VIDEO - SLIP & SLIDE Start of Aerospace Games Obstacle Course

Reggae music and 65 foot slip n slide...Where were you?

On October 22, 2011 Bay Area Habitat, the Hamlin family and many Aerospace companies teamed up to celebrate community and kick off the Build for the Hamlin family home, at the first annual Aerospace Games! It was a day of celebration and outrageous competitions. Spectators settled in with drinks and BBQ to cheer and jeer messy games of Egg Toss, a vicious Tug of War battle, showy sand volleyball tournament and the challenging, yet hilarious mile-long obstacle race in which competitors had to overcome a 65 foot slip n slide, haybells, NASA trivia, Kayak race and 30ft moon bounce! The day finished off with live Reggae music from Houston's local band, D.R.U.M and the award ceremony for the winning teams, NASA and Boeing.

Can't wait for next year! Read more about the Games in the Bay Area Citizen: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/bay_area/news/aerospace-companies-team-up-to-help-league-city-family-replace/article_cb3222ce-7d21-5e18-ab92-69ef424533ff.html

Dow and Habitat Team Up!!

Thank you for Dow Chemical for a $65,000 full house sponsorship! Dow Chemical has 20-30 volunteers each week coming out to help with construction at 501 N. 7th Street in La Porte, Texas. The new home is being built for Margarita Rene and her three children.



Dow is a finalist for the 2011 Best Partnership Award from the Business Civic Leadership Center. Everyone can vote and read about their remarkable story at http://bclc.uschamber.com/best-partnership-award-finalist-dow-habitat. See what Dow is doing all over the country!

Do Something Groundbreaking...

Today we sent out a mailing to all of the Groundbreakers Club members

introducing our latest homeowner, Felicia Rich!

Felicia a single mother of twin boys has begun the adventure building her Habitat home! Last week Felicia joined the BP, St. Christopher Church and the Regulars as we raised the walls for the next Habitat home in Dickinson. Felicia works hard as a care taker at Hope Village Home for mentally retarded adults. She is described by her peers and co-workers as a hardworking reliable and a "super" person! We feel very blessed to partner with her to build this new home.

If you would like to join the Groundbreakers Club and donate $25 every time we break ground on a new home, visit our website!http://www.bahfh.org/donate/index.php

Laura Santos and Mary Kay Are Trying to Help Habitat Win A FULL House Sponsorship!

Mary Kay Representative, Laura Santos, approached Bay Area Habitat for Humanity with an AMAZING opportunity!...

Mary Kay has decided to hold a contest in which the main prize is a FULL House Sponsorship for an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. This is a HUGE deal! Our homes cost approximately $65,000 to build, and initial funding is not easy to come by. Having the security of knowing someone will sponsor an entire build allows us to continue our mission of building homes in partnership with hard-working, low-income families in our community with more hope and less stress!

We can accomplish this by having as many women as possible agree to get "made-over".

Laura has been amazing in organizing groups and striving to have as many women as she can sign up for this opportunity to help.

The cost to enter: 15 minutes of your time and the willingness to have your "before and after" photos reviewed by a small panel of judges.

What you receive: A FREE Mary Kay makeover, entry into the individual grand prize of a $2500 vacation getaway and $2500 to donate to the charity of your choice, and the chance to offer a life-changing opportunity to a homeless family in your community.

There is no obligation to buy any Mary Kay products, and your photos will not be shared with anyone who is not connected to the judging of the contest.

"Getting Beautiful" has never been so easy and so rewarding!

To "Get Beautfiul" and give back, please join us at our "Mary Kay Makeover Event" scheduled for next Friday, June 10, from 11am-6pm.

Location: TBA (tentatively League City United Methodist)

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Laura Santos:
lsantos@marykay.com
281-332-1339

All other questions, comments, and concerns, please contact the BAHFH office:
281-337-3590

We Need YOU! Won't you help?

