Habitat Headlines Building Houses, Building Hope on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard

The Newsletter of Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard Spring 2006

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ron DiOrio*, President Jack Ross*, Vice President Berkeley Johnson*, Secretary Peter Costas*, Treasurer Miki Badnek Hope MacLeod Tom Burke Andre Mallegol Toby Codding Ben Moore Al DeVito* Greg Orcutt Jerry Fritz Mark Rasmussen Lorna Giles Rick Reinhardsen Ewell Hopkins Jack Street** Sonya Justus David Wessling Alan Wilson* * Executive Committee member ** On leave of absence COMMITTEE CHAIRS Executive: Ron DiOrio Building: Toby Codding Development & Communications: David Wessling Faith Relations: Ewell Hopkins Family Partnership: Miki Badnek Family Selection: Jerry Fritz Nominating & Board Development: Al DeVito & Greg Orcutt Site Selection: Jack Ross & Alan Wilson Construction Volunteer: Andre Mallegol STAFF Julie Willett, Executive Director Naina Williams, Director of Development Habitat for Humanity of Martha's Vineyard 346 State Road, Suite 21 Post Office Box 1093 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 Phone/Fax: 508.696.4646 E-mail: houses@habitatmv.org Website: www.habitatmv.org

TO GIVE IS TO LIVE Living in Community on an Island We have been so fortunate to have people who care about our Island and who have partnered with HFHMV to build houses for Vineyard families in need.  Our supporters range from landscapers to plumbers, from professional carpenters to novices and from people who give large sums of money to contributors of five dollars!  The business community donates items such as flooring, roofing, countertops, insulation, appliances, blinds, and more.  Contractors and other professionals, like lawyers, offer their services at either reduced rates and sometimes at no cost. Our gifts are many and come in many shapes, sizes and forms and yet, with all the giving of time, talents and materials, our reality is that each house Habitat builds on Martha’s Vineyard still costs us about $90,000. We could not do what we do without financial donations from our supporters.  Our many fundraising events, our solicitations for donations and our constant pleas for financial support are necessary for us to continue building simple, decent and affordable homes on our Island. Living on an island primarily known as a summer resort area often leads people to have misconceptions about the dire need for affordable housing here.  New construction abounds, and homes are selling at astronomical prices.  As a matter of fact, an interesting fact that appeared in the February 24, 2006 edition of the Wall Street Journalwas that only 30% of the 14,836 homes on Martha’s Vineyard (4,450 homes) are permanent residences and quoted the U.S. Census as the source!  So many of us are extremely blessed; we work hard and are fortunate to have a roof over our heads.  But many of our neighbors also work hard and yet are still not able to afford to live here.  There are families on our Island who cannot go to the bank for a conventional mortgage because their income is below the criteria for loans. To quote Mother Teresa, “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” And remember the Beatles’ song lyrics “I get by with a little help from my friends”?  Please be a friend to an Island family who could use a little assistance.  As we look forward to starting our next house, I encourage you to get involved and to give... give your time, give your talents, give materials we can use, give money and please give generously.  Remember, together, in community, we build and succeed.  Julie Willett Executive Director

OUR MISSION is to work toward the elimination of substandard housing on Martha’s Vineyard and in the process, build stronger families and a strong community. Furthermore, all of our words and actions are for the purpose of putting shelter on the hearts and minds of people in such a way that inadequate housing and homelessness become unacceptable in our world, our nation and on our Island!

VINEYARDERS HELPING HABITAT LOCALLY AND IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA For the past thirteen years, HFHMV Board Member Ben Moore, his wife Paddy and a group of nine to thirteen fellow Vineyarders have made the pilgrimage to the Mississippi Delta (70 miles south of Memphis) to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.  The group spends their personal money to make the journey and brings an array of skill levels to an area laden with high rates of poverty, unemployment and single-parent families.  After many years of going back to the same region of the country, the local group is inspired by the amount of faith, hope and generosity in an area in great need of Habitat’s assistance.  As a matter of fact, so many groups from around the country are touched by the president of the local Habitat affiliate, Dorothy Jenkins (who is a moving and articulate speaker and is also known to sing a “mean gospel”), and the gracious hospitality shown to volunteers that many return year after year to give their time and lend their support.  The overall experience is so worthwhile that it now necessitates making a reservation in order to be guaranteed an opportunity to volunteer and get housing!  Volunteers stay at the “Volunteer Center” in Sherard, Mississippi, which is a small, remodeled church that was built by and named after a plantation owner.  The church and its land were donated to the local Habitat affiliate by the great grandson of the last Sherard slave-owner; eight houses were allowed to be built on the property. When the group first started volunteering, the cost to build a 1,000 square foot house was approximately $12,000.   It now costs about $20,000 to build a house there due to inflation, the cost of materials and the need to pay tradesmen for plumbing, heating and electrical work. “In spite of the vast poverty, the area is very beautiful, with memorable landscapes.  It is dead flat, with small villages often comprised of shacks.  Scattered bayous are surrounded by an abundance of trees and most of the open land is planted with cotton and soybeans,” said Ben.  While the Martha’s Vineyard group devoted much time to volunteer work, they also were able to enjoy some of the local color visiting the infamous Beale Street in Memphis for blues music, barbequed ribs, gumbo and jambalaya.

