Habitat Wake will reach a special milestone on August 8. We will complete our 100th A Brush With Kindness (ABWK) project at the home of The Wilson Family in Raleigh’s Apollo Heights neighborhood.
"In an innovative partnership with its lender partners, Genworth MI pledged that for each eligible customer-submitted mortgage loan it insures during the campaign, Genworth MI will contribute $10 to the build. The funds contributed from customer loan submissions will be part of at least $65,000 Genworth MI has committed to fund construction of the home in Raleigh's Maybrook Crossing subdivision.
Today is the last day of our fiscal year and, oh what a year it has been! Thanks to God’s faithfulness, an incredibly generous community, and such loyal partners this ministry of Habitat Wake has reached our highest level ever for serving families in a single year! We are indeed blessed.
Tom Gipson, Habitat Wake Advisory Board member and long-time supporter, was this week's Tar Heel of the week! He has made amazing things happen with the Home Builders Blitz, and we're so thankful for all of his work. Tom and Steve Thomas, formerly of This Old House, were on-site Thursday during Builders Blitz week to see our progress and speak with the builders about their experience.
We have an indeed had a blessed year! Our fiscal year ends at June 30 and we will have served 119 families this year. We had planned to serve 102 families, so here’s to the 17 additional families we were able to serve thanks to a faithful God, a super generous community, very committed volunteers, and to diligent work from a talented staff team!
Joann Blumenfeld is an energetic, resourceful teacher at a Wake County middle school who says that lessons she learned through Habitat for Humanity set the course for her and her family. The crux of what Joanne teaches her children is simple: Work hard. Focus on school. Give back.
It’s all about perspective. This week, 130+ AmeriCorps volunteers from throughout the country have descended upon the Northeast End community in Wake Forest with the task of building three homes from framing to finish, 2 homes from painting to finish, and providing much needed exterior repairs to 10 owner-occupied homes—all the while living with co-workers in a freshman dorm at NC State.
The housing finance system in the United States, despite some recent hiccups, has served us well helping to maintain homeownership rates of 60+% for many years. Suffice it to say, once you are in the system, it generally works as a mechanism to provide stable housing and also to build wealth over time.
I joined the homeownership ranks in 1982 when my wife and I purchased our first home in Lynchburg, Virginia. My parents helped us with the down payment and the previous owner provided financing at 12% interest which was much better than the market rates of 15%+.
Here’s a brief Holy Week meditation as we step back to reflect on the crucifixion and resurrection of
Jesus. These are lyrics from a song called, Trust, by the Smalltown Poets:
Take this bread, drink this cup
Know this price has pardoned you
From all that’s hardened you
But it’s going to take some trust