BAT Blog #2 and AmeriCorps Awareness Week

The AmeriCorps are back and in the full swing of things here at Bay Area Habtiat for Humanity. Rhia, Nathan and Jackie spent one week working with Pensacola Habitat to build 3 homes and raise the walls on 3 more!! They worked alongside Pensacola staff, homeowners and dedicated volunteers, as well as a group of Blue Angels! What a rewarding week!

Rhia worked with Family Services AmeriCorps members and staff to compile a welcome packet for new homeowners. Nathan and Jackie worked on the construction site. The affiliate had materials prepared for the crew to build 3 homes, but everone's expectations were exceeded! The last day, more walls were delivered and the skeletons of 3 more homes were put up. One of the homeowners received their address that Friday morning, and when they came to the worksite, they were pleasantly surprised to see a group of AmeriCorps members and Blue Angels raising their walls! The wife and husband team, along with their five children, thanked all of the volunteers and work crews at the closing ceremony Friday afternoon. At the ceremony, the Navy choir and colorguard performed, Pensacola's first Executive Director who just retired her position this year came to show her support, and the homeowners received hardhats that were signed by all of the AmeriCorps members present.

It was a long week full of blisters, bruises and hardwork, but it was well worth it for the AmeriCorps members. Though that week is over and our 3 AmeriCorps are safely back home, this week marks the 3rd week of the 2011 AmeriCorps Build-A-Thon. This week is also National AmeriCorps Awareness Week! We would like to invite everyone to learn more about the AmeriCorps program, how it works, who can benefit from it and the amazing things that get accomplished when a group of people decide to dedicate their lives to serving others. Please take a minute to visit the AmeriCorps Build-A-Thon website to read stories and see pictures of Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps taking action around the country. After that, head over to the official AmeriCorps Awareness Week website to see what else and where else AmeriCorps are involved!

"This year of service has been the most formative year of my life. College wasn't working for me. I got to a point I needed to refocus my time and energy into something good, something more meaningful than myself. With my year almost over, I feel confident that I am ready to go back to school and start the next chapter in my life. AmeriCorps did that for me." - Jackie Moran, AmeriCorps VISTA Member

BAT Blog #1

Greetings from sunny Pensacola, FL! The 2011 AmeriCorps Build-A-Thon is well under way! This year is the first time Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps are meeting in 8 different locations over a 3 week period to help over 80 families in North America through new home construction and rehabs. This week, approximately 60 Habitat AmeriCorps members from the southeast region of the country are working with the Pensacola affiliate to construct 3 new homes for local families. The 3 homes are just the beginning of 240 homes Pensacola Habitat has promised to build over the next two years! Bay Area Habitat's own Rhia, Nathan and Jackie feel blessed and honored to be a part of it!

Arriving late Sunday evening, the AmeriCorps members bonded over dinner and making beds in their dormitory accomodations, graciously provided by the University of West Florida. Monday and Tuesday were long days of building and Community Mapping. Nathan and Jackie raised walls, secured hurricane clips, installed trusses and tar-papered roofs, while Rhia scoped out local schools, hospitals, churches and other "need-to-know" places; The location information compiled by the Family Services crew will be put into a new welcome packet for the future homeowners. The progress they have made in just two days has been incredible! It has been wonderful for them to work with other Habitat AmeriCorps members, get to know their styles and the best (and not so successful) practices of their affiliates.

Fun Fact: Nathan and Jackie have been working under two Pensacola Crew Leaders who are Habitat homeowners turned full-time Habitat employees!! Way to go Rich and Cal! Y'all are awesome!

Each night on the UWF campus, HFH International and AmeriCorps team members have prepared fun activities for all of the "worker bees". Monday night was karaoke and board games. Tuesday, baseball and wings!

Wednesday is a much needed day off! No work, all play! Members will enjoy an agile and aerodynamic performance of the Blue Angels in the morning, and spend the rest of the day soaking up the Florida sun on the beach.