GOT LAND? We have finished our house at the blinker (Twin Oaks) and are looking for our next building site. If you have a small or under-sized lot or land with a clouded title, we would be interested in talking to you. There are significant tax advantages to giving or selling property to Habitat for Humanity. Please call our office at 508-696-4646. WE’LL “KEEP” HIM! We are delighted to welcome Bruce Keep as the newest member to the HFHMV Board of Directors.  Bruce has been retired for a number of years and has a background in sales, marketing and manufacturing.  He lives on the Island with his wife, Mary Lu.  The two have moved a number of times and in the process have built five houses and, in several, provided their own sweat equity.  Bruce commented, “This feature of Habitat, where the future homeowner must put in several hundred hours of their own labor toward the construction of their home is most important in my opinion. When you invest your own time and effort, the project becomes more meaningful and gives that good feeling of being personally involved.  Another result is the likelihood of taking better care of this most important asset, your home.” A member of the West Tisbury Parks and Recreation Committee, the Land Bank Advisory Board and the Community Preservation Act Committee, Bruce said, “being involved with Habitat was a perfect fit, addressing the need for land and housing for an important part of the community. There is a greater understanding of the need for affordable housing and HFHMV supplies one extra dimension in providing an answer to this problem.”  Bruce will serve as HFHMV’s Public Relations contact.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

If you are looking for a way to gain a greater sense of purpose and a way to give back to the community in which you reside or visit, why not consider getting involved with Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard? Our work is accomplished with the generosity of spirit from individuals like yourself. We are looking for volunteers, professional and novice, to assist in our future builds. Just give us a call and we will definitely have a way for you to get involved: 508.696.4646.

Jerry’s Journey for Habitat Many of us have things we say we would like to accomplish in our lifetime, but how many of us actually do them?  This June, one of our esteemed board members, the Rev. Dr. Jerry Fritz of the Federated Church, will embark upon the journey of his lifetime!  Jerry plans to bicycle approximately 1,650 miles to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard (HFHMV)! With his jovial laugh and effervescent personality, it is hard not to be smitten with Jerry and succumb to his passion for whatever cause he is embracing because his sincerity and enthusiasm are infectious.  As a matter of fact, during the interview for this article, almost everyone in the coffee shop we met at seemed to know Jerry and approached our table to greet him.  One person actually probed him as to what he was doing and Jerry’s eyes lit up as he devotedly spoke of his upcoming trip.  Prior to any promotional material being written or final plans being made, a check for $500.00 was written to HFHMV in support of what we’ve dubbed “Jerry’s Journey for Habitat”! For those who don’t know Jerry, bicycling has been a passion of his for more than twenty years.  To quote Jerry, “for me, biking has always been more than just a means of transportation or a way to keep physically fit, it is a spiritual experience.” Habitat for Humanity and particularly the local affiliate have also been a passion of Jerry’s for many years.  “I believe in Habitat’s mission as it strives to eliminate substandard housing on Martha’s Vineyard and around the world, and in the process, build stronger families and a strong community.” On June 5th, Jerry will leave the Island and will fly to his hometown of Fremont, Nebraska, from where he will begin his ride across the country back to the Vineyard.  He plans to ride  approximately 75 miles each day and hopes to stop at local Habitat affiliates along the way.  During these sojourns, Jerry hopes to meet with and talk to Habitat homeowners and ask each of them what their living conditions were like prior to Habitat’s intervention and how owning a Habitat house has changed their life.  Jerry plans to write about the whole process and use a number of the interviews in what he hopes will be a promotional piece that can be used by our local affiliate and perhaps even the national organization describing firsthand how people are living in our country and how Habitat can make a difference in their lives!  Jerry cares about so many different things and, being the true giver he is, has been involved with many charitable causes on the Island.  Recently, he found himself resigning from several boards in order to focus his energy and be fully committed to Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard.  He has been involved with Habitat since 1990 in both Ohio and in Maine and has been involved with the local affiliate since his arrival here in 1999. As the chair of our Family Selection Committee, Jerry and his committee members have the difficult task of sifting through the many applications received for consideration of a Habitat House.  “It hurts to read about and ultimately see the conditions some of these families live in right here in this place of such beauty and opulence,” said Jerry with a distinct frown on his face.  He  continued, “all they want is a chance to have a place of their own!”

