build project is slated for Spring 2008. The home will be built on land on Grove Street which was given to us by the Town of Kingston. The timeline for this project has been ongoing for 2 years as the affiliate and Construction Committee, with the help of our past Vice President and pro bono Attorney Ben Fernandez, had to adjust to changing and updating rules and regulations of the Town of Kingston and Department of Housing and Community Development in order to obtain the required permitting. Lowe’s of Kingston is partnering with HFHGP on this project and will be providing learning clinics to provide educational and building skills for interested women. We have many women anxiously waiting to volunteer on this build. Joanie Winberg of The Happy Wednesday Foundation has been diligently working on the fundraising aspect of this important project. Our new Fundraising Chair, Geni Medeiros, and many others have worked hard to make 2007 a very financially positive year for HFHGP. The affiliate was truly blessed with many fundraising events as well as generous donations from local businesses, local churches and our database of giving partners. Some of the events held this year were; Mike Carver’s Birthday Bash (Many thanks to Mike for choosing HFHGP as recipients.) Warm Hearts Warm Homes Gala (Many thanks to Donna Daylor & Anne Soares, & their committee!) Women in Wine Fundraiser at East Bay Grille, Plymouth Art, Wine and All That Jazz Climb Up at Lighthouse Fitness in Plymouth Comedy Night at 14 Union in Plymouth www.hfhplymouth.org The Josh Gracin /American Idol Pre-Party at Memorial Hall in Plymouth Dancing With Realtors (Thank you Plymouth & South Shore Association of Realtors!!) Annual Carver Holiday House Tour (Thanks go to Marianne MacLeod and her Committee. The eight beautifully decorated homes displaying Christmas spirit were truly outstanding!) The 4th of July Parade in Plymouth (Thanks to those who walked and to Pat Mudgett for build ing a mini-house complete with window boxes & curtains which was pulled in the parade by our re cently donated pickup truck and utility trailer. It was great exposure for Habitat and a fun event! This year, we have gained the professional services of Grantwriter, Claudia Stroud. Her efforts generated several grants for us; a combination grant package of $40,000.00 donated by the Federal Home Loan Bank for the amount of $30,000.00 and Bridgewater Savings Bank, the sponsor bank, for $10,000. In addition, we received a grant from Home Depot for $2500. Claudia was a Habitat Director in Western Mass, has an extensive background in Habitat’s mission and is very knowledgeable in the grant writing field. Another accomplishment for HFHGP was the opening of the first ReStore in Eastern Massachusetts! The store, located in Carver, offers discounted new and slightly used building materials to the general public. This will help people repair and care for their homes and will also reduce the construction industry’s burden on waste by diverting perfectly good materials from landfills and providing them to homeowners. HFHGP will share in the financial gain as the affiliate will be able to build more affordable homes and grow with the monies acquired from this venture. Structure and standardization of all Habitat organizations became evident this year as Habitat International presented all affiliates with a Domestic Affiliation Agreement. This agreement reaffirms the mission and purpose of Habitat. It also requires various policies to be in place and dictates guidelines for all Habitat affiliates. Many hours of discussion and study of this agreement were completed by the Board to enable us to approve and adopt the requirements. Bill Slater has completed another year with HFHGP as our Manager. His natural abilities to coordinate our day-to-day activities, communicate to everyone throughout our organization and to the general public and to “manage” our affiliate affairs overall, has enabled us to grow and move forward in positive momentum. In closing, I have felt very privileged to have had the opportunity to work and enjoy the people who volunteer for our affiliate. The true character of every person who contributes to this affiliate is shown through a deep inner drive to help those who are less fortunate. The one common factor that we each share is the simple desire to give of ourselves to make this world a better place for all by building one, safe, affordable home at a time. ■ Page 2 News from the Local Homefront Meet Our New Board Members By Leticia Santos Nancy Muckle, Financial Administrator, has been involved with Habitat for Humanity for the last three years. She began volunteering her time through the support of various events alongside her husband. Her most rewarding moment with Habitat for Humanity was the opportunity to see a chosen family’s reaction of excitement and enjoyment towards their new home built by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth. Nancy chose to become a part of the Board in order to develop into a hands-on contributor. By being on the Board, she hopes to apply her business, organizational and networking skills to assist in the financial area and promote Habitat for Humanity in the community. “I want to support organizations and causes that I am passionate about and insure my major interest of supplying homes and services to those who are less fortunate.” said Nancy. Nancy is the CEO of Muckle & Associates, a company that performs sales and marketing outsourcing for technology companies. In addition to being on the Board, she is also Chairman of the Business Advisory Board for the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Program Co Chair for the Association for Information and Management of New England.