L-C Valley Habitat January e-newsletter

Building affordable homes in

Nez Perce and Asotin Counties since 1991

January 2022

I love the HOPE of a new year! For example, in 2022, with your help, we will finish building walls and roof of our 35th Habitat home in the LC Valley. For over 30 years, your support has allowed us to partner with families in need of safe and decent shelter. Through shelter, we empower. You contribute to providing a family with a home. A home provides stability and a strong foundation.

Through the Habitat program, partner families learn how to maintain and pay for a house - to be self-reliant. Habitat homeowners feel strong and stable. They have the power to take care of themselves and to build their own futures. Through safe and affordable shelter, you help families escape poverty. Your work and your support are powerful.

We wish you a HAPPY 2022 As we enter the new year full of HOPE for our families and appreciation for our donors, volunteers, and community partners.

Deb Snyder

Executive Director

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

According to Gerald M. Hunter, President of Idaho Housing and Finance, "Access to affordable housing is one of our greatest challenges right now." The Avenues for Hope Housing Challenge is a fundraiser specifically designed to combat a housing crisis. It is organized annually by the foundation of Idaho Housing and Finance. Through their numerous business sponsors, participating Idaho nonprofit organizations are given an opportunity to earn a portion of $300,000 in matching gifts and prizes to supplement the donations received toward their campaigns.

This was our first year participating in Avenues for Hope. We are pleased to share that we earned five of the available prizes for a total award of $1,650. Thanks to our 51 online and other donors, the benefit of matching funds and prize money, we raised $15,578! These funds all stay here in the LC Valley to support affordable housing. We look forward to participating in this fundraising challenge again in 2022.

Meet the newest addition to our Board of Directors

Scott Jordan

Scott Jordan was born and raised in Bend, Oregon. He joined the military and met his wife Ann Marie. After his time in the military, the couple moved back to the west. They landed in Walla Walla, Washington where they raised 3 boys and started a career in the car business. They lived in Walla Walla for 30 years; in those years Scott volunteered his time with coaching baseball, business alliance foundation, Lions Club, VFW, and more.

Scott has known Ryan Rogers of Rogers Dodge for years; Ryan has always tried to get Scott to move to the valley. All things came together in 2020 when Ryan asked if Scott would come help run his Dodge dealership. It has been a great fit for him and his family. Scott is very excited about being part of the Habitat for Humanity and willing to do what it takes to help serve other people.

Construction Update

We finally have a dedicated construction pickup! This new-to-us construction truck is critical to our current home building and new Clarkston Affordable Home Repair repair program. Securing such a vehicle makes it possible for our construction staff to haul materials to both building and repair sites.

Special thanks to our anonymous benefactor for their support in helping us get a construction truck.

Additional thanks to Auto Body Super Center and KC Auto Paint for the in-kind donations of paint, supplies, and labor to prep the truck for our graphics. Keep an eye out for our truck around town!

Community Impact: Ramp Installation

On December 15, L-C Valley Habitat for Humanity partnered with team members from the Palouse Habitat for Humanity and the Moscow Central Lions Club to install a ramp for the Kurdy family in Lewiston.

The ramp consists of four 5' ramp modules with handrails and corresponding hardware. Prior to installation, hardware was attached "finger tight" to the individual modules. This took one person approximately two hours. This saved considerable time on site the day of the installation. Once at the Kurdy's home, install took just under two hours to complete.

We appreciate our partnership with these organizations, and Disability Action Center, that make projects like this ramp installation possible!

A Talent for Generosity

This year brought L-C Valley Habitat for Humanity a fantastic volunteer named Tom Blimka. He dedicated a considerable number of hours to the ReStore and made a significant impact on all who worked with him. Evidently, the impact was mutual. As a thank you, Tom custom-made a ring of rutilated quartz backed with abalone set in sterling silver as a special thank you gift.

We created a list of all 2021 LCV HFH staff and volunteers, and Tom drew one name to receive the ring. A volunteer and ReStore regular shopper, Jessica Johnson, was the lucky winner. Congratulations Jessica and thank you Tom for your generosity!

Does the exterior of your home need a fresh coat of paint or critical home repairs?

Congratulations to our 2021

Christmas Tree Raffle Winners!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Christmas tree raffle. We raised $90 in donations to support L-C Valley Habitat for Humanity programs.

Winners

Tree 1: Justine Reckard

Tree 2: Bliss Barreiros

Tree 3: Stacy Hudson

Tree 4: Paula Coumbe

As we close out another year, we were again faced with many challenges. Between Covid-19, rising prices on goods and services, heat waves, cold snaps, and everything in between, we sought to always do our best to bring to the L-C Valley a high level of customer service with competitive prices on a wide assortment of goods. This could not have been possible without the amazing staff and volunteers that we have at the Habitat ReStore! We are so thankful to them and their families for always trying to live up to the bar of providing a decent place to live.

-Jim Piscitello, ReStore manager