We will continue to keep you updated on Jackie, Rhia and Nathan's Build-A-Thon adventure throughout the week!

Please keep them in your prayers as they work to help fulfill the mission of Habitat for Humanity that have learned to love. Please pray that they are safe in their work, travel and play.

Thank you and God Bless!

Women Build Event = HUGE SUCCESS

Flowers arrangements on the worksite? A gourmet Salad Buffet? Over 70 Women "getting their nails done" at our Dickinson worksite? This only means one thing - National Women Build Week!! This past Saturday, over 70 women volunteered and raised all 4 walls of the Women Build home. It was an incredible day and the Bay Area Habitat crew would like to send out an extra special thanks to our Women Build Chairman, Kay Davey who worked tirelessly to make sure the day was not only organized, but also rewarding for all of those involved. Also, a huge thank you to our Construction Manager and Construction Assistant, Tom and Nathan for allowing us to invade their construction site with our pink hammers! Thank you to our "regulars" for being such great mentors week after week no matter how many volunteers we schedule, you are all a blessing to Bay Area Habitat and we couldn't do it without you!!

Don Zimmerman: Forever Building Hope

Last Saturday, we blessed the "Spring Building on Faith" Home on 26th Street in honor of Don Zimmerman.

Don was a dedicated Bay Area Habitat for Humanity construction volunteer. He was a hard worker and a problem solver. No problem was too big for Don. Calmly, he would consider a situation and come out with a solution. He was patient and kind and worked well with all of the passing volunteers, especially the younger ones. He offered his opinion when necessary, but trusted the instincts and craftsmanship of his fellow "regular" volunteers. Don never complained. Even to the very end, he made it a point to help out on the worksite in any way he could: cleaning up, doing a few odd jobs here and there, and continuing to spread joy and hope to everyone he encountered.

Ann Zimmerman, Don's wife and also a BAHFH volunteer, and his two sons, joined the crew on the worksite last weekend. Don's family and other volunteers who worked alongside Don for many years, shared stories of their time together. It was a bittersweet ceremony as everyone reflected on this great man and the impact he had on their lives. He has touched the lives of so many people in this community, and he is greatly missed. But the legacy he left behind will forever shine wherever BAHFH builds. Even though he is gone from this world, his memory continues to build hope in the community he cared so much for and committed his days to serving.

You were, are and will always be a blessing to this world.

We love you, Don. Rest in peace.

Click the photo above to view other pictures from the ceremony and build day.

Science and Technology Meet Nitty Gritty!

Last week, a group of students and teachers from the Denver School of Science and Technology flew down to the Texas Bay Area to spend some time getting "down and dirty" helping to get our final house on Florida Street ready for it's new homeowner! The group consisted of 34 high school students and 6 of their teachers.
 
A few facts about the school from which they hail:

Denver School of Science and Technology is the #1 high school in Denver!

The school is made up of a very diverse group of students and teachers of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. "100% of its first class of seniors was accepted into a four-year college or university last spring. The 100% acceptance rating is particularly inspiring considering the diversity of this Senior Class, which included 62% minority and 40% low income students. Additionally, 50% of this first graduating class is first generation college students." (Facts taken from the school's website: http://www.dsstmodel.org/) All of these students went on to continue their studies at the top schools in the nation.

 

Their enthusiasm and energy were hard to miss as they assisted us in working on many of the finishing touches on our last home on Florida street. Paint was spread on walls, ceilings, sheds, and clothing! The students matched the houses as they left the worksite, making them a walking testimony for the project they were working on. All of the grass was laid out in a beautiful brick pattern surrounding the house. What normally takes us up to two weekend workdays to accomplish, was done in two hours of work by this speedy group, quickly transforming the structure from a pile of assembled building materials on a construction site to a HOME.
 