■ Anne Soares, Board Treasurer, has been a part of Habitat for Humanity for the past two years. She began her involvement with Habitat as a member of the Gala Committee, of which she is now Co-Chair, and also aided with the family selection process. Her most rewarding moment with Habitat for Humanity was being a part of choosing a family for a home. She decided to join the Board in order to have a bigger voice in the organization. “By being on the Board, I hope to develop clear long terms goals that can be accomplished over the next three, five, and ten years and create a solid plan to achieve them”, said Anne. Anne is a full-time auditor with State Street Corporation. Her position as an auditor allows her to enjoy great travel opportunities. She cur- rently resides in Plymouth, MA where she enjoys doing yard work, reading and traveling. ■ Lorraine Enos, a volunteer for HFHGP for several years, is now ready to become more involved! “My experience on the Family Selection Committee has increased my awareness of the importance of HFH’s work,” she said. “I am excited to join the Board and be a part of the continued growth of HFHGP.” A resident of Plymouth for 32 years, Lorraine is the mother of three sons and grandmother of three. She is Branch Manager of the Plymouth Office of Eastern Bank, is active with the Rotary Club, is on the Old Colony YMCA Board and volunteers for the Plymouth Philharmonic and the Plymouth Guild. Your broad experience will continue to be a great asset to us in your role as a member of our Board of Directors. Eunie McCarron joined HFHGP two years ago when she started helping to clear the lot for Karen Wood’s home in Kingston. She then moved on to help on the Burton home in Plymouth. Even though she didn’t have a lot of carpentry skills or other home building skills, she says, “I was able to use my trusty hammer and good old elbow grease! I’m now an expert at caulking windows!” A caring individual and people-person, Eunie found her niche on the Family Selection Committee. “As a nurse and through my Habitat work, I am aware of the terrible living conditions some families have to live in. Yes, I struggled as a young divorced mother of two children, but my living conditions were nowhere near as deplorable as some of the families I have been in contact with through Habitat,” she added. Eunie has also joined the Family Partner Committee and is the liaison who will continue helping homeowner Jackie Scarpino and her children after they move into their Plymouth home. “It’s a rewarding experience to contribute in some way to helping a family obtain decent housing. As with everyone else, I have a busy life, but it feels so good to know you are helping to make a difference in someone else’s life. It’s also a reminder to me of how fortunate I am in my own life.”■ www.hfhplymouth.org Fund Development Update By Geni Medeiros 2008 is promising to be a good year for fund development with some new and exciting fund raisers and some old ones revamped! This year we are planning a Poker Run with the Upland Riders for June 1st. The Upland Riders are just as excited about this as we are. They have put together a fantastic committee to make sure our first bike run is a successful one. The Jones River Village Society has agreed to help us plan a breakfast fundraiser which will be a great family event that all the kids will enjoy. The Jones River Village Society has much experience with this kind of fund raiser as they do them all summer long at the Bradford house in Kingston. Look for a Habitat breakfast later this year! Also this year we are planning an online auction which we have not done before. We are going to need some help with this one, so please let us know if you are interested in helping out. The annual Gala has been revamped! Look for the Taste Of Plymouth this April, the 26th to be exact, at Party Lite Headquarters in Plymouth. The Fat City Band is on board for the entertainment that night and there will be door prizes, raffles, balloon pops and more! We are going to vote on the best food in town and we are hopeful that the winning restaurant will be featured on WHDH, The Dish with Frances Rivera! This is a huge event that takes a lot of work and organization to pull off. We are in need of energetic people to help out on this committee. All of our events would not be possible without the dedicated volunteers and local businesses that support us. So I would like to thank each and every one of them for all of their help and support. Habitat for Humanity is truly a community service and a community group.