cover story
Corporate Build Partners Making an Impact for Pinellas Families
A Team Effort and “Home Run” for Habitat The first morning of their build, the Tampa Bay Rays brought their A-game, 18 staff volunteers and even their team mascot, Raymond. Team President Brian Auld was also there to officially open the construction site to volunteers for the home the Rays partnered with Habitat Pinellas to build for the Wallace family in St. Petersburg, not far from Tropicana Field. Swinging hammers instead of bats and working alongside future homeowner Lakeba Wallace and Auld, the Rays volunteers raised the roof on the home in record time. In only a couple hours, the roof trusses were all in place and the crew set about constructing the wall frames. The Rays didn’t just step up to the plate to fund and help build the Wallace home, they “owned” the build. In just four weeks, the Rays staff, including President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman and other
c or p or ate bu i l d p ar tn er s m a k ing an i mp a c t executives, came out day after day to help with every phase of construction. From raising roof trusses and walls, installing insulation, wallboards and cabinets, to painting and landscaping, the Rays devoted more than 1,000 volunteers hours, making the Wallace home the only Habitat Pinellas home built entirely by its corporate sponsor’s staff. By February 11th, Auld returned to officially close the site during the home’s dedication where Rays Manager Kevin Cash presented Lakeba and her daughter with the key to the home the Rays built. “Our mission is to energize our community through the magic of Rays baseball, and this project has been a remarkable testament to that,” Auld said. “I’m proud of the efforts of our staff members who worked alongside Lakeba and her family. We cannot be any more excited to hand over the keys.” This was their first sponsored Habitat Pinellas home and it’s safe to say the Rays hit it out of the park! PREVIOUS PAGE: Inset, Rays President Brian Auld with Habitat Pinellas homeowner Lakeba Wallace during the first day of the build. Bottom, Rays volunteers build wall frames under the guidance of Habitat site supervisor Jack Sutfin. THIS PAGE: Top right, at the home dedication, in front, “Raymond” with Lakeba Wallace and her daughter; in back from left, Rays Manager Kevin Cash, Habitat CEO Mike Sutton, Rays VP of HR Bill Wiener Jr., Rays Senior Director of HR Jenn Tran, Rays President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman, St. Petersburg Vice Mayor Dr. Kanika Tomlin and President Brian Auld. Lower right, Rays staffer Joshua White. Below, Rays volunteers pose near their construction sign after completing the landscaping on the last day of the build.
c or p or ate bui l d p ar tners m a k ing an imp ac t
Corporate Partnership from the Top Down! Much more than funding, sponsoring a Habitat Pinellas home provides companies the opportunity for corporate engagement from the top down to staff throughout all facets of a company. AMERICA II ELECTRONICS building for the Spanier family in St. Petersburg.
BANK OF AMERICA building for the Pearson family in St. Petersburg.
CATALINA Charitable Foundation building for the Celestian family in Largo.
Habitat Pinellas is on track to complete 45 homes for families throughout the county in this fiscal year, which ends June 30th. Just since the start of 2016, in addition to the Tampa Bay Rays, ten key corporate partners have stepped up to fully sponsor Habitat homes for ten families throughout Pinellas County. With each of these home builds, staff from all ten of these companies have come out to the construction sites as volunteers to help us build the homes their companies have underwritten. Please join us in thanking the companies on these pages and their amazing staff for supporting the Habitat for Humanity mission in our local community. If you think your company may be interested in sponsoring a Habitat Pinellas home, please call 727-536-4755, ext. 215, or email acroft@habitatpinellas.org for more details.
Other Opportunities for Corporate Engagement CORPORATE SPONSORED TEAM BUILD DAYS Organize a team of 10 staff members to help us build a home for local families. From setting trusses, to building walls, painting, landscaping, and more, Sponsored Team Build Days are a great way to support our Habitat Pinellas home building program while providing valuable team building skills for your staff.
CLEARWATER TOYOTA building for the Negron-Sanchez family in Clearwater.
$5,000 Donation Ability to reserve 3 Saturday volunteer days Permanent recognition on our Donor Wall T-shirt for each participant Lunch for the entire team $2,500 Donation Ability to reserve 2 Saturday volunteer days T-shirt for each participant Lunch for the entire team $1,000 Donation Ability to reserve 1 Saturday volunteer day T-shirt for each participant Lunch for the entire team
CROWN AUTOMOTIVE GROUP building for the Rosado family in St. Petersburg.