The arrival of the students also marked the beginning of our transitional period from Florida Street to our new "build home" on 26th street. Old beat-up storage containers were emptied; materials were sorted and organized; good wood was transferred to the new site, and bad wood was carried away to the mulch yard. Another very cool project some of the students and teachers got to help with was learning how to lay rebar in preparation for pouring our next two concrete house slabs! They literally got to "lay the foundation" for the futures of our next two Partner Families :)
 
Through all of the labor intensive work, the group still took time to play! Their Art Instructor molded small, yet detailed, creations out of the clay of the earth. Here is a picture of the elephant he constructed on their second and final day with us:

 
In the midst of digging trenches, a game of Dirt Clod Baseball broke out, and some students made new friends with a couple of the local "freeloaders":



 

The students were so wonderful. Smart, funny and unique. One girl had a special connection to the project as a Habitat home recipient. She and her family are so grateful for their home, and she was happy to be a part of creating this opportunity for someone else.
 
It was such a joy having this group share their time and talents with us! We hope they enjoyed their time working with us and exploring the wonderful sites in Galveston and the Houston Bay Area!
 
To all of you who came out from Denver School of Science and Technology: We cannot thank you enough!
 
Much Love and Thanks, The BAHFH Crew

The Arrona's Express Their Thanks

The Arrona family wrote their own biography and their feelings on partnering with Habitat. Read their story below:
 
The Arrona Family is made up of Salvadro, Deborah and Aria. Salvadro is a Skilled Plumber Apprentice in the Maintenance Department of Pasadena Independent School District. Deborah is a wrok-from-home mom, who works as an Avon Independent Sales Representative. They have a seven year-old daughter, Aria.
 
The Arrona's heard about Habitat for Humanity in general, but they did not know, or understand the scope of the homeownership program. In January 2011, Salvador's cousin-in-law, Desire'e Jenkins, e-mailed Deborah information about a Homeownership Information Meeting Bay Area Habitat for Humanity was having at the La Porte Neighborhood Center. Salvador, Deborah, and Aria went to this meeting and received a full application after a short interview at the conclusion of the meeting. This full application was completed and submitted to Bay Area Habitat for Humanity in February.
 
In March, Bay Area Habitat for Humanity called Salvador to let him know that the Arrona family had been approved for a wheelchair accessible home to be built in La Porte, Texas. Deborah and Aria happened to be in the room when this phone call (that they had all been waiting for) was received. They could tell by the look on Salvador's face that it was good news. Once Salvador confirmed what Deborah was thinking, everyone screamed with greaty joy! Salvador danced with Aria in her wheelchair, and Deborah started calling, texting and emailing everyone she could think of to share the good news. After the sigh of relief, as their lifelong dream, since they've been married, was finally becoming a reality.
 
The Arrona family currently lives in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in Pasadena, Texas. The conditions are not dire, but considering the multiple special need that their daughter, Aria, lives with on a daily basis, their apartment is not sufficient. Aria, as a result of a micro-preemie birth, lives with spastic cerebral palsy, cortical visual impairment, epilepsy, and is fed through a feeding tube - just to name a few. Her multiple special needs require the use of durable medical equipment (such as a wheelchair, stander, and suction machine) and supplies (such as syringes, formula, and diapers) for her care. All of these items take up a lot of space in the family apartment, leaving little room for Aria to get around in her wheelchair. For access to the bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen, Aria must be carried because her wheelchair will not fit through the small hallways and door openings. This will become more difficult as Aria becomes older and larger. The sidewalks at the family's apartment complex are not wheelchair friendly, and Aria's wheelchair can barely fit through the entry way. Other issues their apartment has are persistent plumbing problems, drafts from the bedroom windows, and water damage caused by Hurrican Ike that has yet to be corrected. Having a brand new, wheelchair accessible home will eliminate and improve all of these issues.
 
Salvador and Deborah honestly believe that only good and positive changes can come from moving into their new Habitat home. Their new home will provide more space, security, stability and independence for Aria and the multiple special needs she lives with daily.
 