■. Cars for Homes If you or someone you know has a vehicle they’d like to donate to Habitat, call our local office at 508-866-4188 or call toll free 1-877-277-4344 or visit www.carsforhomes.org A donation will help your local habitat build homes in partnership with families in need of decent, affordable shelter. Page 3 FFarewell arewell tto o FFather ather CCrowley ro w l e y By Diane Phinney He blesses our Habitat homes, prays for us and for all those in need. He leads us by keeping us focused on our Mission when we sometimes get bogged down by the weight of the difficulties of our responsibilities. He brings big smiles to our faces with his droll sense of humor. Who?? Father Richard Crowley, Pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Middleboro, and Board Member of HFHGP! Father Crowley’s first involvement with Habitat for Humanity was back in 1987 when he was the Pastor at St. Francis of Assisi in Braintree where he arranged to provide space in the Father Richard Crowley church for South Shore Habitat. Then when he came to Sacred Heart in 1998, and we were building a home in Middleboro, he began serving on our Board. Interestingly, Father Crowley didn’t start out planning to become a priest. He was born in Lowell, spent most of his life in Milton and graduated in 1959 from Boston College where he majored in French Literature. The closeness that his family had with St. Mary’s parish in Milton is what drew him to St. John’s Seminary where he was ordained in 1964. He is one of five sons and he and two other middle brothers all became parish priests. He served for a short time at Holy Family in Duxbury and then went to St. Joseph’s in Holbrook for 23 years. While in Holbrook, he also served as the Chaplain at Brockton Hospital for 10 years. In addition to being Pastor at Sacred Heart for 10 years, for the past two of them, he has also been Pastor at St. Rose of Lima in Rochester. Since 2003, he has been Secretary of Middleboro on the Move, an organization committed to downtown improvement. Personal interests include playing the drums, taking piano lessons and wood carving. Father Crowley will be ending his second term on our Board of Directors and we truly will miss him!! He expresses admiration for his fellow Board members saying, “I’m inspired by the people on the Board who are so dedicated to Habitat’s goals.” In turn, his fellow Board members have been greatly inspired by him. ■ Continued from page 1 Spotlight Rev. Coleman LA area performing client assistance where folks were provided with money cards to buy necessities greatly needed at the time. Rev. Coleman described how “one year following the disaster, there were big piles of junk and debris, which are finally gone now. Some homes don’t look bad from the outside but inside, all that’s left are studs.” Some homeowners left the area and did not return. To make rebuilding a neighborhood plausible, you have to have infrastructure, i.e. jobs, schools, grocery stores, so to rebuild a home for one person at a time without the needed infrastructure to support the folks remaining there was not always feasible. “It’s easier to build someplace new, with let’s say, 35 homes together, where people also have jobs to go to.” The goal in the area of East Tamnany Township, further inland from New Orleans is approx. 100 homes. He states that approx. 80 homes have been completed. He helped build homes further inland and states, “the homes are built 3ft. off the ground and this costs extra.” All told, he spent 1 month there with the Red Cross, plus an additional two weeks, and then three more weeks this past November with the Christian Reform Church in Port Arthur, TX helping recovery efforts following Hurricane William. This work included lots of roofs and some total rehabs. These folks stay Update on Braley Road Build By Carolyn Trask Construction at the Braley Road site has made GREAT progress this winter. Nancy Morse, Construction Committee Co-Chair, reported that the exterior of the home is now enclosed. The last few windows were installed the first week of February and the interior is ready for plumbing. The siding was started the last week of January, and was already half way completed by the end of February. The roof is finished and ready for solar panels to be installed by Steve Pitney and his crew at Alternate Energy Inc. Steve has generously worked on the grant that will pay for the panels and will volunteer his labor for installation. The interior is currently framed out and five tireless volunteers from Glynn Electric finished the wiring in just one weekend. The house is coming together very quickly despite the cold during these past winter months. Waiting anxiously for completion are Jackie Scarpino and her three children. Jackie has been working right along side the volunteers and has witnessed the construction of her home from start to finish. “It has been amazing working with all of you and all the volunteers,” remarked Jackie. “Week after week people return and give their time to help build my family’s home. I can’t ever say thank you enough .As things get closer I feel a new beginning for us coming closer. I just can’t wait until it’s finished so we can have a place to call home. And we couldn’t have done it without the help of all of you!