To sponsor a Team Build Day, please call 727-536-4755, ext. 208 or email us at volunteer@HabitatPinellas.org .
FRENCHY’S RESTAURANTS building for the Williams family in Clearwater.
HOOTERS MANAGEMENT CORP. building for the Hooton family in Clearwater.
HSN building for the Rodriguez-Montalvo family in St. Petersburg.
PUBLIX SUPER MARKETS CHARITIES building for the VanCassele family in Seminole.
� RAYMOND JAMES building for the Burrell family in Clearwater.
we build homes, not houses
Vet and His Family are Home at Last The Spaniers began their marriage as a young couple trying to find their way. Taylor was just 18 and Breck was 22 and serving in the Marine Corps in California when their marriage began. After Breck finished his military service in 2012, they relocated to Florida with their baby daughter, Raegan, to be closer to Taylor’s mom and to escape the exorbitant cost of living and few employment options in California. Breck found work as a mail carrier at the Post Office in South “For us, Habitat St. Petersburg while he pursues an degree. Taylor is also a for Humanity is Accounting full-time student seeking a Bacha turning point elor’s in Psychology with the hope in our lives.” of a career as a social worker.
The Spaniers are dedicated to their family which now includes their second daughter, Maisy. Their number one priority is to have a safe place for their kids to grow up and an environment that will nurture them as a family. They have found many challenges in renting houses. Finding one that is affordable usually means the neighborhood is unsafe or the home is in disrepair. They have moved twice in three years trying to find affordable alternatives with no luck. Despite their search, they are distressed to still be living paycheck to paycheck in a home full of maintenance issues in an area filled with risk for their children.
THE SPANIER FAMILY Home Sponsor: “We are extremely excited and proud to get the chance to help build our home to raise our family,” said Taylor. “I can’t even put into words the impact this home will make for our family. Having a place to come home to at the end of the day that we love and built together will mean the world to our whole family. We will also spend less time worrying and planning for our future rental houses because we will have a place to call our own -- a stable home where we can make memories!”
“At America II, we take corporate social responsibilty very seriously. We’re extremely proud to have partnered with Habitat Pinellas on our first home for the Spanier family and we look forward to working with them on future home construction.” – Mike Galinski, CEO / Founder of America II Electronics
blueprint for success
Our third annual BLUEPRINT gala was a wonderful success, resulting in proceeds that will fund homes for three Pinellas families! This year’s “Great Gardens” theme provided a magical backdrop for an inspirational evening at the beautiful Renaissance Vinoy Hotel with over 400 supporters in attendance.
Thank You!
We are so grateful to everyone who came out to support the event. Special thanks to Honorary Chair P. Allen Smith, celebrity gardner, author, host of PBS show “P. Allen Smith Garden Home.” Special thanks also go to our emcees Cyndi Edwards and Jerry Penacoli, cohosts of NBC’s “Daytime,” guest speaker Damicco’ Robinson. our fabulous VIP dining room designers and all the silent auction artists. Finally, we are thankful for all those who contributed to the success of the evening, especially our sponsors who are vital to the success of BLUEPRINT: Bank of America Bill Brand Carrabba’s DeBartolo The Edwards Group HSN Cares Klavans, Mosby, Tylman Laura Fage Signature Events Nielsen Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Raymond James Tampa Bay Times Valspar Championship
blueprint for success
BEST
OF B LUE PRIN T
DES IG
NER
!
“Golden Hammer” Corporate Partner of the Year: Bank of America From left, Habitat Pinellas CEO Mike Sutton and Board Chair Julie Klavans with Bank of America Tampa Bay Market President Bill Goede and HSN President Bill Brand.
Best of Blueprint: ShoWorks Design From left, Cyndi Edwards, Jerry Penacoli, P. Allen Smith with the principals from ShoWorks.
Special Thanks to our VIP Dining Room Designers! Braun’s Fine Flowers Cheers! Events, Inc. Left: Raising their hammers for Habitat are Habitat Board Member Amy Rettig, her husband, Jeff, and other guests from Nielsen. Right: Pam and Les Muma with Damicco’ Robinson.
Cristina Denegri Interiors Concept Bait Global Events + Floral Design Group Design AmandaLe Event Design Gisselle Sanchez Floral & Event Design HSN Cares & Todd Anthony Design Mis en Chic Redman Steele Floral Design Studio Showorks, Inc. West Elm
From left, U.S. Congressman David Jolly, Habitat Board Member Scott Gault, Honorary Chair P. Allen Smith, Habitat CEO Mike Sutton and Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos.
