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One of the best parts about working at a non-profit is the chance to work with other groups. Habitat would like to give a HUGE thank you to our students from S.A.I.L. Every Thursday, we are blessed with their smiling faces around the store. It has become a favorite day for many of our other volunteers, who enjoy teaching the boys how to do the newest ReStore projects.

S.A.I.L. stands for Straight Ahead to Independent Living, and the program is a part of Sheboygan Area School District. It focuses on helping 18-21 year olds with special needs lead confident lives in the community. They are taught a variety of living skills including cooking, cleaning, and paying bills, all through an apartment provided by the organization.

The students are also taken to community facilities and social events, to increase their comfort in these activities. They have been able to go to the YMCA twice a week, go bowling, and recently they even enjoyed a night at the symphony. Once they leave the program they will not only be able to live independently, but have a great time doing it!

Much of the focus is also on gaining work skills, both volunteering and paid. The students are given the chance to tour a variety of different employers around Sheboygan. Currently, our wonderful group also volunteers at Bethesda, Highland House, and does paid work training through Great Lakes Training. The students have total control over the money they earn, and quite a few have graduated from the program to live sustainably in their own apartments. Faye’s Pizza and Culver’s have been particularly supportive, hiring several students as permanent workers.

Based on their hard work and great attitudes at Habitat, we can say confidently that anyone who hires these boys will be quite lucky indeed!

Thank you, students, for everything
you’ve done at Habitat!

Finding deals in the ReStores just got more convenient. That is because you can now find materials from both the Sheboygan and Plymouth ReStores online on DiggersList. DiggersList is a web site that aims to provide an online marketplace for leftover remodeling and construction materials, as well as consumer items, that are looking for a new home.

The Sheboygan and Plymouth ReStore both have their own separate storefront on DiggersList in which you can view a variety of products that are currently in the ReStore. Although you can’t buy the materials online, you are able to read a detailed description as well as view 4 different photos of each product. You can even see the current price of the product as well. Best of all, if you visit our storefront, you will be able to click on the “Follow our Deals” button and every time the ReStore sends out a coupon or deal alert, you will be the first to know!

To make it even more convenient for customers, the DiggersList storefront has been integrated into each of the ReStore’s web pages on habitatlakeside.org. This way you can view the hours, location, and other general information about each ReStore while you are searching for deals. It’s all about trying to connect to more customers, making it easier for them to buy materials (and donate materials!) in the ReStore. Ultimately it results in more funds for Habitat for Humanity Lakeside to build more homes.

One special bonus to having a DiggersList storefront is that the ReStores and DiggersList have an ongoing partnership. If a DiggersList member posts something on Diggerslist and it doesn’t sell, they can opt to donate it — and a ReStore representative will pick it up so that the ReStore can try to sell it.

Let’s get shopping!

There’s a new reason for you to stop into Habitat for Humanity Lakeside’s ReStores in Sheboygan and Plymouth, and no, it’s not because of the handsome store managers. It’s because the ReStores are now providing you with creative ideas of how to reuse, repurpose and upcycle the new and used building materials, furniture, and other great merchandise that can be found every day in the ReStores.

These ideas have been made possible by the use of one of the newer online social media sites, Pinterest. If you aren’t familiar with Pinterest, it is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest lets users organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people and organizations. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. The ReStores have been scouring the internet and other “Pinners” pinboards for creative reusing, repurposing, and upcycling ideas so that you will never look at a lamp shade, pallet, or dresser drawer the same ever again.

Why put the time into providing people with other ways of using building materials in the ReStore? Simple, it’s all to further the tri-fold mission of Habitat for Humanity Lakeside’s ReStores.

The first part of the ReStore’s mission is to provide homeowners with discounted building materials so that they can improve their own homes, thus also improving our community. Who says that homes can’t look good with donated merchandise!

Second, the ReStore has an environmental mission of diverting building materials from the landfill. Giving customers a whole new outlook on what they can do with a particular item in the ReStore saves that item from eventually being discarded. Even obsolete items can be given a new life. Repurposing and upcycling items fits into the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle triangle, specifically reduce and reuse by reducing consumption for new materials and reusing existing materials beyond their original intended use.

Third, is to provide funds for the construction of new Habitat Homes. How can you feel guilty buying things in the ReStore when you know that every penny spent supports Habitat for Humanity Lakeside’s vision and mission?