Jerry will not make this long trip alone!  Fellow Vineyarder and friend, Chuck Hughes, intends to also ride for his favorite Island cause, the YMCA.  Chuck will begin his journey in Minnesota and the two plan to meet up in Clinton, Iowa, to continue their ride back to Martha’s Vineyard together.  Others have said they will ride a day or longer along the way, but the monumental feat of cycling over 1,600 miles will be undertaken by these two 63-years young gentlemen who serve as an inspiration to all of us! On June 10, Jerry will begin his trip in Fremont, Nebraska, and will follow US 30 into Iowa.  He will ride alone for five days and will meet up with his riding partner, Chuck, in Clinton, Iowa.  After a few days of respite, the two will start again on day seven and will continue on US 30 toward the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois, where they will turn south to avoid the Windy City onwards to Indiana.  Night twelve will be spent in Kendallville, Indiana.  Next they will travel through Ohio and will spend a few days in Rootstown, Ohio, where Jerry spent ten years of ministry at the First Congregational Church and where family and friends reside.  June 28 marks the second half of their journey at which time they'll turn north toward Lake Erie.  Heading east, they'll pick up US 20 through Pennsylvania and into New York State.  July 4th will be spent in Herkimer, New York,with fellow bicycling friends.  Bypassing Albany, they'll enter Massachusetts west of Pittsfield.  They'll follow MA 9 through the Berkshires, past Worcester and into the outer regions of Boston.  Taking back roads, they'll make their way toward Cape Cod.  The twosome look forward to returning to their respective homes on Martha's Vineyard by July 15th.  It's almost tiring just reading about their plans! “I ask that you find it in your heart to support me as I merge my passions of bike riding and HFHMV.  As I trek from Nebraska to the Vineyard on my bike, I will be significantly more inspired to meet the rigors of this trip knowing that together we will be assisting Habitat to help our Island neighbors in need of simple, decent, affordable housing!  The work that they do speaks for itself and the families they have helped speak volumes.  But the reality is that they cannot do the good work they do without the financial support from good people like you!”  Jerry’s trip has been fully funded by one of his parishioners, so all money coming in goes directly to HFHMV.  If you would like to lend your support to “Jerry’s Journey for Habitat”, please send your check made payable to Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard and write Jerry’s Journey For Habitat in the notation and send it to the following address today:   Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard    Post Office Box 1093    Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

UPCOMING EVENTS WITH HABITAT

Saturday, May 13 at 9 am in Ocean Park, Oak Bluffs ~ As the Aerosmith band members would say, "Walk This Way....".   Join Habitat for its 4th Annual House Walk.   In honor of Mother's Day and the values instilled by mothers' pearls of wisdom, "do unto others".  Get some exercise and walk to honor all those you care about...yourself, your mother and the community on this Island in need of a simple, decent and affordable place to live.

Friday, May 26 at 7:00 pm at the Harbor View, Edgartown ~ Join us for our 4th Annual Art Auction, Dinner and More. Artists and businesses from across the Island and country have generously donated pieces for our silent and live auctions.  You'll enjoy a great meal, amidst good company and acquire something fabulous to take home with you.  Don't miss out on the fun!

Monday, June 5 to July 15 ~ Jerry Fritz leaves on his bicycle ride from Nebraska to Martha’s Vineyard on, “Jerry’s Journey for Habitat.” Please see all the details inside for ways to be involved in this great adventure!

Saturday, June 17^th at 10 am to 2 pm, Oak Bluffs ~ In honor of Father’s Day, Habitat will hold a HOLE-IN-ONE Tournament and a putting contest at Farm Neck Golf Club. Every hole-in-one will win a new car, and free dinners await the top finishers in the putting contest. The rates are reasonable, and you can try as often as you like. Keep an eye out for more publicity. What could be more fun than to treat Dad and try some shots yourself!