Visit HabitatPinellas.org/Gala to see photos of all of the VIP Designer Dining Rooms!
Zazoo’d
community partners Homeowner/Board Member Receives Global Award
Photo provided by Franklin Templeton
Tamara Davis, left, receives the Harmon E. Burns Award.
We are bursting with pride for Habitat Pinellas homeowner and board member Tamara Davis who has received the prestigious 2015 “Harmon E. Burns Award” from her employer, Franklin Templeton. This global award is given to the Franklin Templeton employee who has demonstrated ongoing commitment to volunteerism and passion for helping others, and has made exceptional contributions to the community. Congratulations Tamara!
Building Hope and Community with CAI! We recently dedicated the Luna family home in our Shady Grove townhome community in Dunedin in honor of longtime supporter Community Associations Institute (CAI). The Suncoast Chapter of CAI has been a community partner of Habitat Pinellas for more than 17 years, donating more than $78,839 to help build homes right here in Pinellas County. Members contribute at each monthly meeting helping our Habitat families realize the dream of homeownership. CAI members with Honey Luna and her daughter at the dedication of the home. CAI member Ellen Hirsch de Haan, center, presented the house key to the family.
Thank you to our friends at CAI for their ongoing support of the Habitat for Humanity mission in Pinellas County!
Volunteer Lunch Breaks Courtesy of Taziki’s Taziki’s Mediterranean Café stepped up to the plate, literally, to help with lunch time on our build sites. The restaurant signed up for a one year commitment to provide lunches once a week for lucky volunteers working hard on our construction sites. Thank you Taziki’s for your generosity and for supporting our Habitat volunteers! Restaurants or food caterers interested in sponsoring complimentary lunches to volunteers on our build sites, please email us at volunteer@HabitatPinellas.org.
Valspar Championship and Team Habitat The Valspar Championship presented by BB&T has been very good to Habitat Pinellas. We were honored to be one of the tournament’s featured charities. We were also grateful for the fundraising opportunities working a concession during tournament week and renting chairs during the Rascal Flatts concert evening. Thank you to the Valspar Championship and to all the volunteers who helped us work the tournament!
community partners
Front row from left: Habitat Director of Homeowner Services Candi Hagler, Habitat board members Mark Purtee, Michael Kilpatrick and Tamara Davis, Commission Chair Charlie Justice, Habitat Pinellas CEO Mike Sutton, COO Ken Rush and CFO Sonya Hundley. Back row from left Commissioners Pat Gerard, John Morroni, Janet Long, Ken Welch, Karen Williams Seel and Dave Eggers.
Habitat Home Mortgages Yield Huge Contribution for County Tax Base If you’ve ever attended a Habitat home dedication you’ve been lucky to witness the pure joy when a Habitat homeowner receives the key to their new home. A day of joy that rivals that celebration is one the public doesn’t get to see: the day when homeowners sign their mortgage and close on their home. It’s a day they thought could never happen -- the day when they purchase their own home! Much of the public is not aware that Habitat does not “give” homes away. Habitat homeowner candidates work hard to fulfill the sweat equity and class requirements, but also to maintain their finances and credit so they can purchase the zero-interest loans made possible by Habitat. So in late January, we attended a Pinellas County Board of Commissioners meeting to make them aware of the contribution our Habitat Pinellas families make to the county tax base each year as homeowners. Accompanied by several staff members, Habitat Pinellas CEO Mike Sutton presented the board chair, Charlie Justice, with a large symbolic check for $336,821.88 representing the county taxes paid in 2015 by our Habitat homeowners.
Our Stevens Creek community in Clearwater.
volunteers
Teachers and Education Administrators: Come build a house for a local family this summer!
Habitat Pinellas is recruiting teachers and administration from all Pinellas County schools to volunteer one day (or more) this summer. Thus far, Bayside High, John Hopkins Middle School, Madeira Beach Fundamental, Shorecrest Prep, Lealman Elementary, Gibbs High, Sanderlin World School, and 74th Street Elementary have signed up to help us build. No experience? No problem! Like you, we teach every day! Grab 5-10 of your closest coworkers, choose a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday in June or July, and send an email to us at volunteer@habitatpinellas.org. Come help make the dream of homeownership a reality for a family right here in Pinellas County! Let’s build!
