2005 May BluePrint

Habitat for Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver

May 2005

The Blueprint

Phase 3 begins on Government Street As I write this, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and Habitat Greater Vancouver is ready to roll.

After several months of waiting (and hoping) the building permit has finally been approved by the City of Burnaby and construction of the third phase of four more townhouses is underway.

Even though Phase 3 is just beginning, the site has not been idle. The building of a covered shelter meant that volunteers have been busy prebuilding wall panels through the winter. In addition, all those chores like cleaning up the site and reorganizing the tools and safety equipment have been completed.

Terry Probert (Site Supervisor) oversees excavation on Phase 3

At this time I think that special thanks are in order for Wayne Stewart who stepped down as chair of the construction committee at the end of Phase 2, but has decided to continue as a board member and a regular volunteer on the site.

Congratulations to Lutz Holfield who has taken over as chair of construction. I wish him, the construction committee, and the site volunteers lots of safe and sunny days through the building of Phase 3.

This is an ideal time for companies and individuals who may wish to find out more about sponsoring a house to get in touch with the office. Please call me at 604-681-5618.

Come Build With Us! Anneke Rees, Executive Director

Invitation to the Annual General Meeting Thursday June 23 at 7.00pm BECOME A MEMBER OF at the New Life Community Church, 8765 Government St, Burnaby You are invited to attend the 2005 Annual General Meeting. This is your opportunity to meet the board of Habitat for Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver and ask any questions you may have, as well as finding out the plans for the coming year. All members of the Society may vote, and everyone is invited to stay afterwards to enjoy wonderful desserts and treats. 7.00pm on Thursday June 23 at the New Life Community Church, 8765 Government Street.

Please RSVP to the office at 604-681-5618 or by email at habitat1@telus.net.

See you there!

THE SOCIETY FOR ONLY $20 PER YEAR.

The Blueprint

May 2005

Habitat introduces new logo to symbolize mission and enhance brand awareness At the recent Canadian national annual general meeting held in Ottawa, Habitat Canada (in partnership with Habitat International) unveiled the new Habitat logo.

“As an organization, Habitat for Humanity is tremendously blessed by a clear mission, dedicated partners and a well-established name,” said Chris Clarke, Habitat International’s senior vice president of communications. “A consistent, common identifier will only enhance our brand, which already helps ‘pave the way’ as we communicate who we are and what we do.”

The logo will establish a single mark for the organization; one that will take advantage of Habitat’s nearly $2-billion brand value.

Habitat for Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver

An introduction to the work of the volunteer committees FAMILY SELECTION COMMITTEE The Family Selection Committee uses various media, word- of- mouth and social services to seek out low income families who are interested in applying for Habitat housing. The families are invited to attend public information sessions organized by the committee, where they can learn about Habitat, the qualification criteria, and make a formal application.

The family selection committee reviews all completed applications carefully. The families that qualify according to income, willingness to partner and the ability to meet mortgage requirements are then interviewed and the results reviewed.

The process continues over a period of several months with credit checks, review, a home visit, final review and short list. Those who do not meet the criteria are notified after each review. The new partner families are then selected from that list and recommendation for acceptance is made to the Board of Directors.

Once the families are approved by the Board of Directors, members of the Selection Committee have the happy task of calling the families with the good news.

This committee works intensely (2 to10 hours a month) for several months then enjoys a hiatus before the next application process begins.

Throughout Habitat’s 29-year history, affiliates have used a variety of different logos to represent their work in a community. As a result, there wasn’t a single strong brand identity that Habitat could attach to its name. The use of the new logo gives us a universal identifier that people know as Habitat throughout the world. For the first time, this gives us a legally registered and protected trademark to promote the name and the mission of Habitat for Humanity.

This is an exciting time for our organization and although we may have a new look, we have the same mission of bringing the benefits of homeownership to families in need of a simple, decent and affordable home.

Those interested in joining the Selection Committee should have an eye and ear for details and be prepared to make decisions based on the, sometimes, very subtle nuances of “need”.

FAMILY PARTERNING COMMITTEE Once the families are approved by the Board of Directors, the Family Partnering Committee works to support them in becoming part of the Habitat community.