If you, or someone you know is creative and resourceful, chances are that one of your projects could end up on our ReStore’s HFHL ReStore Customer Project’s Page! Let us know if you are interested.

Plymouth High School Volunteers

Habitat for Humanity would like to thank Jim Meinen and his fantastic students from Plymouth High School for everything they have done for us this past semester. Twice a week since September, Habitat Lakeside has had 3-5 Plymouth students at our build site and Plymouth ReStore helping build, tear down, paint, and move whatever was needed. Everyone at Habitat that worked with these students has had wonderful things to say about them. They came each day ready to work, and the significant impact they have caused for Habitat would be impossible to measure.

Going beyond the call of duty, they were also a huge part of constructing the float for the Plymouth Christmas Parade. During the float construction, the students were surprised to hear Mr. Meinen say for the first time “Just wing it.” The freedom of this allowed the students to work on their problem solving skills and creativity. Without a firm plan in hand, they found themselves fixing stabilization issues, and truly leading the construction on their own initiative. The float road down Mill St. in great success, despite the cold, and it’s easy to say, we couldn’t have done it without them!

Kohler High School Volunteers

Kohler High School was also imperative to constructing our float. On their biannual (volunteer day), 12 Kohler students came to participate however they could at our Sheboygan ReStore. And participate they did! With the help of our usual Sheboygan volunteers, the Kohler students divided in to four groups of three. One group was assigned to cleaning sinks and televisions that would be going to the sale floor. Another group of strong young men moved large appliances and electronics in to recycling bins. Six other students helped on the floor of the actual ReStore, stocking and pricing items. At the end of the day, many ended up in the basement, painting lollipops, gingerbread men, and candy steps for our gingerbread house float. All in all, it was a wonderful, exciting day, and we can’t wait to host them again in spring!

Volunteer Spotlight: Patrick Flook

To describe Patrick Flook, one might simply say “Retired grandfather of six.” Yet this would hardly do justice to the active Navy Veteran, who spends several days a week volunteering with Habitat. Born and raised in Battle Creek, Michigan, Pat’s desire to contribute began early. He joined the Naval Reserves before graduating high school and part of his training had him docking in Sheboygan, where he met his wife. After active duty in Viet Nam, he settled in Sheboygan, working for Kohler for 41 years. Before retiring, he used his passion for building and household projects for the benefit of Rebuilding Together and church mission trips. “After retirement,” he says, “it was a natural progression to become involved with the ReStore and Habitat for Humanity.” He can be seen at our nearly completed build at 24 Edna Street as many days as he is available, as well as every Saturday at the Sheboygan ReStore. More recently, he has joined our Build Committee to help further the mission through upcoming builds and remodel projects. So why all this dedication? Pat says, “I feel fortunate to be able to give back to the community in which I have been a part of for so many years. It is a very rewarding feeling to be able to help others when help is needed. This is what God has taught us to do.” I speak for everyone at Habitat for Humanity when I say that we feel fortunate to have such a wonderful man amongst us to help expand our mission.

Volunteer Spotlight: Cindy Benning

Cindy Benning has been a wonderful help over the holiday season, and Habitat can honestly say there are many things we could not have done without her this fall! By loaning her trailer, she made it possible for Habitat to participate in the Plymouth Christmas Parade. On Decemeber 8th, she helped load dozens of TV’s from the Plymouth store onto her trailer and drive them to the Sheboygan store for recycling.

Originally from Wausau, Cindy earned her Pharmacy degree at UW Madison in 1977. She worked as a pharmacist at Columbia-St Mary’s for 30 years. For the past 13 years, she has been working in a management position. She has also been involved with state and national pharmacy organizations for 20 years. Cindy began volunteering for Habitat with a church group in Milwaukee. “We did rehabs and some new builds in the inner city. It was such a great experience and satisfying to know someone had a home because of our efforts,” she says. Five years ago, she discovered our Plymouth ReStore when looking to donate items. She was happy to learn of another way she could help Habitat’s mission, and began working every Saturday. She also helped open the new Sheboygan store at the beginning of 2012. “It was fun seeing the store fill up and all the different donations that started coming in.” Recently, Cindy became involved with the Fundraising Committee for Habitat, and enjoys the competitive challenge she and the other members have to beat their sales “record.”