Building Like Girls! We dedicated our second Girl PowerHouse on March 14th and Kim Sparks and her daughter received the key to their new home built by over 150 amazing women in our Pinellas community! The Girl PowerHouse, an allwoman build, was also funded by women – our Habitat Pinellas’ “Hammers & Heels” philanthropy group. Hammers & Heels member Ronice Barlow presented the key to Kim.
Kim Sparks stands in front of her new home with Kristi Thum, Habitat’s head site supervisor for the Girl PowerHouse build.
Many thanks to “Hammers & Heels” for being the primary sponsor of the Girl PowerHouse. Thanks also to our contributing sponsors: D-Mar Construction, Linda Higgins, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Radiance Medspa, the
HABITAT A tribute to one of our many extraordinary Habitat supporters!
Rosenbluth Family Foundation, The Ardon Group, and Tibbetts Lumber Co. And a huge thanks to all the “girls” who came out to build with us! We had amazing enthusiasm for this build from start to finish. We can’t wait to build another Girl PowerHouse next year!
HERO
Carol Dunn does it all. Out on the construction site she is frequently seen with a hammer or power drill in hand. Other days, she can be found in Habitat’s administrative offices mentoring a homeowner candidate or reviewing applications. Some days she’s on the road visiting a prospective candidate’s apartment to help with the prescreening process. Other days, perhaps her favorites, she’s participating in the home dedications of the candidates she’s helped shepherd through our program requirements.
CAROL DUNN VOLUNTEER EXTRAORDINAIRE, HOMEOWNER SERVICES PARTNER, and ADVOCATE
For the past 15 years, Carol, Carol working the drill on a ladder at a Clearwater build site. who just turned 81 years young, has indeed been a volunteer “extraordinaire!” In that time she’s witnessed and been a part of nearly 200 families becoming Habitat homeowners. Thank you, Carol, for your dedication to Habitat and the lives you’ve touched through your amazing volunteerism!
To learn more, donate or volunteer, visit www.HabitatPinellas.org
ReStore
Valspar Donates Buckets and Buckets of Paint! In early April, our Habitat ReStore in Clearwater received a huge delivery of paint, which was donated by Valspar. The “QuikHide” paint arrived in both gallon cans and five gallon pails. And another delivery is on its way! We are so grateful to Valspar for their ongoing partnership!
ReStore Recycled Paint
Our Habitat Pinellas ReStore also regularly carries a line of ultra premium recycled latex paint called “Evolve.” The When you buy your paint from us, you are supporting our affordable home building program! paint is new and good quality, but it has been recycled. We sell at competive prices, but you can feel good about going green by buying a recycled product and by knowing your purchases benefit our Habitat Pinellas Many thanks to our friends at the Rotary Club building program for families in our community! of Indian Rocks Beach for
Indian Rocks Beach Rotary Sponsors ReStore Van Wrap
Did You Know?
Valspar donates paint for every Habitat for Humanity home built, repaired or refurbished in the United States. In 2015 alone, Valspar provided a total of 2.5 million gallons of paint for Habitat homes!
donating $5,000 to underwrite our vehicle wraps!
Habitat Home Sponsored by ReStore Proceeds It’s a special day when we dedicate a home sponsored by our very own Habitat ReStore because that means all the community donations and purchases by our loyal shoppers have translated into funding for another Habitat home in our community – this time for Jennifer Mason and her sons in Largo! Thank you to all of our ReStore donors and shoppers who help keep us building for families like the Masons! DONATE • SHOP • VOLUNTEER If you have gently used home improvement items you’d like to donate to our Habitat ReStore, or if you’d like to volunteer in either our Clearwater or Palm Harbor ReStore, please visit HabitatPinellas.org for more details on items we accept, store hours and volunteer sign-up info. Follow Habitat Pinellas on social media!
Follow us on social media! #HabitatPinellas.org
#HabitatPinellas
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF PINELLAS COUNTY 13355 49th Street North Clearwater, Florida 33762
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what you can do • VOLUNTEER! to help our families • DONATE! • SHOP our and Habitat... Visit us at www.HabitatPinellas.org to register as a volunteer, make a donation or learn more about our program!
“
A special thanks to
Mr. John, my Habitat family and everyone who encouraged me and told me I can
make it. And for seeing something in me that I didn’t see in myself. I am rebuilding my life with peace, joy and hope.
”
– Teairra Dixon, Dunedin Habitat home dedicated April 30, 2016 Habitat costruction site supervisor John Cissell with the Dixon family