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Abri Hochstetler

Volunteers Making an Impact: 2018

By | Volunteer | No Comments

2018 was an incredible year, with many thanks to our 11,000+ volunteers. Whether you volunteered at a chilly panel build in March, mentored a family through our program, greeted State Fair visitors for our Ag Build, or enjoyed that memorable pizza lunch during your build day, you helped provide 27 families the life-changing opportunity of homeownership. Thank you for building strength, stability, and independence for local families!

The numbers speak for themselves, so check it out below!

We hope to see many of you on the build site in 2019! To sign up for monthly emails about open volunteer opportunities, please create or update your account here. With questions, contact volunteer@indyhabitat.org.

Jim’s Desk: Dinner with Danielle

By | From the CEO, Homeowner | One Comment

Habitat homeowner Danielle graciously opened her home for an evening with Jim to cook dinner and share a meal together. Watch the video below for a glimpse into the fun and to hear how Danielle and her family have made their house a home.

Become a monthly donor today! If you sign up for a reoccurring gift before Dec. 31, 2018, we will send you a Habitat homeowner recipe once a month in 2019. Look forward to 12 home-cooked recipes to enjoy and remember the impact of your support of Habitat for Humanity families.

Check out Jim’s previous “From the Desk” videos with Steven Meyer of King Park Development Corporation and Andy Duncan with our ReStores!

Volunteer Spotlight: Carmen Saunders

By | Volunteer | No Comments

Every volunteer is vital to our work building homes, communities, and hope alongside families in Greater Indy. Whether volunteers spend one day or ten with Habitat, they help provide a quality, affordable place to call home and build stability for local homeowners. We are also blessed with some volunteers who share their skills and passions more frequently and we’re excited to introduce you to Carmen, one of those stellar volunteers.

Since her first volunteer experience in April at the Ivy Tech panel build, Carmen has volunteered 20 times on 5+ Habitat homes! And she’s signed up for more days this fall. Read below to learn more about Carmen.

Q&A with Carmen:

You’ve come out 20 times so far this year volunteering on our build sites! Thank you so much! What is it about Habitat that keeps you coming back for more?
I am fascinated with the ability to build and create with my hands. Also, I hoped to help people. Here at Habitat, I can achieve both worlds.

Sometimes our volunteers tell us that every time they come to the build site, they learn something new – whether it be a Habitat fact or even a new skill. What’s something new you have learned recently while volunteering?
The skills of carpentry and construction work are all new to me. Surely, I will develop more of these skills in time. Volunteering can be a daily reminder of the skills I do have such as adaptability, persistency, and strength.

If you had to use one word to describe your volunteer experience with us, what word would you use?
Rewarding. I’m helping to build a home. Then, that home will become part of a thriving community.

What advice would you give to first-time Habitat volunteers?
My advice for first time volunteers would be to:
1) Be brave!
2) Imperfection is normal.
3) Get out of your comfort zone.
4) Enjoy the experience!

Thank you, Carmen, for all that you do to build strength, stability and independence through homeownership!

Recap: Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project

By | News, Tiger Team, Volunteer | No Comments

This fall a handful of our volunteers, Tigers, donors, and staff traveled up to South Bend to participate in the 2018 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County. What an experience it was! Our involvement began on Monument Circle where we built the wall panels for one of the 22 homes constructed (watch the Monumental Build action here).

For a glimpse into the experience, read reflections from participants below and view more of our photos!

“A quote from Jimmy Carter that speaks to one of the reasons why our experience with Habitat volunteering is so special: ‘Habitat gives us an opportunity which is very difficult to find: to reach out and work side by side with those who never have had a decent home—but work with them on a completely equal basis. It’s not a big-shot, little-shot relationship. It’s a sense of equality.
I really loved working with volunteers from different parts of the country. We were all so different but were totally connected by a common cause. The energy of this build was very inspiring. Many are not retired and were taking vacation time while traveling at great expense to help those that are not as fortunate in life. It really gives one a lot of faith in humanity to see the love and dedication of these people.” – Scott McDonald

“Best Stories – Building the entire roof structure on the ground and raising to the top of the house walls using a crane and practicing a wedding recessional for two of the volunteers who were getting married in three weeks.” – Paul Reising (recessional pictured at right)

