Celebrate New Beginnings with Habitat!

Cue the fireworks!

It's a New Year at Habitat.

It was an impressive fiscal year at Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills, and we are ready to take on the new one with your continued support. We promise an exciting and impactful year of home ownership solutions ahead, but first, a few highlights from the past 12 months:

Fourteen Homes Sold – Each of these homes was sold to a local family who financially qualified by having a household income of 30%-80% of the county's median income and by having a DTI (debt-to-income ratio) of less than 10% before their new mortgage. Their homes were purchased with guaranteed affordable mortgages, with monthly payments not exceeding 30% of their monthly income.

Fifty-Eight Critical Home Repairs Completed – Lamia Haitoti leads our Aging in Place program on the administrative side, and Adam Cook in the field. This duo helps secure funding and allocate it to as many qualified households as possible, focusing on priority exterior repairs such as roofs, HVAC systems, septic replacements, and the installation of wheelchair ramps.

$1.46 Million in ReStore Sales – Dondi Jones, ReStore Director, led several improvements this year in shelving and lighting, and they are increasing sales. If you haven't checked out the new look, please come by – our shopping hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am-5 pm.

As July marks the beginning of our fiscal year, it also means changes to our Board of Directors. We thank this team of volunteers who are committed to keeping us moving in the right direction. This year's Executive Team is comprised of Chair Tim Dwyer, Vice Chair Mark Hamilton, Secretary Sue Ralston, and Treasurer Larry Smith.

We are excited to announce that Farrah Newman has been promoted from Programs Director to Deputy Executive Director. Farrah’s decade of leadership in construction, as our licensed General Contractor, combined with her background in accounting, makes her uniquely qualified to lead the operation of the affiliate in the coming years.

It's a great year to join Habitat or increase your engagement with us. We have a 12-home subdivision in Addor underway, as well as a build in Hoke and Richmond counties. In the spring, we will head back towards our Midway Gardens Community in Aberdeen with an 8-home build. All the while, we are prepping for our most extensive effort yet, Sandhills Station. Stay tuned for exciting opportunities to be part of this community, which will serve as our workplace for decades to come. We believe that home ownership should still be an achievable American dream in Moore, Hoke, and Richmond Counties; and we are proud to continue finding ways to build and preserve affordable homes for the hardworking families that make this a great community for us all. Build with us!

Peace and Grace,

Amie N. Fraley

Executive Director

2025 "Drive it Home" Golf Tournament

Kicks off Women Build 11th Home

The Women Build committee's golf tournament, "Drive It Home," held at Forest Creek Golf Club, raised over $70,000 thanks to the generosity of all our supporters. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Forest Creek Golf Club for hosting this sold-out event. Despite the heat, players completed the course in record time and enjoyed the comfort of the clubhouse's air conditioning and a gourmet lunch. A special thank you to the chef for the delicious meal!

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The lot has been cleared, and the foundation has been poured for the 2025 Women Build-sponsored home in Bright Meadows of Addor. We will celebrate "walls-up" on Friday, September 5th. We will continue building on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday through early December. We invite you to join us as an individual or bring a team. No experience is necessary, and all activities will be fully supervised.

Volunteer

"Words can not express what this home means to my children and me. Having a Roof over our heads is a blessing, but owning our own home is something we have all dreamed of. I would like to thank everyone in our group, the volunteers, and the Habitat employees. This process has taught me the value of teamwork, and we are beyond grateful for all that Habitat is willing to help us. I will never forget the kindness I have encountered, and I am confident that Habitat will continue to make a positive impact on the world."

~ The Coppinger Family

Expands Service Reach with Subcontractors

Habitat’s Aging in Place Program is designed to support homeowners who may be struggling to maintain the safety and integrity of their homes. This includes individuals who are 62 years or older, have a documented physical disability, are single parents, or have a family of five or more. Through this program, participants can make essential home repairs and modifications that allow them to remain in their homes safely and comfortably. Aging in Place helps restore not just the structure of a house, but also a sense of pride, dignity, and independence—enabling homeowners to continue living in the communities they love.

Subcontractors collaborate directly with Habitat to secure optimal pricing and undergo a thorough vetting process. We are proud to get endorsements from homeowners who have benefited from our program and worked with our sub-contractors.

before

after

Dear Adam, and the team at Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills:

I wanted to express my appreciation for your assistance in getting the new roof on our house. It is gorgeous, and I now have confidence in its watertightness and durability. I encourage you to work with Ulysses and the crew at Spyder Roofing on similar projects in the future. They were friendly and efficient in their efforts, which were completed in about 12 hours. They clearly communicated that they needed a place to park a trailer for trash. I gave them permission to park it on an azalea bush, aside from which they took pains to avoid damaging the trees and flowers around the house. With my input, they were able to drape tarps over small, delicate Japanese maples and azalea bushes at the walls of the house and relocate potted plants away from the work area. They even cleared and disposed of my accumulation of bagged trash in the carport.