If the Arrona family could say one thing to the donors and volunteers working on their home, it would be, "Thank You!" Thank you for helping them realize their dream of homeownership. Thank you for giving them an opportunity to become part of a great community they have always desired. Thank you, above all else, for helping them make a home that will honestly be Aria's best chance to freely grow and flourish in a way she has not been able to before. Thank you for all you have done and do for families like them.
 
Thank you

Welcome Our Newest Families!

This past month, three new partner families were selected to join the BAHFH family. Letha Frederick, Betty Hall, and Salvador and Deborah Arrona are excited for the opportunity to work on their sweat equity, build their new homes, and create more stability and a better future for their families. They all have already begun puting hours into building homes for other families in the program.

Letha is a single mother of one teenage son. She struggled this winter living in a trailer with inadequate heating. She is excited to have a home she's helped build and watched being built, offering her a sense of security in the quality of her home. It will be wonderful to have a place where her son and extended family can feel comfortable staying with her and visiting.

Betty, also a single mother, is working hard to move her two teenage sons and stepfather out of an unsafe neighborhood and a crowded, two-bedroom, mold infested apartment. The boys are happy to be getting their own rooms, and Betty is happy to provide them with a safe living environment.

Salvador and Deborah Arrona are a happily married couple with a special needs daughter. Little Aria is a wonderful girl, who needs extra special care and attention. Her wheelcahir does not make it past the front door of their apartment, and her bedroom is overcrowded, as it doubles as a storage area for her medical supplies. The Arrona's love their daughter and want very much to finally have a home where she can move around freely and gain as much independence as she possibly can.

If you would like to meet any of these amazing families and learn more about their stories, come volunteer with us at the worksite! We build in Dickinson on Thursdays and Saturdays, and in La Porte every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

For more information, visit our website www.bahfh.org, or call the office at 281-337-3590.

Meet the New BAHFH Mascot!!

SAM

Meet the newest member of the BAHFH team: SAM

He's a Beta Fish, and he is happy to be the new Bay Area-Houston

Habtiat for Humanity Mascot!

 

Donning the Habitat colors, blue and green, we knew Sam would be a perfect fit from the start.

 

He enjoys spending time in his "habitat", swimming, eating,

and making "fish faces".

 

Since Sam has been in the office, we have seen employee work production increase by 110%.

 

"He is such a joy to have around. Everyone smiles a little more, works a little harder. Just fantastic. What a fish!" Tom Gongora, our Construction Manager, commented on Sam's arrival.

 

If you would like to meet Sam and welcome him to the area, feel free to stop by the office anytime between 8:30 am and 5 pm, Monday thru Friday.

First Habitat Homeowner Pays off Mortgage!!

Maria Bedolla and her family partnered with Bay Area-Houston Habitat for Humanity (BAHFH) in June of 1991. Previously, she, her husband and two young daughters had been renting a small, 2-bedroom house with a leaky roof, a sunken porch and inadequate utilities. Unable to apply for a traditional home loan, Maria felt she had no other options than to continue living in this way. That was until she discovered the mission of Habitat; a program designed to help people like Maria who are hard-working, dependable and determined to create a better future for themselves and their family.

After investing hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” into building their home, Maria and her family moved in on December 15, 1991. For the next 20 years, Maria made every mortgage payment on time. February 28, 2011 marked a memorable day in BAHFH history: Mrs. Bedolla made her final payment!

We are so proud of Maria and cannot be more thankful to her for setting such an amazing example for future homeowners.

Does Anybody Hear Me??

Hey out there!

Is anyone following us???

If you are, leave your comments below! Let us know how you've been affected by Habitat.

Likes, dislikes, joys, challenges, favorite moments...it's all valid and worth being heard. Habitat is more than just building homes. It's building relationships, creating experiences, and sharing in the awesomness of helping others.


Speak now, and please don't hold your peace!

Women Build 5K is HERE!!!

The 3rd Annual Women Build Project is about to begin. It will be kicked off THIS SUNDAY, February 27th, with the Women Build 5K (Walk or Run, whichever you prefer!)...

