Happy Earth Day!
In the spirit of Earth Day, we wanted to share with you some updates on how we are helping make the Earth a better place. For the past three years, HFH-MC has been purchasing its 100% wind power electricity through Clean Currents. Through this program, we have been able to offset more than 203,343 pounds of carbon dioxide in one year. This is equivalent to taking 18.1 vehicles off the road (to put this in perspective, this number is more than the vehicles that HFH-MC staff drive to work each day). We are also moving forward with our Montgomery County Green Business Certification and hope to become a certified green business by this summer. Currently there are only 35 businesses in Montgomery County who are certified as a green business, HFH-MC is excited to become one of the first businesses to receive this certification. We will keep you informed on our progress and our experience with the certification process.
Did you know that Earth Day is also ReStore’s birthday? In addition to the great sales they will be having in the store on April 20th, they will also be hosting energy saving classes with Watt Watchers of Maryland. Click here to sign up for the free class. Also beginning this Friday, ReStore is once again collecting denim to be converted into UltraTouch Cotton Insulation for Habitat Homes. The denim drive will run until August 17. Along with the denim donation, ReStore will be collecting monetary donations to cover the cost of shipping, which is approximately $1 per pair of jeans. Stop by Habitat ReStore this weekend and celebrate Earth Day and ReStore’s 6th birthday!
You’re Invited – Global Village Build in El Salvador!
Did you know that Montgomery County, Maryland has a Sister City relationship with Morazán, El Salvador? Interested in getting involved in this partnership? Join us for a Global Village trip this summer and spend the week building a home for an El Salvadoran family! No special construction skills or language abilities are required for this adventure—just a positive attitude, and a desire to help others.
If this sounds like something you’ve always wanted to do, then keep reading!
About El Salvador
El Salvador is located in Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras. It is the smallest and most densely populated of the Central American countries. Two volcanic chains run down its center, rising from fertile plateaus that otherwise characterize the countryside.
The country’s climate is tropical; with a rainy season from May to October and dry season from November to April. It is tropical on the coast; temperate in uplands. Daytime temperatures vary little, reaching around 86 F in November and 93 F in March and April.
About Habitat for Humanity El Salvador
Since 1992, Habitat for Humanity El Salvador has provided more than 10,300 housing solutions, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 51,500 Salvadorians. HFH El Salvador works with the central office in San Salvador and seven regional’s offices in San Miguel, Santa Ana, Sonsonate, Usulutan, La Paz, San Vicente and San Salvador.
The earthquake-resistant houses are made of concrete blocks and structural steel reinforcement. The roofs are made of fiber-cement sheeting, and the floors of cement brick. They have two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room and a latrine or toilet. Windows are shutter type, protected by steel bars in order to provide adequate lighting, ventilation and security.
For families who are unable to afford the standard model, there is another housing option called the “progressive model.” Depending on the family’s future resources, these houses may be extended and improved in stages. This model is available in two sizes: a 40 square meter construction area (US$8,000) or a 30 square meter construction area.
For more information, visit www.habitatelsalvador.org.sv.
Types of construction for volunteers
Global Village volunteers may work in all stages of construction, from digging foundations to painting the houses. Regardless of what stage the house is in when the team arrives, responsibilities will likely include carrying bricks, mixing cement, compacting dirt and moving materials.
On the work site, volunteers will find portable bathrooms and designated resting areas with drinkable water. The team will be supervised by technical advisors and construction experts and they will present written construction goals every day. Each volunteer will be provided with a pocket-sized contact card plus emergency and evacuation plans.
Itinerary
July 21st – 29th
Day 1 – July 21st (Arrival day): Greeted at San Salvador airport by Habitat El Salvador staff; transport to accommodations in San Salvador.
Day 2- July 22nd: Travel to host site and free time to rest; orientation and welcome.
Days 3–7 – July 23rd through July 27th (Work days): Breakfast served before traveling to work site; work from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. with lunch on-site; free time after work to clean up; supper of typical Salvadoran food; time for team activities.
Day 8 – July 28th: Travel to Beach Hotel; free time; final team dinner
Day 9 – July 29th (Final day): Departure day.
Note: Trip includes special events throughout the week: cultural experiences with host program, such as traditional dance, agricultural and architectural tours, typical food preparation – as well as a farewell activity.
Accommodations
Habitat El Salvador will determine the best lodging option for Global Village teams. Work teams usually stay in hotels, retreat centers, or dorm-style accommodations that are basic, safe and clean. The team will stay two to four people per room. Typically rooms are equipped with a private bathroom, though in some locations, only shared bathrooms are available. Volunteers are not required to bring any bedding, but will need to pack a towel.
Program cost
US$1,290.00 – This does not include plane tickets (they will cost around $600) A $200 deposit is due upon registration and the remaining funds will be due June 6th.
Build a better world: Take the Global Village Challenge
Habitat for Humanity International is challenging Global Village volunteers to make an even greater impact on the global issue of poverty housing. We are asking all GV teams to help us raise an additional $1.1 million in the coming year to support Habitat’s building projects worldwide. Take up the challenge! Join us in sharing our story and building a better world!
Team leader
Hi Team – My name is Sarah Reddinger. I was born and raised in Rochester, New York and went to both undergrad and grad school at the University of Rochester and studied abroad as much as possible throughout that period. I spent time studying in both France and Russia. I moved down to the D.C. area for a change of pace and am now a project manager for the Habitat affiliate in Montgomery County, Maryland. I also work for our State Support and Regional Support organizations. I absolutely love working for Habitat for Humanity. I went on my first global village trip last July to El Salvador and am going on my second trip to Fiji in May. I can’t wait to lead a group back to El Salvador in July. If you’re interested in joining the team this summer please email me: sarah.reddinger@habitat-mc.org.
