Gift Wrap!

If you step into a Barnes and Noble or Borders sometime this week, you may notice a frantic college student trying to wrap up a "24: season 2" DVD box set. This college student might likely be a member of UGA Habitat, who have set up stations this week at various B&N's/Borders all over the state. UGA Habitat's biggest fundraiser of the year, the Holiday Gift Wrap is an effort to collect donations in order for UGA Habitat to sponsor a house up here in Athens. Look out for these guys this week, and be sure to leave a big tip :)

A very temperate Christmas

The last Habitat build of the year took place this past Saturday in surprisingly warm weather. Finishing touches were made to Chynitra's house while the Casas' house came complete with a new deck by the day's end. All of the homeowners worked on what was a very relaxing day out on the site, and hopefully by the time January rolls around we'll be blessed with this southern weather. We at Habitat would like to wish everyone a happy holidays and we hope that everyone stays safe (or at least sign the waiver before getting into trouble). Thanks everyone and God bless!

Here Comes the Sun

Volunteers from Colwell Banker and Habitat braved the cold weather to work on both Chynitra's and the Casas' houses. The sun helped warm everyone up as they did indoor work until lunchtime rolled around. Thanks to Coldwell banker, there was plenty of warm chili for everyone.

Dedication this Friday!

Athens Area Habitat for Humanity is holding the dedication for Chynitra Brown's home this Friday at 3:00PM in Dorsey Village. We would like to welcome all of the volunteers who contributed to the build to join us in celebrating the transfer of the house keys from Habitat to Chynitra and to celebrate the conclusion of a successful and exciting build.

Baseball, Health, and a few New Yorkers to boot

Last Saturday was a flurry of activity on the Habitat site. The baseball team, representing Colwell banker, worked a full shift on both the Casas and Chynitra Brown's home. Volunteers from both the College of Public Health and UGA Housing for Housing also put in great effort in getting Chynitra's house ready for dedication this Friday. The award for farthest distance travelled to work on the site, however, had to go to the family from New York, who are friends with the Casas and travelled all the way down to work on their house. It was a great job all around and even though the weather's getting colder, the builds are continuing more quickly than ever.

OCHS Beta Club in the Thrift Store

The Oconee County High School Beta Club was in the Habitat Thrift Store Saturday working hard and helping out. Over the course of the day students completed many tasks from cleaning and organizing the store to administering a customer survey. Their work was much appreciated and the Thrift Store could not operate without the help of people like the OCHS Beta Club. Thanks guys!

Basketball team helps out Habitat

Thanks to an arrangement by Coldwell Banker, members of the UGA Men's Basketball team came out last Saturday to help out on the Habitat construction site. The team and its coaches instantly got to work on Chynitra's house, only breaking for lunch which was graciously provided by Coldwell. Habitat would like to extend its thanks to Coach Felton and the boys for bringing their energy and enthusiasm to the work site, proving themselves to be hardworking both on and off the court. Habitat would also like to thank Housing for Housing for putting a in a good day's work on Chynitra's house, which due to their spectacular efforts will be dedicated soon.

Volunteers, volunteers everywhere!

Dorsey Village looked a little crowded Saturday as volunteers representing both Coldwell Banker and UGA Housing for Housing came out to work on two houses. While Coldwell Banker worked on the roof of the Casas' house, Housing for Housing performed a number of jobs on Chynitra Brown's house, from putting up vinyl sighting to deck repair and clean-up. Both groups worked tirelessly, and by the end of the day, the two houses facing each other from across the street had never looked better.

Builders Blitz!

Hey everyone, we broke ground on our 60th house on Tuesday and now, on Day 4, the trusses have gone up and the house has been wrapped. That's due to one of Habitat's greatest traditions, the Builder's Blitz. During this two week build-a-thon Volunteers from the sponsor, Coldwell Banker, have been working tirelessly to do in days what normally takes months. Habitat would like to thank it's sponsors for providing not just the capital, but one of the greatest volunteer groups we've ever had. Keep your eyes open for picture updates, so that we all can see how this thing is moving forward at rapid-fire pace.

Business school helps out Habitat

UGA is doing its part to give back to the community through one of its freshmen seminars, BUSN 1020. Students enrolled in this class have the task of completing 20 hours of community service during the Fall, and Habitat has greatly benefited from this influx of eager volunteers. Whether on the job site, the office, or in the thrift store, Habitat would like to extend its gratitude to this group of young people whose hearts are truly in the right place.

Goodbye Summer

Volunteers bundled up for one of the first truly chilly Fall builds last Saturday as the Navy school got together with homeowners and UGA Habitaters to finish up the vinyl sighting on Chynitra Brown's house. Habitat would like to thank our friends at Jason's Deli and Krystal's for generously providing us with a lunch that kept us strong and working in our mission to beat the 16-week build schedule for this house.

Did somebody say vinyl?

Dedicated members from UGA Habitat and all three Habitat families showed up last Saturday to all-but-complete the vinyl sighting on Chynitra's house. Last Saturday marked the first volunteer day for Susie Thomas, the recipient of the Building on a Dream home that Habitat will break ground on soon. Susie, with an eagerness and a willingness to help out, was a welcome addition on the job site and into the Habitat family.