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!” With our team of wonderful, committed volunteers & the advent of Spring, we predict that the Scarpino family will be in their home before they know it! ■ for 1 or 2 years and rotate teams of 16-25 people to work on 3-4 houses at a time. About 2 yrs ago, Rev. Coleman described his enjoyment at being part of the annual Jimmy Carter Build, which moves around and is not always in the U.S. Sometimes other countries are involved and it is “one long week, with the day shifts starting early in the a.m. and you work late, or you sometimes start at 5p.m. and work overnight. The homes are built from the ground up by teams of 25 in that one week!” He hopes to be a part of this again. He also describes taking teams of high school seniors during spring break to build homes down south for Habitat when he was a Pastor going back about 25 years ago! Lo- www.hfhplymouth.org cally he has been involved in all the builds except one and finds it rewarding when the home is finished and someone can move in. In addition to his work with Habitat and relief efforts, he finds time to enjoy fine woodworking, completing a table, chest and cabinets which sometimes takes up to a year. He also writes books for pastors and other scholars, with his most recent entitled, “Eden’s Garden, Rethinking Sin and Evil in an Era of Scientific Promise” He and his wife Ruth have 3 daughters and six grandchildren. We’d like to express our thanks for all Rev. Coleman has contributed over the years to the community, near and far, and to Habitat for Humanity. ■ Page 4 Habitat ReStore Up and Running pre-primed molding — a generous donation from Boston Cedar. This The first Habitat ReStore in donation, said Doug, “was made eastern Massachusetts officially to assist us in our homes and in opened just before Thanksgiving. our future.” He went on to explain According to manager Doug Raythat enough molding was donated mond, the store is off to a good start, with many bargains available. to be used in two current builds by Greater Plymouth Habitat, with a Remodelers may be interested significant portion offered to in the ReStore’s supply of quality South Shore Habitat and the rest now available in the ReStore at a great price. There are many other products that might interest homeowners and remodelers. Most items are new, including Quoizel and Murray Feiss light fixtures and Emerson fan lights. Doug also T ues., Thurs., Fri. & Sat. 10am-5:30pm; has on hand lots Wednesday 10am-12:30pm of basic electri~ Closed Sunday and Monday ~ cal supplies, By Peg Hall RE S TORE HOURS : By Diane Phinney stainless steel face plates, drawer hardware, Pella back doors with thermal glass, and more. One aim of the ReStore is to keep surplus building materials out of landfills. A good example is a donation from Home Depot, Plymouth of many buckets of 16penny nails. Another recent donation reflects the Restore’s concern for the environment. Covanta SEMASS, located in West Wareham, has partnered with the ReStore to provide thermostats at a discount price. Customers can purchase these devices to replace old mercury thermostats, and can bring the old thermostats to the Restore for proper disposal. Simply place the thermostat in a zipped plastic bag. Covanta will pick up mercury thermostats that are brought to the ReStore and will dispose of them in an environmentally safe manner. The ReStore is always in need of donations. Check the list at the right to see what is needed. When- Walking the Talk ! Matt & Karen Glynn, owners of Glynn Electric which is located at 11 Resnik Road, Plymouth, are true examples of people who “walk the talk”. Giving back is a part of their very nature and HFHGP is fortunate to be recipients of their generosity. Interestingly, we almost weren’t! After attending a presentation done by HFHGP at their church, the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Kingston, Matt left his card saying that he’d like to do all the electrical work for us. But as sometimes happens in volunteer organizations, someone dropped the ball and no one called him back! After waiting quite a while, but being a person not willing to give up on something he believed in, he called Habitat International and offered to do the electrical work for all Habitat houses in the State of Massachusetts! They in turn contacted us and someone finally called him back…and lucky for us, they did! While Glynn Electric had the manpower to supply the labor, Matt still needed the electrical materials in order to make his idea work. So, he decided to contact Phyllis Godwin, the owner of Granite City Electric, whom he had known for over 20 years. He describes her as a “wonderful woman” who was “absolutely” in agreement with his idea of forming a partnership. His plan worked beautifully! Glynn Electric supplies the labor and Granite City Electric donates all the needed electrical materials for our builds! Since 2004, Glynn Electric and Granite City have been teaming up to do the electrical work on all our houses and they plan to continue working with us on every house we do in the future! As a matter of fact, when we spoke, an 8 man team was about to head out to work on the Braley Road build. Glynn Electric has been in business for 22 years and employees 200 people. They are electrical contractors who do commercial, residential and medical work. Extremely civic minded, Glynn Electric and its