Lakes Region Habitat for Humanity

The mission of Habitat is to eliminate substandard housing in the world by working in partnership with people in need to build simple, decent, affordable housing. The houses are then sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged.

Volunteer Work Day

Saturday February 6
Saturday February 13

Lakes Region Habitat for Humanity, in coordination with the Huot Center, will be having a workdays on Saturday February 6th and 13th from 8:30AM to 12:30PM at their new project on 171 Gilford Avenue. Some demoliton and clean up remains. There will be some construction upstairs. Unless the storm that is supposed to stay south comes north, the day should be about 20 degrees.

Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. Would you like to know more about work days? Email your question to workday@lrhabitat.org

January 21, 2010
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM JONATHAN RECKFORD:
The situation in Haiti truly overwhelms the senses. Your eyes have a difficult time processing the destruction they are seeing. Your ears hear the clamor of tens of thousands of displaced people Haiti living on the streets or in makeshift tent cities like the one at right. The smell of decay can’t be

avoided. You don’t want to eat when you know so many people are begging for any scrap of food. And touch… reaching out to an injured person, picking up a piece of debris—everything is a reminder of the staggering toll exacted by the quake on people, structures and institutions.

My visit to Port-au-Prince this week left no doubt that Habitat for Humanity’s expertise will be needed there for many years to come as the nation struggles to rebuild. We will have a role in the short term and the long. From helping with cleanup starting now, to establishing training and resource centers, to core house construction, we will (we must!) have a substantial on-the-ground presence helping Haitian families help themselves. One of the highlights of my visit was getting to meet the Habitat Haiti staff at their newly leased office. Despite many of their own homes being destroyed, despite the fact that many lost close relatives in the quake, they are ready to roll up their sleeves and go to work. I know many of you also are working hard to raise funds for the response. Please know that every bit you can do to help will be put to good use. I often reflect on a quote from St. Teresa of Avila; the words seem particularly compelling as I recall my feelings this week on the streets of Port-au-Prince:

Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion is to look out to the earth, yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now.

My prayer is that each of us will find conviction in those words to work ever more diligently in building houses and hope wherever they are needed—in Haiti, certainly, but in local communities everywhere that have families desperate for decent, affordable places to live.

—In grateful partnership,
Jonathan

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION:
Habitat information and resources on activities surrounding its Haiti response are accumulating quickly. Here are some links we think you will find interesting or useful:

Banners that can be added to blogs or Web sites

Updated fact sheet on Habitat’s planned response

Ricky Martin’s work with Habitat
(Special thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity for coordinating Ricky Martin’s work with Habitat, as well as that of other celebrities involved with Habitat’s Haiti response. The affiliate also is soliciting funds for the work in Haiti. You can access the affiliate’s website here.

HFHI’s online donation page

New Officers for 2010
A new slate of officers were elected at our Annual Meeting on December 17

Marilyn Deschenes, President
Leonard Campbell, Vice President
Art Ellis, Secretary
Benny Popek, Treasurer

The Newest Habitat project at 171 Gilford Ave.

Papers were signed Friday morning October 23, 2009, at Laconia City Hall. This is a HUD building Laconia bought with the hopes of finding a partner to convert to workforce housing. The city hoped to find a partner to develop the property and have the Huot Technical Center at the Laconia High School use the building as a learning tool as it completely rehabilitated the property. The City did not find a partner but LR Habitat is buying the house and partnering with the Huot Center and area faith communities and volunteers to rehabilitate the home.

Habitat is in the process of final selection of a partner family for the home. Volunteers are needed! Dave Dupuis from the Huot Center will be the construction manager and call the shots on what needs to be done. Work schedules and volunteer jobs will be posted here.

Habitat retreat held October 17 at the Laconia Congregational Church.

Succession planning and the commitment to build 6 homes by 2012 were the two biggest outcomes of the meeting. This is not going to happen with the current board membership and committee participation, so volunteers are needed.

Pictured from left to right: Benny Popek, treasurer, Board members Amy Logue Norton, Marcia St. Louis and Marilyn Deschene, President Leonard Campbell and board member Art Ellis.

The Lakes Region Habitat for Humanity Fall 2009 Newsletter is out.
Missed yours? You can download our latest newsletter by clicking here. Visit our newsletter archive on the News And Events Page for past editions. If you would like to get on our mailing list fill out this simple form so that a print edition of our next newsletter will be mailed to you.

Twenty Five Years of Building in the Lakes Region
Lakes Region Habitat for Humanity celebrated 25 years of building families by building homes on April 18, 2008 in the Lakes Region. Read more here

Lakes Region Habitat for Humanity
Our office is now located in Meredith. Our new address and phone number is:

Lakes Region Habitat for Humanity
66 State Route 25 #3
Meredith, NH 03253-6332
Phone 603-279-4820 .