The committee organizes information workshops, discussion sessions and social events as ways of helping the families with the transition to home ownership. ….. (contd. Page 3)

I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. ...Helen Keller Page 2

The Blueprint

May 2005

FAMILY PARTERNING COMMITTEE (cont’d) In addition, each family has their own Family Partner or advocate who maintains a friendship and regular contact during this time. The Family Partner assists the family with fulfilling and tracking their sweat equity hours, helps with clarification and questions related to the information seminars, and acts as a liaison between the Board and the family.

Habitat for Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver

Habitat Notes (cont’d)

• Special thanks to Jason Gilley, Palle Helenius

and John Li of eBay for their help in setting up our new office computer system. We couldn’t have done it without you guys!

Those interested in becoming a Family Partner should have good communication skills, be sensitive to the needs of others (in this case, the family’s) and be able to identify and set boundaries.

A one-year commitment with regular family contact is required. Committee meetings, family contact and other scheduled activities take approximately 2-8 hours per month.

If you are interested in finding out more about these or any other Habitat Volunteer Committees please contact Adrian in the office (604-681-5618).

Habitat Notes • The Universal Gospel Choir Concert was another

roaring success. With the help of a great volunteer committee more than $4,800 was raised through ticket sales, refreshments and donations.

• Quixote Film Company made a donation to Habitat

for filming a commercial for Citizens Bank of America… and if you ever see it, look for a few of our regular site volunteers as the stars!

• The offices and the Habitat ReStore have renewed the lease of the premises at 2475 Douglas Road, Burnaby for a five year period.

• ReStore sales figures in April 2005 hit an all time

monthly high— once again, great work by Tom, David and their team of volunteers.

Palle Helenius of eBay setting up the new computer system in the office

• Once again, Habitat has been invited to

participate in the ALCAN Dragonboat Races from June 17-19th, as a community partner. This is always an opportunity to volunteer and have some fun at the same time, so if you’d like to help (and get a free pass to the event), please contact Adrian.

• Students from the UBC Sauder School of

Business gave a surprise call to the office to donate $1600 which they raised through their own fundraising efforts - and they’ve followed up with a site day. What a great group!

• Other groups that have helped out since

January include students from Prince of Wales School, Catholic Youth Ministry, Leaders of Tomorrow, Rotoract Richmond and eBay.

• Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation is holding their annual golf tournament on Monday May 30th and will again be donating funds to Habitat.

Habitat Greater Vancouver donates $17,000 to international affiliate program As part of the Habitat for Humanity international community, affiliates are asked to help poorer affiliates in other parts of the world through a tithing program.

In its early years, Habitat Greater Vancouver was unable to participate in this program but recently more reliable funding has meant that we are now able to contribute to this fund. Newly appointed National Board Director (and Greater Vancouver Board Director) Jim Lippert recently presented David Hughes, President and CEO of Habitat Canada with a cheque for $17,000 at the Habitat Canada Annual General Meeting.

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The Blueprint

May 2005

Habitat for Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver

Starting July 3, students with the American Jewish Society for Service will be helping us to build Phase 3. A group of at least 15 will be working on the site from Monday to Friday for a period of six weeks.

If you would like to be part of the welcoming (and partying) committee for this eager and interested group of young people, please contact Adrian in the office (604-681-5618) to lend a hand.

Thanks in advance to the Traditional Learning Academy in Burnaby for providing them with accommodation, and to Terry Probert (our site supervisor) who will be working long hours during their stay.

Tsunami Update (Habitat International) Five months after the Indian Ocean tsunami, as many villagers are observing rites of mourning and remembrance, Habitat for Humanity is building and repairing houses and operating technical centers to benefit an estimated 30,000 to 35,000 families in tsunami-affected areas of India, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Habitat worked in all four countries before the disaster, but is scaling up to provide significant numbers of permanent houses during a two-year reconstruction program.

For more information about the American Jewish Society for Service, visit their website at www.ajss.org.

FYI: There are over 13,000 households on social housing waiting lists across BC and almost 10,000 with children. Over 43% of BC renters pay more than 30% of their household income on rent. There are an increasing number of families and seniors among those living on the street. (BC Non-Profit Housing Association)

Don’t forget that the Habitat building site and the Burnaby ReStore offer great opportunities for your company or group to have a team-building day.

By participating in the “Adopt Us For A Day" program with Habitat, you foster closer working relationships with your colleagues during a fun and productive day.

YES! I’m ready to help build Phase Three.

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