Buffalo? We don't need no stinkin buffalo!

Volunteers from UGA who didn't want to deal with gameday parking skipped out on the UGA-Colorado game and came out and helped with Saturday's build. The suprisingly hot weather did not make for an easy day out on the job site. Luckily, members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens came out and saved the day by providing a delicious lunch. Habitat would like to thank all of it's great volunteers for keeping this build on schedule, not just as a result of their numbers, but also because of a willingness to get the job done, no matter how much dirt gets on the upholstery on the ride home.

Volunteers on a Hot Tin Roof

A small volunteer group on Saturday, September 16th tackled one of the toughest jobs related to home building-the roof. Members of the UGA Community and the Casas family carried 70 lb. bags up unto the roof and worked for hours under the Georgia sun, proving that even just a few can accomplish a lot.

UGA students make an impact

Students representing Housing for Housing, UGA Habitat, and the UGA Engineering School all came together last Saturday to work on Chynitra Brown's house. The volunteers split into three groups, with the bravest working the roof, the majority working with the window framing, and the remainder(or as they jokingly called themselves, "the grunts") working on the foundation. Everyone put in a great day of work and even managed to get the roof completed by lunchtime, proving that UGA students can hammer with the best of them.

Habitat Barberitos 5k!

Racers and walkers from Athens and surrounding counties got up early on Labor Day and participated in the Habitat 5k. All proceeds went to benefit the Building on a Dream campaign. Runners circled the hilly neighborhoods surrounding the Milledge Avenue Baptist Church and then finished the race down by the lake in Memorial Park. Habitat would like to thank all of it's volunteers, especially those of the Sigma Chi fraternity, for their help in making Monday's race one of the most successful races in Habitat's history!

Featured Item of the Week at Habitat Thrift Store!

Pictures just don't do justice to this gorgeous, mahogany entertainment center. That's why you'll have to come in to see how beautiful it is yourself! Our pieces were donated by Directions Contract and Residential Furnishings, a premier design company, seen in Elle Dcor and Metropolitan Home Magazine. This piece is part of the Madison series with origins in Indonesia and a handsome espresso finish. Only a few of these are left in our store so hurry in before they are all gone! Directions to the Thrift Store are posted on our website and product inquiries can be sent to thriftstore@athenshabitat.com

Habitat Says Goodbye to One of It's Own

This past Saturday marked the last day on the job site of Jay Troy, who has been a fantastic member of the Habitat staff, both as assisstant construction manager and construction manager, for the past few years. We at Habitat will sorely miss him and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Habitat Thrift Store Is On Ebay!

Athens Area Habitat for Humanity is now a certified non-profit on ebay! Looking for antiques, gadgets or novelty items? Go on ebay.com to bid on some of our great tax deductible items which are listed under our new seller id (aahfhthriftstore). Our ebay account will add lots of new options for those looking to donate to Habitat and the Thrift Store. Friends of Habitat and interested buyers can visit our Missionfish non-profit site and see all of our listings for auction. You can also make a donation by registering as a direct seller of Athens Habitat and selling your own items on ebay for 100% donation. If you are already a regular ebay seller, get a tax deduction every time you elect to donate a percentage of your ebay sale to Athens Habitat. Non-profit donation is a great ebay marketing tool for current ebay sellers and has been shown to boost sales significantly! Simply cut and paste our missionfish.org webpage listed below into your browser or click on our link to ebay "giving works". For directions on registering your ebay account as a direct seller with Athens Habitat, email Lindsey Walker at lindsey@athenshabitat.com.

http://www.missionfish.org/NPMMF/nphomepage.jsp?NP_ID=15422

Aug. 19th build a resounding success

A partially-hidden sun shined over the Habitat volunteers as they trudged along trying to get the roof in place. Volunteers from UGA Housing for Housing, the Casas family, the German volunteers and regular volunteers trudged along as they put forth the effort get the roof up on Chynitra Brown's house. In a summer characterized by blazing Georgia heat, the weather for the past few build has been surprisingly mild. Now that the Fall is kicking in, Habitat is looking forward to having more successful Saturday builds with our phenomenal volunteers.

Kermit to Build at Habitat

Kermit the Frog will be making an appearance at the Habitat build site the week of September 6th. He will be a great help on the build site. Check out his adventures at http://cheriwra.myweb.uga.edu/ and look for pictures. If you want to volunteer with Kermit, call Jake at 706-208-1001 for details.

Pics from National Conference

The beautiful city of Charlotte, the banking capitol of the US

Pics from National Conference

Christian "volunteers" to carry all of the luggage.

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain

Habitat got a helping hand from volunteers form the navy school as well as Chynitra and the Casas family as they battled the elements to get a roof up on the new house as well as finish up the porch. The early morning threat of rain kept the site relatively cool. However, after lunchtime, the rain began to come down, making it impossible for anyone to work on the roof. Still, in spite of everything, everyone did a great job in keeping the build schedule on schedule and making this house one of the fastest Habitat builds in recent memory.