employees have helped many other organizations such as; the ARC, The Boys and Girl’s Club, the Philharmonic, www.hfhplymouth.org The ReStore can use your donations of new… • light fixtures • bathroom fixtures • windows • wood trim • tools • white latex paint • paint rollers • paint brushes • drop cloths • painter’s tape • wallpaper • gloves • goggles • tool belts • kneepads • and Buildable Property! Also welcome are used hand tools & how-to books. ever possible, multiples of items are preferred. To schedule a time to bring in a donation, simply call Doug during store hours at 508-866-4199. Volunteers are still needed to staff the ReStore. If you are interested, just call Doug . After you’ve visited, spread the word that the ReStore is a great place to shop! ■ Breast Cancer research, Cape Cod Hospital, South Shore Hospital, Cardinal Spellman, Jordan Hospital and Harvard Pilgrim. Matt and his employees, along with Project Manager, Dave Manley, work together on these volunteer undertakings. “This is a great team-building experience & I challenge other companies to do the same thing!” said Matt. “We all enjoy it, it’s a great cause and we get to meet the families who are moving in.” HFHGP is indebted to Glynn Electric, its employees and to Granite City Electric. It’s people like them who make it possible to do the work we do for those in need of affordable housing. Their contributions are enormous and are passed on to the homeowners by lowering the cost of their homes. If you’d like to take the Glynn Challenge and become involved with HFHGP, just call us!! We could use the help of companies in the business of; framing, concrete work, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, siding, painting, excavating, etc. Come join our team!! ■ Page 5 Volunteer Spotlights Andrew Cavanaugh Let us introduce you to an amazing young man! When he first heard about HFHGP from Father Crowley at Sacred Heart Church in Middleboro where he was an altar boy, Andrew Cavanaugh, a third grader, wanted to jump right in and help. Disappointed to find out that he was too young to work at the building sites, he was, never the less, determined to find another way to help. It was about that time that he got his first commercial job as an actor and he told his parents, Ann & David, that he knew how he could help. As soon as he got his first paycheck, he put part of it in an envelope, marched to the church and handed it to Father Crowley as a donation for HFHGP! What prompted such heartfelt generosity at such a young age? Ann, his mom, quoted Luke 12:48, “For those to whom much has been given, much shall be required.” As I spoke to his mother, I came to realize that Andrew has many God-given talents. These talents were also nurtured by wise and loving parents, caring mentors and a learned pastor (plus a great deal of self determination and hard work) and have given birth to a truly amazing young man. Andrew, a ninth grade Honor Student at Middleboro High School and an actor trained at The Burt Wood School of Performing Arts, has appeared locally in 14 plays and 9 films. Also a musician, he plays the Euphonium in school bands (1st Chair in Junior Districts), in Marty Hartford’s Tuesday Night Blues Band, in The Middleboro Chowder and Marching Society and in The South Shore Bay Band in Duxbury. In addition, he sings with his mother and grandfather in the adult choir at Sacred Heart Church. Andrew has been in scouting for many years and currently is assistant Senior Patrol Leader and holds the rank of Star. Truly a well-rounded fellow, he’s on the cross country and winter track teams at MHS too. “Andrew doesn’t leave himself much time to get into trouble,” said his Mom. “He’s a good, downto-earth kid…we’re trying to raise him right.” Each time he has received a paycheck for the past five years, Andrew has made a trip to see Father Crowley with an envelope in hand. His generous contributions have helped us build homes for four families (22 people) in need of affordable housing. Andrew Ca- By Diane Phinney vanaugh has many talents but the greatest one, in our opinion, is his generous heart. From all of us at HFHGP, we thank you, Andrew! ■ Pat Mustacaros Pat Mustacaros goes way back….. as a volunteer for Habitat, that is! Before most of us were involved in Habitat, she was volunteering in the office every week. She started helping out back in 2002 just after she retired from her position with Brockton Schools where she taught school for 34 years. She really loved teaching 2nd grade and missed it! But, once she retired, she had more time and began thinking about getting involved in something where she could give back. She decided on working with Habitat. “I’ve been fortunate in life and working with Habitat is a great way to give back,” she said. “Habitat isn’t a giveaway program. It is not free. People have to prove their worth and work alongside the volunteers and build their own homes.” She really enjoys talking with the Habitat home owners who call into the office. She also sends other deserving people in our direction because she truly believes in our mission. She met her husband, Jim, at an organization called “New Beginnings” which meets at the United Methodist Church in Plymouth. They have been married for 1 ½ years