Thursday, April 15, 2010 • HERITAGE NEWSPAPERS/WESTERN REGION � Page 5-A

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Habitat for Humanity’s local chapter to mark anniversary

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley, and the organization will be host-ing a special Coming Home cel-ebration in combination with its sixth annual live and silent auction fundraiser.

In the last 20 years, Habitat has helped 92 Washtenaw County families own a home while paying a zerio-interest mortgage and contributing to the tax base. The organization is inviting the public to join them to celebrate these accom-plishments.

The nonprofit was founded in 1976 in Americus, Ga., and Bill Clinton deemed Habitat for Humanity “the most suc-cessful continuous community service project in the history of the United States” after awarding its founder, Millard Fuller, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Though many know about the organization, they may not be aware of how impor-tant local support is to the different Habitat affiliates. While Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley is part of its larger parent organization, Habitat International, Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley is supported entirely by local volunteers and funding.

Habitat International does not come in and save the day if a local branch goes under financially. In fact, the rela-tionship is quite the opposite. Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley contributes a per-centage of the organization’s unrestricted funds (10 percent) back to Habitat International to support overseas house con-struction and renovation.

Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley was successful enough last year to build a house abroad for each house they built or renovated in Washtenaw County, thanks to community support and signif-icantly less expensive building costs overseas.

The Coming Home anniver-

sary celebration/fundraiser will help the organization continue those successes and reach its goals for the year.

Right now, Washtenaw County is faced with a grow-ing number of foreclosed and abandoned homes, and Habitat is at the forefront of address-ing this challenge.

Habitat, in partnership with its donors, partner fami-lies –– families currently in the Habitat program earning sweat equity –– and the local government, is purchasing and renovating foreclosures in areas hit hardest by the housing crisis.

“We’re taking boards down from the windows, mowing the lawn and breathing new life into abandoned homes,” said Sarah Stanton, execu-tive director of Habitat for Humanity Huron Valley, in a news release.

“We have a commitment to stabilize property values and revitalize neighborhoods – our community will benefit ten-fold from investing ourselves in these areas that need us most.”

The local chapter has grown from building six homes annu-ally to building or renovating ten homes in 2009, and the organization has plans to reno-vate at least 30 more.

Despite these high aspira-tions, Director of Development Theresa Finney Dumais main-tains that the organization is optimistic about community support despite the economic recession.

“People are realizing that everyone is hurting, including those in lower income brackets than they are, and they really want to help each other. The economy has resulted in lower corporate donations due to competition for their tied-up funding, but individuals have always been the highest per-centage of those giving in our country, around 80 percent.

Even if people can’t give at the same level, they are still

supporting their favorite orga-nizations.”

Habitat officials stress that the fundraiser is not a fancy black-tie gala, but rather a business-casual gathering with a live local band, free drinks and food, and the live and silent auctions.

Furthermore, they’re aiming for 350 to 400 guests this year and are hoping to exceed the $100,000 that past auctions have raised.

“Annual donors supporters are a strength and pillar of the organization,” Finney Dumais said.

“Giving anywhere from $5 to thousands every year really helps sustain us. We are so lucky to have a significant number of volunteers and sup-porters who have continued to support us since our founding in 1990. We have a volunteer attorney, for example, who has been with us for almost 10 years now. And Bob and Connie Amick founded the branch and have stayed with it for 20 years.

“Our volunteers and families do a tremendous amount of the work and keep our organiza-tion moving forward.”

During the Coming Home event, the organization is hon-oring two long-time support-ers, Robert and Connie Amick,

with the Founders Award. The Amicks, along with a

handful of other volunteers, founded the local Washtenaw County affiliate in 1990 around their kitchen table.

To show that support from local businesses is also impor-tant, Thrivent Financial will receive an award for Sponsor of the Year.

The night will feature not only donors but Habitat fami-lies, as well. Brian Stewart, who moved into a Habitat home in early 2009, will attend the event with his family and will serve as the keynote speak-er, giving a short testimonial.

He calls living in his new home with his wife and three children “a dream come true” and will share more about the positive impact of being involved with Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley at the event.

The 20th Anniversary and Annual Auction to benefit families will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. April 30 at the Morris Lawrence Atrium at Washtenaw Community College.

Tickets are $50 per person of which $35 is tax deductible, or reserve an eight-person table for $400. For tickets and more information, go to http://www.h4h.org.