Women and men alike have been tirelessly fundraising and advocating for the past few months for this truly life-changing event. Why get involved? Can you imagine the impact you can have on someone's life? By donating your time and money ($35 registration fee. Feel free to fundraise more if you like!) you will be a part of not only building a house for someone, but building a better life for them and their family. We are told to give more to those who have less. The Women Build Project allows us to give love, hope, and peace to someone whose life up until now has been nothing shy of chaotic, rushed and rarely peaceful.

Our staff is setting the stage for an awesome event this Sunday! Come check it out!

Women Build 5K
Sunday February 27, 2011
3-5PM (arrive by 2:30 to register day of...)
University of Houston, Clear Lake

Registration Fee: $35

What does the fee get you?: A Women Build T-shirt (Mens and Womens available), the chance to Walk for a Cause and Changing Someone's life forever.

For more information, you can visit our website: http://www.bahfh.org/

See you there!

You Go Ahead On Wisconsin!

"Empty lot"

"Framing up"

"Plywood and TYVEC"

University of Wisconsin Helps Habitat!(Click above to see pictures of the group at work)
Last week here at Bay Area-Houston Habitat for Humanity, we had a group of 11 students from the University of Wisconsin out on the worksite helping us build our first house of 2011.

The group drove 20 hours straight through in 3 cars, leaving their school Saturday morning and arriving in Dickinson sometime early Sunday afternoon. Dickinson United Methodist Church was so kind to offer them a place to stay and hot meals for the entire week. The "badgers" (University of Wisconsin's mascot) came ready to work!

Full of energy and excited to do something good for someone else, they worked full 9 hour work days Monday-Thursday in the blustering cold (40-50 degree weather...that's "blustering" to Texas folk, people!). On the first day, they endured a two-hour long safety briefing and tour of the site, cleaned up the slab that was full of random pieces of wood, siding and other building materials and started framing the house. By the end of the second day, the whole house was framed! Wednesday and Thursday, the group "blocked" and secured the structure, attached hurricane clips and ceiling joists, and had the entire outside covered in plywood and tyvec! Even the framework for the family's shed was finished. Impressive!

A shout out to Cici's Pizza and Richard Ainsworth's Famous Chili for supplying the group with lunch for their last two work days. Thanks so much!

This group is going to be a hard act to follow, as we have more Collegiate Challengs groups signed up to help us during their school breaks, continuing this week with the University of Maryland, College Park. Our regular volunteers had a blast working with this energetic, fun, quick-learning group! Tommy G, our Construction Supervisor, was completely impressed. They worked him hard all week, but he never complained. As he would say, "You go ahead on, Wisconsin!"

You go ahead on, Wisconsin...Thanks for stopping here in Dickinson. We hope you had as amazing a time working and visiting with us as we did with you!

On another note:

Today is the 25th Anniversary of MLK Day. We hope everyone is out volunteering their time today to someone or some organization that might need it. In honor of MLK Day, we had a special day on site with our current Collegiate Challenge group. Tune in tomorrow to see what we did...

Thanks blogger fans! We appreciate your eyeballs :)

New Year, New Beginnings!

It is officially the year 2011, and a lot is happening at Bay Area Houston Habitat for Humanity. We finished off 2010 by moving 3 amazing families into brand new homes right before the Christmas holiday. This year, we are excited to work with 8 new families toward making their homeownership dreams come true.

Today, we have a group of college students out on the worksite, coming all the way from Wisconsin, to help us start the new year off right! They will be working alongside our regular construction crew this week to establish all of the framework for our next house. We are so excited to have them here! Next week, a group from Maryland will be here to continue where this group leaves off. Follow our blog this week and next as we travel through the journey with them!

Thank you to all of our followers for all you have done with us throughout this last year. May God bless you and keep you safe, healthy and prosperous throughout this next year, as you continue to bless and support us and our families!!