March Newsletter 2015

Habitat NEWS - March 2015

Global Village Report

Adventure to the Dominican Republic
February 6-15, 2015

By Robin Cooper Engle

Robin & Baby David - a son of one of the families getting a new home

Each year I have the joy of taking volunteers on a Habitat build trip to a different country. This year I traveled to the Dominican Republic with a team of 12 incredible people. Our team had the privilege of building 3 pre-fabricated homes for Dulce, Sheila and Juana and we laid three more foundations for other needy families. The people in the Dominican Republic welcomed us with open arms and allowed us to bless them with new homes.

Our first day we learned how to build the pre-fabricated walls for the homes at an outdoor factory. We spent a lot of time mixing concrete, then pouring it into molds, smoothing the concrete and laying it out to dry. The curing stage takes 28 days. The walls we used on the construction had already been poured and cured for us by other teams. Each wall panel weighed 180 pounds. That meant we worked in teams to lift the walls for the local masons to set in the aluminum frames. There were no power tools other than the concrete mixer so this allowed us to build some muscle and to keep things simple. The time spent, the friendships made and the hope we helped provide will be forever etched on our hearts.

Volunteers do not need any construction experience. We learn together how to build in the different countries and work as a team. One of my favorite parts of these build trips is learning about other cultures. We get to see the inside of a country and its people rather than just being tourists. Habitat for Humanity is not only working hard locally in communities around the United States but globally as well. It is exciting to see the big picture.

To get involved locally or for information about future build trips, contact Robin Cooper Engle,

[email protected], 541.385.5387 x104.

Construction Update

This is a busy time at our home site and we have been blessed with good weather and great volunteers!

Thanks to all our Volunteers!

Regulars and Heart of Oregon youth

We've just completed sheeting the roof and walls and are about to begin exterior finishes such as windows, siding, and shingles. The plumbers and electricians move in this week then we will begin insulating.

We are also planning to break ground on our next

build site late this week!

Introducing
Handyman Soaps!

Created at Mt. Pleasant ReStore in South Carolina, this soap has made it's way west! Bend ReStore is the 24th ReStore in the country to carry Handyman Soaps, and the first outside of the South East. They run for $4 a bottle, are plant based, and best of all, they help build houses. See their story here!

Build it! Breakfasts

Coming in April!

Crook County Build It! Breakfast

Friday, April 17, 2015

DONATE Today

Habitat Homeowner Shares Expertise

The Collins Family

Bend Habitat is committed to providing useful classes and workshops to partner families as they go through the Habitat program. Class topics have included home maintenance, communication skills, budgeting methods, and estate planning.

We often invite Guest Speakers to share their expertise with the group. Last month, Habitat Homeowner Lynelle Collins, who is a seasonal tax preparer with H&R Block, presented to a group of Habitat families and mentors. Lynelle shared information about the filing process, various tax credits, and answered many questions from the audience. In addition to her work as a tax preparer, Lynelle also owns "Collins Cleaning Service", a successful residential and commercial cleaning business.

Do you have knowledge or expertise you would like to share with future Habitat Homeowners? Please contact DeeDee Johnson at 541-385-5387 x103 or [email protected].

DONATE Today

Global Village Build

What an Incredible Experience

Build Trip Volunteer

Dennis Peters

First time build trip volunteer Dennis Peters shares what this trip meant to him:

"I did not expect the trip to be as emotional and meaningful as it was. To get to interact and meet the people that we were providing homes for, and the hard work made it all worthwhile in the end. To see that we built 3 homes was amazing. The trip was a stretch for me and completely outside of my comfort zone. But a good stretch.

This was what I call a working vacation. It was the hardest 5 days of physical labor that I have done in a lot of years. Emotionally and physically, I was tired but it was a good tired. The little I got to visit with the locals and play with kids was an added bonus. I tried hard to communicate with the local masons through sign language and lots of smiles and it seemed to work well. I'm still going through the decompression stage and will decide what I'm going to do now. This kind of service is in me now and I want to do again!"