Habitat Trot 5k fast approaching!

In partnership with Barberitos, we are hosting our annual Habitat Trot 5k Run/Walk on Labor Day, September 4th, 2006 at 8 AM. Join us for a classic 5k run/walk through Athens' famous 5-Points area. Come out and join other familiar Habitat faces on this holiday to run, walk or volunteer in our effort to raise funds for our Building on a Dream House Project, which celebrates the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King and the American Dream of Home ownership. Prizes and coupons will be awarded, and pre-registration guarantees a t-shirt. Click on the following link to download a registration form. This will be a great opportunity to see some old friends, make some new ones, and support a great cause!

http://runningintheusa.com/crs/docs/06HabitatTrot.pdf

National Habitat Conference a blast!

4 delegates from Athens Area Habitat for Humanity attended a national Habitat conference in Charlotte over the weekend. With representatives from affiliates from all over the country(not to mention a few from overseas branches), Habitat celebrated the milestone completion of it's 200,000th house and laid out the plans for a new goal; the doubling of that number within six years. With spokesmen for the international tithe and Hurricane rebuilding efforts, it was made abundantly clear to the affiliates that help is needed around the US and the world, not just in their own back yards. Afterwards, representatives from Athens Area attended resource and volunteer development seminars, exchanging ideas with other affiliates. The only disappointed face was that of Christian, the new German Habitat exchange volunteer, when he learned that he wouldn't be eating a catered lunch every day during his stay in the US.

7/29/06 Build

Under the continuing threat of rain, UGA Housing for Housing pushed ahead on Chynitra's house, and turned a frame of a house into a house in less than three hours, just finishing as the rain finally kicked in. It was a day for photographs. The Athens Banner-Herald even showed up around lunch time to take a few pictures, and near the end of the day everyone huddled together for a group photo, in which the dirt stains on everyone's clothing served as a testimony to a job well done.

Pics from 7/22/06 build

Workin hard.

Pics from 7/22/06 build

The Navy School can work the saw.

Navy School and Boy Scouts

Hey everyone! Saturday's build might have been the coolest (temperature-wise) July build on record. Which isn't saying much. Within the first hour, the Navy School were running on all cylinders and had raised all four walls of Chynitra's house. The Boy Scout's job was decidedly less glamorous, but they put forth their best effort as they got to do such exciting jobs as garbage pick-up and cement block stacking. Overall, it's been an exciting build schedule so far and it's been great to see the swift progress on Chynitra's house. Thanks to everyone who volunteered and hope to see you all on the site sometime soon!

Jake Warren
Volunteer Coordinator

Germans are coming!

We anxiously await the new arrival of our new German exchange student Chris. He will be arriving from Germany on Tuesday and will work with us for a year. The Germans have made a tremendous impact on our construction capabilities and we appreciate their service to Habitat.

Lunch Break

Volunteers take a well deserved break for lunch sitting on blocks and floor joists. Pizza anyone? Pure energy food!

Working Hard

Volunteers construct the center beam which will hold up the floor on Saturday. It sure looks hot! Hey, do you need some water?

Groundbreaking

Everyone is all smiles in the cool of the morning as representatives from UGA housing and Habitat break ground Saturday.

Kickoff of house #59!

On Saturday, Habitat kicked off it's new house, sponsored by Housing for Housing and benefiting Chynitra Brown and her family! It was...probably one of the hottest days of the year. Somehow the heat index got up to the mid-90s before we even broke ground, and I almost over-shot my credit limit buying ice from Kroger. That didn't stop our great volunteers from Housing for Housing though. They got more done before noon than sometimes gets done all day, and when 11:30 rolled around and I broke out lunch (generously provided by Papa Johns), we couldn't even tear the group away from their work. Overall, it was a great kickoff to our 59th build, and hopefully for the next sixteen weeks(or possibly less, considering how productive this group was), the summer heat won't be so rough. God bless and take care everyone!

Jake Warren
Volunteer Coordinator

New Family!!

Athens Habitat has approved a new family for homeownership! Congratulations to the Casas family. The home is sponsored by Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty and will be built in Dorsey Village. We are all excited and happy for the Casas.

Ground Breaking Ceremony

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held tomorrow July 15th at 165 New Hope Drive. The house is being sponsored by UGA Housing Department and will be be Chynitra Brown's new home. Chynitra works at Athens Regional and will be occupying the home with her young daughter. The ceremony will begin at 9:00 AM and will be followed by the construction of the floor system for the house.

Welcome to Athens Habitat

Athens Area Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1988 on the basic principle that everyone in the Athens community deserved the opportunity to own their own home. In addition to helping Clarke, Oconee, and Oglethorpe residents achieve their dreams of homeownership, Athens Area Habitat is also dedicated to eliminating substandard housing in Athens and its surrounding counties. Since its inception 18 years ago, Athens Area Habitat for Humanity has built homes with over 55 families in the Athens Area. Homes are now being constructed in Dorsey Village, Athens Area's first Habitat community. Built off of the Hawthorne Extension, Dorsey Village will house 18-21 Habitat families and have a play area and nature area.