Sandhills Habitat = E-newsletter

Page Cunningham Road Dedication

Bluebird Hill

The generous and anonymous donor of our most recent build site requested that we find a way to honor his wife’s love of bluebirds. Since then, the acres at the Pee Dee and Keyser St. crossing in Aberdeen have been affectionately referred to as Bluebird Hill. I think we could hear the bluebirds cheering in the trees on September 19th as we dedicated the first two homes on our new road named for two longtime volunteers, David Page and Mary Cunningham. With only three homes left to dedicate on this parcel, we are winding down about two years of volunteerism in this community with ten families who purchased their homes with mortgages guaranteed not to exceed 30% of their income.

The dedication was double the fun; we had two new families and homes to celebrate that evening. Our Faith Relations committee and friends started the evening with desserts, which is always a good way to begin. Octavia’s home and family were first on the agenda as our Builder’s Blitz home. We are grateful for the leadership and dedication of Jeremy Johnson with Ultimate Home Solutions and Brian Kennedy, Martin Hovland, and the team at Builders FirstSource. They engaged multiple subcontractors to cover $70,000 of the cost of this home. This collaborative effort was inspiring and lots of fun – we hope to make it a regular event! To learn more, contact Farrah Newman, Habitat’s general contractor, at fnewman@sandhillshabitat.org

Recipient: Rhonda Phillips

Location: Rockingham

Work Completed: New Roof

Ms. Rhonda Phillips of Rockingham has experienced a remarkable transformation through the Housing Preservation Grant. Living with a disability in her childhood home, she faced the daunting task of repairing her aging roof. With the help of our dedicated team and Mendoza Roofing, we replaced her failing 3-tab shingles with beautiful Architectural Fiberglass Shingles, restoring her roof and sense of security. Rhonda's gratitude was overwhelming as she witnessed Mr. Mendoza operate a drone, allowing her to see the top of her house for the first time—an experience that filled her with wonder and joy.

October Faith Relations Meeting

Save the Date

Wednesday, October 16th

12:00 noon

First Methodist Church

Rockingham

410 East Washington Street

Rockingham, NC 28379

Volunteer Recruitment Rewards

Never Hurts to Ask

The Apostles build is one of the annual builds through Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills. Church congregations of the area sponsor this particular build through monetary gifts and by providing volunteers. The volunteers sign up to work at the building site, helping the construction crew to build a house that will become the home for a designated qualifying family.

As winter approaches, churches are invited to participate in the upcoming year's Apostles build. The work weekends will begin in late April. Churches decide which weekend would work best for their volunteers. The goal is to have 12 volunteers each of the three build days—Thursday, Friday, and Saturday—of the weekends. Smaller churches sometimes partner with other churches to get enough volunteers. Churches often have members willing to help recruit volunteers for their selected build days. It can feel difficult or awkward to approach church members requesting them to volunteer. But the rewards of experiencing the generosity of our fellow humans make the asking worthwhile and heartwarming.

At Sacred Heart Catholic Church—one of the participating churches—Nancy Heilman strongly advocates for Habitat. When the time comes to recruit volunteers, Nancy approaches people after Masses. "I have no hesitation to ask anyone who looks like they might be able to use a hammer," reveals Nancy. "I don't have trouble filling the volunteer spots with the large membership at Sacred Heart."

This year, Nancy had an exciting and "rewarding" experience enlisting volunteers. "I approached this man and asked if he would volunteer. He apologized and said he was only visiting the area for the weekend. He then said he would like to make a donation and handed me one hundred dollars!" Surprised and pleased, Nancy thanked the man, and it gave her pause.

Many thanks for supporting our Habitat mission!

Blessings,

Luanne Kinney

Habitat Faith Relations Committee Member

Tiny Home Opportunity

There is still time to apply for the homebuyer program for the “small-footprint” home scheduled to be built this year for 111 Chisholm Street in Aberdeen.

The successful applicant will earn between $20,000 and $55,750 annually if a single individual has less than a 10% debt-to-income ratio. Perfect for a motivated buyer ready to invest in their future and accelerate through the Habitat program. Applications are available at Habitat!

Download Application

Women Build Breaks Ground in Addor

"Bright Meadows"

Two roads pave the way for Bright Meadows of Addor, home to 12 future Habitat families. Christened Freida May Lane and Nancy Court, each were named after a volunteer with over 5,000 volunteer hours. The new Habitat neighborhood hopes to catalyze change in the community. Habitat has also provided critical repairs in Addor. That program involves four primary kinds of repairs: roof, septic, HVAC, and wheelchair ramps.

On Thursday, September 26th, members of our Women Build came out to raise the walls of the home they sponsored for Madira, funded by the golf tournament that took place over the summer at Forest Creek Golf Club.

During the break, neighbors came to introduce themselves with goodies and coffee in hand. Mr. John Bright, the previous land owner, shared how "Bright Meadows" evolved and its legacy to his parents. Amie encouraged volunteers and community members to participate in the development with a $500 sponsorship that will provide a tree along the greenway with a memorial plaque.

We were also visited by a special guest on the build site. Wayne Vest, Moore County Manager, came out to see the groundbreaking. Moore County invested $100,000 in the construction of these roads, which also served as matching funds from a Federal Grant! Do you know that many grants require local support? That's right—your gift could be matched by other funding!

Reserving a build day will allow you to bring together your friends, colleagues, and community groups to make a meaningful impact. Volunteerism is not just about physical labor; it’s about creating a sense of belonging and community. Each nail driven, each wall raised, and each moment shared contributes to our mission of providing safe, decent, and affordable housing. Your hands can help transform lives and empower families to thrive.

We build every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning starting at 8:00 am and we wrap up around 1:00 pm. Click on the button below to register, view the calendar and book your team!

Volunteer

Sugar Show Flea Market

Huge shout out to RaeAnn of Pine Scones and Gale for the fabulous job they bringing this flea market together. Vendor booths exceeded last years total and display unique finds, crafts, and services. A percentage of the sales goes to Habitat's mission to build affordable homes.

ReStore Needs Volunteers

It's a fun opportunity to meet like-minded friends who support affordable housing. Great staff, flexible hours! Join us for our monthly Volunteer Session on Saturday, October 19th, to 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 there is an abundance of volunteer opportunities in Moore County. We strive to make your time a rewarding and beneficial experience at Sandhills Habitat. We value, respect, support, encourage, and enjoy exemplary relationships with volunteers.

Registration