She also contributes to the mission by doing a lot of her own shopping at the ReStore. “There is always something there I ‘need,’” she says, “What could be better than providing a home for someone, reusing viable items and helping the environment by reducing waste.  It’s a win-win-win!” Certainly it was Habitat who “won” when we got such a caring, helpful volunteer!

Volunteer Stats

Just to put it in perspective, here are a couple of stats to show our volunteer’s hard work this year.

Lists are a very common thing this season. There are grocery lists for parties, Christmas lists, packing lists for the holiday travels and now Habitat for Humanity Lakeside has a list of its own, a wishlist. Habitat for Humanity Lakeside’s wishlist is like a Christmas list, except this list gives back. The items on Habitat Lakeside’s wishlist include things that would be very beneficial to the office, build site, and ReStores. Donating these particular items directly enables Habitat for Humanity Lakeside to focus its funding efforts on building homes rather than purchasing the equipment to do so.

Donating to the wishlist is easy, and feels good as well! All you have to do is go online to habitatlakeside.org and go to our wishlist page, which is located under “In-Kind Donations”, which is located under “Giving” on the main navigation menu. Please see the wishlist for current items that Habitat for Humanity Lakeside would greatly appreciate receiving.

Just like with any Christmas list, if you have questions on details of specific items, don’t hesitate to call Habitat for Humanity Lakeside. You can even wrap your gift if you would like! Of course, when you donate, Habitat Lakeside won’t forget to say thank you because we will list you as a donor on our wishlist page, send you a thank you card, and say thank you. As an added perk, your donation may be tax deductible.

At the end of every quarter, Habitat for Humanity Lakeside tithes 10% of its revenue to support programs in developing countries where Habitat for Humanity International works. The tithe helps families outside of the United States realize their dream of safe, decent, and affordable housing.

This past quarter, HFH Lakeside designated their tithe to go towards building more homes, communities, and hope in Bolivia, a South American Country. HFH Lakeside tithed a generous $4,800 to Habitat for Humanity Bolivia. That amount will build at least one house for a family in need!

Bolivia has a population of over 9 million people, 55 percent of which do not have access to potable water and sewage services.

Statistics also show that out of the total population, 58 percent of Bolivian families live in huts that do not meet the minimum living conditions, lacking basic services and sanitation. Thirty-one percent of homes accommodate three or more people per bedroom.

Approximately 38 percent of Bolivian homes are built with adobe (clay and straw), and 69 percent of the houses have dirt floors. Due to the materials used for their construction, these homes are highly susceptible for the breeding of pests, such as thevinchuca bug which transmits Chagas disease, an incurable neurological disease that can result in death. The vinchuca bug thrives in adobe. However, it cannot survive in the brick and cement homes built by Habitat for Humanity Bolivia.

Habitat for Humanity Lakeside is pleased to announce its new A Brush with Kindness initiative! Habitat for Humanity Lakeside will now begin repairing homes in partnership with qualified, low-income homeowners. The new housing repair program called A Brush with Kindness is aimed at providing painting, minor exterior repairs, landscaping, wheelchair ramp building, and exterior clean-up to low-income homeowners in need.

Habitat for Humanity Lakeside’s A Brush with Kindness has a goal to serve low-income homeowners who struggle to maintain the exterior of their homes.  The work is done by volunteers who use donated materials whenever possible.  The homeowner, as is with any Habitat Homeowner, must demonstrate that they fit the general criteria of need, ability to pay a no-interest loan, and willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity Lakeside.  Payments made by the partner family are placed in a revolving fund to help A Brush with Kindness serve others in need.

“This initiative gives us a great opportunity to help more families in need, as well help revitalize the appearance of whole neighborhoods, encourage connections within the community, and most importantly, help preserve affordable housing in Sheboygan and Ozaukee Counties.” said Dennis Ketterman, Habitat Lakeside’s ABWK representative, “Helping people repair and maintain their homes fits in seamlessly with Habitat’s core mission of making decent, affordable housing available to low-income families.”

To learn more about the A Brush with Kindness program, please visit Habitat for Humanity Lakeside’s program page here. If you want to apply to be considered to be a part of the A Brush with Kindness program, or just want to know how the application process works please visit the application page here.