and she has already recruited him into working for Habitat! Pat’s other interests include reading, animals (especially cats) and working on their antique cape-style home in Plympton. She belongs to the Plympton Historical Society and the Plympton Garden Club. Pat, we thank you for giving so much to Habitat over the years and we’re looking forward to having your husband join us, as together we work to build affordable homes for those in need. YOU are much appreciated!! Thanks so much for all you do!! ■ Charlene Flaherty Hat’s off to Charlene Flaherty! For about four years, she’s been helping Bill Slater, our Manager, in the office www.hfhplymouth.org once a week! Her duties include updating the data base with skill survey sheets, sending thank you notes, posting donations, doing bills, answering the phone and making bank deposits. She even fills in for Bill when he’s on vacation. In addition, Charlene, a member of two camera clubs, is the main photographer on the PR Committee. When photos are needed, we call Charlene! She’s taken photos at fundraising events, of board members, of Habitat family members, at Groundbreakings and Dedications. She even monitors the progress of the builds by taking photos of our homes at different stages of development which we use on our website & for publicity. Charlene became involved with HFHGP after her husband, Gerard, passed away in 2002. He had helped on several builds and so enjoyed working with us that he had often suggested that Charlene become involved too. At the time, Charlene, Clinical Director for the VNA, didn’t think she had the skills needed to build houses like Gerard who was an engineer. But, after retiring from her 30 year nursing career in 2003, she felt strongly that she wanted to give something back. So she decided to contact us to see if there was something else she could do besides build houses. Helping in the office and on PR seemed to be just the right fit! These volunteer opportunities gave her an opportunity to use her photography skills and fulfill her need to help out her husband’s favorite charity. Importantly, the commitment isn’t so large that it consumes her. It also allows her enough time to enjoy her retirement, learn to play golf, feed her soul in her garden and spend special time with her two children and three grandchildren. Working with other volunteers in HFHGP is a big part of what Charlene likes about helping us. She says, “Everyone I’ve worked with amazes me. People lead such busy lives and they still have time to help. There are lots of good people out there and you come in contact with them when you work for Habitat.” You are one of them Charlene! Thanks so much for all you do! ■ VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOW!! Volunteers are needed in the main office, at the ReStore and at our two builds. Go to www.hfhplymouth.org and click on the Volunteer Button to register now and get involved. We need you! Page 6 Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth presents ® Saturday, S aturday, aturday, day, April April 26, 2008 PartyLite P artyLite Headquar H Headquarters, eadquarters, 59 A Armstrong rmstrong Rd., Plymouth Plymouth Doors D oors Open at 6:30 p.m. FOOD TASTING TAS TAS ASTING TING COMPETITION COMP C OMPETITION OMP ETITION raffles, door priz prizes, es, music and silent auction TICKETS: $35 person Entertainment E Enter ntertainment nter tainment Pr P Provided rovided b ro byy Go to our website Go website at www.hfhplymouth.org/tickets.html www .hfhplymouth.org/tickets.html to pur purchase chase tickets or call 1-508-866-4188 “The Fat City Band” “ ...rock, jazz, r&b, swing, jump blues-music that demands you y have fun. With W ith each paid admission receiv rreceive eceivee eceiv a complimentary complimentary Masspass Masspass entertainment entertainment South Boston... coupon book for S outh of B oston... value! a $20 value! www.hfhplymouth.org Page 7 NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID 02330 PERMIT NO. 14 38 North Main Street P.O. Box 346 Carver, MA 02330 Address Service Requested Please isit www.hfhplymouth.org/sponsors and support the many Businesses that have supported our builds throughout the past year! THANKS to all the Businesses that donated to the Braley Road home: Town of Plymouth Eastern Bank A. D. Makepeace Glynn Electric Granite City Electric Petersen Electric Fortress Green Building Supply Alternate Energy, Inc. UMass Dartmouth Donald P. Quinn, PC Richmond Excavating A-1 Builders Cubellis Cape Cod Carpentry, Inc. Repair Det. Unlimited, Inc. Moegan Contractor RS Means ArchiPlicity Applied Professional Harmony Computer Software Specialists, Inc. Arnold’s Refrigeration Fantec Geoff & Drews Valspar Yale Locks Armstrong Flooring Canal Flooring Trex Decking Harvey Windows Hunter Douglas Blinds Larsen Storm Doors Lowe’s Home Depot Papa Gino’s Verizon www.hfhplymouth.org Designs Unique Lumber Liquidators SPECIAL THANKS to all the Consultants who helped with the Green Planning for the Braley Road home: Steve Pitney, Alternate Energy, Inc. Allison Tamosaitis, Architect Andy Proulx of Energy Star Gerald Lemay & UMass/ Dartmount Department of Engineering Rob Hancock, Conservation Services Group Page 8
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