Again, thank you for your efforts on this, and God Bless.

Joel Newkirk"

Building Better, Smarter, and Greener Homes in the Sandhills

At Habitat, we’ve always been committed to building more than just houses—we build energy-efficient, affordable homes that create lasting impacts for families and the environment. Thanks to our partnership with Southern Energy Management, we now have the data to prove it!

Download High Performance Dashboard

Real Savings for Families

Average Annual Energy Savings: $294.80 per home
Total Homeowner Savings Since 2024: $32,100+

That’s money back in the pockets of hardworking families—where it belongs. These numbers aren’t just statistics—they’re a reflection of our dedication to building high-quality, energy-smart homes that benefit families for generations. Every home we build undergoes third-party energy inspections and comes with a HERS certificate that documents its performance and potential for solar energy. That’s peace of mind for homeowners. We extend our gratitude to our volunteers, donors, and community partners who make this work possible. With your continued support, we can continue to raise the bar—for efficiency, sustainability, and lasting change.

Meet Habitat of the NC Sandhills Faith Relations Team

Sandhills Habitat is fortunate to have a Faith Relations Committee that is active and supported by many partners in the local faith community. Not all Habitat affiliates have such a component.

Our local affiliate's faith relations component is guided by a volunteer committee/team. Dan Joslin leads the team and was responsible for bringing together a group of individuals to form a working group. Since the team's first rumblings in 2020, the volunteer participants have varied depending on what planning and projects were on the table. One of the team's first goals was to sponsor an Apostles Build home every year, rather than every other year, which was the case at the time.

Team members successfully increased communication with local faith community partners and recruited new partners. As the team expanded its ability to convey the accomplishments as well as the needs of the Apostles Build activities, participation and donations from faith partners increased. Financial contributions have more than doubled in the last three years. As a result, an Apostles Build house is completed each year.

Two active counties, Moore and Richmond, hold regular faith relations lunch meetings, which are essential in fostering cohesive efforts. Churches that may not be able to provide 12 volunteers for a workday at the build site can partner with other churches to reach that number. Folks from each county often travel to the other county for these lunch meetings and to help with build projects.

There are four main things that the team members focus on. Meetings are coordinated and facilitated by Dan and his wife, Susan. (They happen to be Amie Fraley's parents.) Susan is often at the sign-in desk during luncheon meetings and takes notes during the meetings. She also takes notes during team meetings. Dan is also in frequent contact with many churches through their pastors and/or staff.

Debbie Whitley assists with meetings and has contributed to fundraisers. She has been instrumental in motivating her church to increase donations and volunteers.

The monthly article for the Habitat Newsletter is written by LuAnn Kinney, who also assists with meetings whenever possible.

Videos have been a fantastic boost in illustrating the wonderful experiences of volunteering with building and the joy of sharing with future homeowners as they work together. Gerald Ostlund compiles these great videos, resulting in a flawless presentation.

Tracking volunteer sign-ups for the build days is no easy task, but Bob Howell does this vital portion of every Apostles Build. It is a continuous chore, but Bob volunteers his labor to keep everything organized and assist volunteers with registration on Habitat's website.

The team members are grateful to Dan for his hard work and exceptional leadership. All the members are thankful for the churches, their pastors, and the volunteers who make the work of this team so rewarding.

Thank you to all the volunteers on the construction site, in the ReStore, in the office, or serving on the board or a committee. We are well on track to meet our 2025 goal! Your volunteer hours make a profound difference in the Sandhills. You help raise the money needed to purchase building materials and some of the swing hammers used to build the homes.

Invite your friends, neighbors, or co-workers to join you. Seeing is believing, and we have the best volunteer experiences in the Sandhills!

It's a fun opportunity to meet like-minded friends who support affordable housing. Thursday, August 21st at 5:00 pm, you may learn about Habitat's volunteer opportunities. Whether you enjoy the outdoors and hands-on construction or working in the ReStore, we can custom-fit an experience that you will find rewarding and fun! We know volunteer opportunities are abundant in Moore County. We strive to make your time a rewarding and beneficial experience at Sandhills Habitat.

Registration

No prior experience is needed—just a willingness to help and a heart for service. Join us today and see how you can make a difference. Together, we can build more than houses—we can build hope, stability, and brighter futures.