“Participating in the Habitat Carter Work Project at Mishawaka this year was one of the highlights of my life. The devotions, fellowship, meals, and hard work contributed by all the participants resulted in a beautiful productive week. Hanging out with President and Mrs. Carter was inspiring. The Carters have been and continue to be such important leaders for our country.
The Habitat program works. You see how well the program works no matter if you are volunteering in Indianapolis or in another community across the state, nation, or world. Working with Habitat for Humanity allows people in need of affordable housing to focus on a plan where their hard work and commitment is translated into high quality housing for their family. The security of affordable housing often allows the family to focus on other important aspects of life including obtaining a better education for their children. The volunteers who participate are able to connect with those in need and feel satisfaction and fulfillment that comes from sharing their time, talent, and treasure in a way that multiplies their love and provides the help that is needed by another family. It builds community in a manner that gives all involved a big rush of joy. No matter if you participate on a panel build, a local build or a massive blitz build you realize that you end up taking away much more than you were able to share.” – Tim Burkholder

“What an honor and joy to participate in the 2018 Carter Build as part of the Greater Indy Team. The Carters are absolutely amazing and for 35 years have helped spread the word about Habitat…along with spreading The Word of Love to All! Twenty two wonderful families will long remember the many people who came to Mishawaka…and I am so humbled to have been in their presence! Thank you Greater Indy!” – Diane Newton

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA (08/30/2018) – Volunteers from around the world pitch in to help build twenty-two houses in Northwest Indiana as part of the 35th Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Work Project. (Habitat for Humanity International / Annalise Kaylor)

 

Volunteers Making an Impact: Q3

By | Volunteer | No Comments

Since our last volunteer quarterly update, we’ve doubled the number of volunteers who have helped on build sites this year. That’s a lot of hands and hearts giving back to their neighbors! Thank you to each of our volunteers who make our mission possible, in the heat of the summer or those chilly fall mornings. Check out more of our Quarter Three volunteer impact stats below!

To join us in this important work of building strength, stability, and independence through homeownership, check out our volunteer page for ways to get involved. With questions, contact volunteer@indyhabitat.org.

Record Year for Salesforce Volunteers

By | Dream Builder, News | No Comments

Our Dream Builders, sponsors who donate $100,000 and more, not only promote their corporate social responsibility goals, but also provide stability for Greater Indy Habitat to continue building homes, communities, and hope. In 2018, our Dream Builders raised a combined total of $1,588,944. One of these Dream Builders is Salesforce. For those who are not familiar with Salesforce, in 1999, they pioneered cloud-based CRM software and have helped 150,000+ companies run their companies more effectively and has a history of helping companies, and the people behind them, grow.

In 2010, Salesforce (then Exact Target), first invested of their time, talents, and funds to participate in their very first Habitat home build, as well as partner with One America on a panel build downtown. Since this time, Salesforce has contributed more than $550,000, funded six full homes, six team build days, and two panel builds, volunteering more than 10,000 hours. In 2018, Salesforce had a record year of 420 employees participating on 13 different home builds, volunteering a total of 2,758 hours. Salesforce also has a team member who is helping to launch our first Young Professional’s chapter.

At the most recent Salesforce home dedications for the Hill and Pinner families in the Kennedy-King neighborhood, our board member Tim Horoho shared that at Salesforce they are an “Ohana of Trailblazers,” inclusive of their customers, employees, partners, and communities. Tim also shared that Salesforce employees take care of each other, have fun together, and work collaboratively to make the world a better place.

We are thankful to be part of this Salesforce family!

Father and Son Volunteer Time, Skills for Homeowners

By | Volunteer | No Comments

Like father, like son, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity runs in the Seppel family. This spring our staff member Lindsey happened upon one of our favorite volunteer sightings: family members giving back to other Greater Indy families by volunteering together. Paul and Isaac Seppel were spending the day on our Lilly builds for the Henriquez and Freeman families. Lindsey caught up with both of them to hear why they volunteer with Greater Indy Habitat!

“It’s been such a blessing to be able to serve in the community with Habitat. Having the chance to work alongside my father is a double blessing…an added perk. It’s also such a great thing to have a long-standing relationship between Lilly and Habitat, working for a company that sees the value in sending out their employees to serve.” – Isaac Seppel, Lilly Volunteer

“Habitat is a great mission, and it’s great to be a part of adding back to the community.” – Paul Seppel, Tiger Team member

Thank you, Isaac and Paul, for sharing your expertise and energy to build strength, stability, and independence for local families!

To sign up for a build day this fall (and invite your family members to participate!), please visit our volunteer site.