Habitat on the Hill: A Recap of Our Advocacy Efforts
In early February, I attended Habitat on the Hill along with hundreds of other nation-wide Habitat for Humanity staff, volunteers and supporters. Habitat on the Hill is Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI)’s national advocacy and legislative conference. The goal of the conference is simple: meet with your elected officials and challenge them to change the systems, policies, attitudes and behaviors that lead to inadequate housing and homelessness. Think about that statement for just a minute – while building and rehabilitating homes and neighborhoods is a great response to the need for affordable housing, imagine what we could do with the support of our decision-makers!
Three staff members from HFH-MC attended the conference this year and we met with the offices of Senator Cardin, Senator Mikulski, Congresswoman Donna Edwards, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, and Congressman Roscoe Bartlett. Overall, our meetings were successful, but there is still so much work to do and more discussions to have. Let me know if you would like to meet with an elected official and ask them to support policies and make decisions that promote affordable homeownership and strong communities! We don’t have to go to Washington either; we can speak to someone in your neighborhood, your town, your county or even in Annapolis.
In addition to prepping for the meetings, Habitat on the Hill had sessions and seminars on different topics that affect the work we do at HFH-MC every single day. I attended sessions on evidence-based advocacy, ways to engage more youth in our mission, and exploring the history of the homeownership dream. Perhaps the most enlightening experience I had was the session about building partnerships because, even though HFH-MC is a non-profit construction company, we do so much more than build homes, especially when we partner with the community. HFHI also released information about their new Veterans Initiative, which offers support in five main areas: affordable housing and home preservation, volunteer mobilization, employment, education and celebration. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when a keynote speaker shared this video. We’ll keep you posted about our plans to support veterans in our community.
Challenge yourself to tell five people about HFH-MC’s mission and work in Montgomery County. If you can’t do it in one day, you can give yourself a week! To learn more about HFH-MC’s advocacy efforts and why advocacy is important, please visit www.yimbymoco.org
Staff Perspective: Global Village Training
Did you know that 1.6 billion people (nearly 15% of the world’s population) live in substandard housing?
Affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) work in more than 80 countries worldwide to provide various housing solutions to help reduce this number. Many affiliates rely on international volunteers to help their partner families earn “Sweat Equity” hours, as well as to provide much-needed funding. In order to accommodate cross-cultural understanding, global cooperation, sharing of resources, and promotion of housing improvements worldwide, HFHI launched its Global Village program in 1989.
The Global Village program mobilizes volunteers for short term, international service opportunities. Teams of 12 – 25 people spend one to two weeks building in one of 40 countries. All teams are lead by team leaders who volunteer their time to help organize and lead the build trips.
I recently went to Americus, Georgia, (HFHI headquarters) for the Global Village Team Leader training where we spent two full days going over the ins and outs of planning and leading a trip, fundraising, recruiting volunteers, and what to do in case of an emergency.
I was particularly interested in the volunteer mobilization aspect of the Global Village program. In fiscal year 2011 alone, 423 Global Village teams from the U.S. traveled abroad to build in one of 40 countries – that’s more than 5,000 people! Rather than being paid to do this work, these teams worked to raise more than $8.4 million to cover their travel expenses as well as project materials.
During the training, we spent a lot of time talking about preparing your team for the trip, particularly preparing team members for the level of poverty they will see. One of my favorite exercises revolved around the idea of changing our perceptions of poverty and learning to find the positive in all we encounter. If you’ll humor me, I’d like to recreate that activity with you:
Take a look at the picture below – don’t scroll down any further – and think of the first words that come to mind…
Were most of the words you thought of a negative nature? Most of the time, they are. Many people look at a picture like this and think: messy, dirty, poverty, tragedy, etc.
Take a look again and try to think of the positive…
What came to mind this time? Perhaps it was along the lines of hope, ingenuity, determination, strength?
Global Village is not just about helping to build a home for a family or providing financial resources, even though those things are important. The program is truly about promoting cross- cultural understanding, appreciation and the realization that we are all one global community.
Inspired? Then my next question for you is – where will you build?
Piano from Famous Harlem Jazz Club Donated to ReStore
Piano from Famous Harlem Jazz Club Donated to ReStore
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Cotton Club in Harlem was the place to be for New York City’s most prominent jazz musicians. Jazz greats Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway served as the club’s band leaders. Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Josephine Baker are among the legendary talent who were reported to have performed at the club. It even inspired the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola film The Cotton Club and was quite the hot spot for nearly two decades until it closed for good in 1940.
Twelve years after the closing of the Cotton Club, a well-connected Washington, DC real estate agent was looking to turn a room in her home at 22nd and P Streets into an elegant gathering place. Mrs. Smith envisioned poetry readings and music there and hired a designer from New York City who had worked at the Cotton Club to design the room. Her nephew’s friend, Sherman Harris, remembers the designer coming down from New York City and spending a week transforming the room. One of the pieces the designer installed was a piano that he told them had been played at the Cotton Club and sold at auction when the club closed. “I was amazed by how he turned four plain walls into a space that spoke of community,” said Sherman, who was in high school in 1952. “Mrs. Smith’s nephew, Kermit, and I and watched the transformation as much as we could, but Mrs. Smith told us we were in the way and shooed us out.”
Eventually Kermit inherited the piano from his aunt when she passed away. When Kermit began suffering from heart problems in 1975 and was no longer able to use the piano, he gave it to Sherman. “My children were young at that time and they used it all through high school and college,” said Sherman. Sherman says he was hesitant to donate the piano due to his fond memories and the piano’s connection to his friend Kermit, but when his son suggested donating it to Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County’s ReStore, he agreed. “I just hope someone else will get the joy from it that my family did,” he said.
Sources: Harlem World Blog, PBS Web Site
