Habitat in Honduras!

This past month,15 Habitat members went to Honduras for nine days and completed two homes! These travelers had an awesome time volunteering their time to help our international affordable housing mission. Volunteer Coordinator, Laurel Prichard, hashed out some details about their trip to us; she said it was an enlightening trip that allowed the volunteers to experience the culture first-hand. It also gave them an opportunity to help a less fortunate community and country, one that appreciates international support. Laurel explained that it puts our needs (in America) into perspective and helps us realize global needs, in addition to our own. She said it was a pleasure to work with the Honduras people because of their friendly and inviting attitude as well as their eagerness to work and do everything in their power to build their homes. She strongly encourages those interested in the 'global village' expeditions to fulfill their desires, claiming that the trip will allow you to provide service to a foreign country while simultaneously offering the opportunity to immerse yourself in a foreign culture, otherwise unbeknown to you!


Click here to get some first-hand information and pictures from Laurel!
http://itallstartsathome.blogspot.com

Why Volunteer?

Volunteers are more than just a college sports team. Volunteers are people willing to donate their time to participate in a non-paying activity. So in rough economic times like these, why partake in an altruistic activity and receive no pay when you could be spending your time at a job making money?

A job may provide you with some financial security (or in my case some extra summer cash) volunteering can satisfy you in different ways. Volunteering provides an opportunity to learn--not only about yourself (your strengths and weaknesses) but also about other people you are working with.

As a junior in college I know why most young adults first start to volunteer--to build their resume for college. I spent many of my afternoons during high school trying to rack up the number of community service hours I had completed. At the time, I was looking to build my resume up as much as possible for my college applications by participating in any and all sorts of volunteer activities.

While I often dragged my feet to my designated shifts at a local hospital, this glimpse into volunteering taught me new skills that I would not have learned through an after school job. For instance, I learned how to be flexible and how important that skill is in the real world. If the hospital needed me to stay and work an extra hour past my scheduled shift--I would learn how to change my schedule around and make this possible.

As I've matured through new life experiences since my high school days, I have gained a new respect for those good Samaritans who donate their time to others. A 9 to 5 job cannot deliver the same feeling of joy and happiness as knowing you helped improve someone’s day or even life. And yes, while working a job is considered important and positive work, it does not provide the chance to minimize the stress in your life the same way helping someone else through volunteering does. The wide array of people you come into contact with during volunteering pushes you to improve your communication skills. As I mentioned earlier--you must learn to be flexible and react to new situations. Being able to clearly and effectively communicate with a variety of different people helps maintain this flexibility.

 From my short time at Charleston Habitat, I have been able to witness the incredible benefits of volunteering. Volunteering brings together all kinds of people from all different walks of life. Being able to come together as individuals to work as a team and complete a job is inspirational.

So, for whatever reason people decide to or have decided to offer their time and services, I hope that at the end of the day everyone walks away with the same feeling of happiness that I do.

Now that you know how my adventures in volunteering started, do you volunteer? If you do, how did you first get involved? And what is your favorite part of volunteering?

Art for Charity Event!

Charleston Habitat for Humanity had an amazing time at the Art for Charity event on June 10th, 2010 from 5:30-7:30pm!! This wonderful event was hosted by Michael Mitchell Interiors, an interior design firm operating in Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, and New York. You can find our local Michael Mitchell Interiors on 438 King Street, Charleston. We were so lucky to have an opportunity to partner with this design firm to raise money to further our mission to end poverty and provide safe homes for those in need.

We all enjoyed a wonderful evening accompanied by red and white wines donated by Whole Foods and delicious appetizers of stuffed mushrooms, smoked salmon and relishes from In Seasons Catering.
The art ranged in so many styles and forms from oils to sculptures, to recycled creations, to furniture, from traditional to modern pieces. Each piece of art was lovely and unique to their creator.
Art For Charity features a wide variety of artwork from local and national artists. Artists include Marty Biernbaum, Deanna Bowdish, Terry Brennan, Joe Byrne, John Crum, R.L. Gibson, Heidi Darr-Hop, Toni Elkins, Rex Hunter, Jon Ives, Kim Keats, Karen Keen-Day, Stephen Kishel, Alicia Leeke, Elena Madden, Debbie Martin, Betsy McDonald, Easter Melton, Bruce Nellsmith, Betsey Stevenson, Darlett Stone, Carl Turner and Marlies Williams.
A portion of the proceeds from all the art purchased that evening went to help support Charleston Habitat for Humanity, Mitchell said he “would like to give every person every opportunity to give.”
In addition to working with us, they partnered with other local non-profit organizations including the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston Breast Center, MUSC Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, American Red Cross, South Carolina Aquarium and Roper Saint Francis Ryan White Program.
The two hour event was enjoyed by everyone who came out to support us, THANK you to every single individual who came out to Art for Charity; we appreciate your continued involvement with Charleston Habitat for Humanity!

(From left to right: Restore Intern Ethan, Marketing Intern Lindsey, Church Relations Intern Michelle, Restore Asst. Manager Tommy, and NEW Restore Manager Barbie!)



Check out more pictures from Art for Charity on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/charleston.habitat

Art for Charity

Art for Charity, hosted by Michael Mitchell Interiors, is a pop up gallery featuring work from South Carolina Artists, with proceeds benefiting local non-profits charities.

Michael Mitchell, a native of Johns Island who decided to move back home after several years in New York, has developed an inspiring way to help support eight Lowcountry charities. The Art for Charity Gallery at 438 King Street, opened on May 13, 2010 and will continue showing until June 13, 2010.  

The style of the work ranges from traditional to modern, with both two and three dimensional and encompasses a variety of media. All of the pieces were hand selected by Michael himself.

Each of the eight charities will be honored with a reception inside the Art for Charity gallery. The receptions are held Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights throughout the month. Notable restaurants in the Lowcountry, such as Halls Chophouse, Social and Jasmine Porch, will cater the receptions. A $10 donation at the door is suggested.

The Tri-County Habitat for Humanity affiliates will be hosting their reception on Thursday, June 10, 2010 from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Come out and join us for wine, appetizers and a sample of some of the Lowcountry’s favorite artists. The reception is catered by Whole Foods, Food for the Southern Soul and In Seasons Catering. The gallery is also open 10-6 p.m. daily today through June 13 and you can learn more about each artist, as well as other benefiting charities and receptions by visiting www.artforcharityblog.com.

Welcoming New Staff

Here at Charleston Habitat we'd like to welcome a new member to our team, Barbie Dugan, who will be working as our new ReStore Manager.

We had a little question and answer session with Barbie to get to know our new manager a little better and heres what we found out:

ChasHabitat: Where are you from?

Barbie: Wichita, Kansas.

ChasHabitat: What brought you to South Carolina?

Barbie: I went to massage therapy school here in Charleston and took part in previous Habitat projects through AmeriCorps.

ChasHabitat: Tell about your involvment in AmeriCorps.

Barbie: I was stationed in Richmond, VA for Disaster Relief through the American Red Cross and took a group to Charleston to help with the cause down here.

ChasHabitat: What are your hobbies?

Barbie: Reading, traveling, working out and sports!

Joppa Way

Come join us!

On Saturday, June 5th, Charleston Habitat for Humanity will be hosting a block part at Joppa Way to raise awareness of future building sites in the neighborhood.

Joppa Block Party is the kick off to a revitalization of Highland Terrance neighborhood through Habitat’s “A Brush with Kindness” program. Through these construction projects we hope to reanimate the atmosphere of the area.



Join us as we party on Joppa Way on Saturday, June 5th, 2010 from 10 am-1 pm as we celebrate the bright future of the neighborhood. Food, fun, and festivity will be provided—all you need to do is RSVP and show up. Come out and meet the neighbors of Joppa Way and Highland Terrance while enjoying family fun and guest speakers from the city of North Charleston.

The speakers will start at 10:15 am and lunch will be provided around noon.

To RSVP, call 843-722-7145

Directions to Joppa Way Block Party: Off of East Montague Ave., turn onto Goodmall Drive by N.Chas. City Hall. Turn left onto Lacross Road. When road forks, turn left onto Jonah Street. Joppa Way is immediately on your right.

Bike & Build

Bike & Build recently joined forces with the Charleston Habitat for Humanity team while working on the Robinson Family home. A group of 32 determined bikers helped repair the Robinson's roof. For many of these bikers, this was their first experience on an active construction site.




While many of the bikers were wide eyed and awed by the task ahead of them, they were steadfast to overcome their anxieties and hop on the roof. Although there was a rocky start to the day with morning showers, the bikers remained unflinching to get the roof completed.

With the help of the Charleston Habitat team, bikers were able to assist in replacing the roof in just one day. This process consisted of removing the old shingles, laying and nailing down new plywood, and finally finishing by placing new shingles on top of the plywood.


Bike & Build is an organization that funds affordable housing projects in 47 different states. One of their goals is to connect young adults and students to the mission of providing affordable housing while allowing them to see the many different ways of life throughout the country.

Participants are given the choice of nine different routes through the United States. The South Carolina Bike & Build group started their trip across country with Charleston Habitat and will finish their journey in Santa Cruz, California averaging about 75 miles a day on the road.

The South Carolina Bike & Build team has raised a total of $146,248 which is funneled back into the mission to provide affordable housing to those in need. For those interested in learning more about the Bike & Build organization check out their website: http://bikeandbuild.org/cms/


Also, a special thanks to 'The BBQ Joint' located in North Charleston and 'The Pretzel Twister' in West Ashley at the Citadel Mall for supplying the food and beverages to this group of bikers and volunteers.