What a Weekend of Building – Making New Acquaintances & Connections
In Farmington
A heavy turnout with some unexpected arrivals made for a productive build
day at 208 Reservoir Road, both inside and outside, on Saturday, June 18.
Longtime volunteer *Ken Flesher* guided the deck crew comprised of *Lee
Prescott*, *Rob Loker*, and Habitat Board member *John Pennington*, who is
retired after teaching more than 3,000 students at Portsmouth High and
Middle schools over 32 years the fine art of “shop” and carpentry.
Joining them on the deck-and-digging-holes brigade were *Justin Thompson*, a
Coast Guardsman who just returned to port, and *Tony Ndungu*, who routered
the leading edges on pressure-treated railings and posts.
Helping with the heavy lifting and learning right alongside were two
longtime friends and Exeter High School classmates, *Mitchell Raymond*
and *Curtis
Mraz* , both of Newfields. It was clear “the regulars” enjoyed and
appreciated these young men’s willingness and curiosity to come out together
to see what this Habitat and build stuff was all about.
Inside, ceilings and walls took on new tones and colors as volunteers *Amanda
Hardman* and *Lou Fladger* set the tone and work pace for the day for the
painting crews. Also picking up sanding blocks and smoothing the primed
surfaces included volunteers *JP “Q” LaVelle*, *Petr Brym*, *Nora
Kelly*[her first time on a Habitat build], and *John Anderson*.
Another crew brushing and rolling paint included Habitat partner
family *Jennifer Pare* and *George Whitehead*, who were joined by *Alicia* *Ndungu*. The
Ndungus are friends of Jennifer and George.
All of the painting activities were guided over by longtime volunteer *Bob
McCoy*, who also made supply runs through the day to help meets the crews’
needs.
In Rochester
Two events made for a special day at the Habitat duplex build-site at 9
Silver St. on Saturday:
§ It was the first time a company group volunteered on a Saturday build day
this year, where 10 employees and family members representing *Dare Mighty
Things* in Portsmouth helped raise a floor.
§ One of Southeast NH Habitat for Humanity’s dedicated volunteers gave her
dad a one-of-a-kind Father’s Day experience.
After arriving onsite to stare at an open foundation, Habitat President *Tom
Boisvert* and an eclectic crew with an multi-national mix of volunteers
managed to nearly complete building the first-floor platform of the
street-side house, including cutting and nailing down the plywood.
“What a big help having the folks from Dare Mighty Things on board today,”
building coordinator Keith Faris commented while reflecting on the day’s
progress.
“The front house floor is almost complete and by the end of Tuesday, with
the help of the Bike & Build riders, the goal will be to have both floors
on. Then by next weekend the walls can start to be erected. This is very
exciting,” Keith said, echoing the sentiments of everyone who turned out.
With assistance from longtime Habitat volunteers *Bill Totherow* and *Paul
Lagarde*, Dare Mighty Things employees and family members helped each other
haul around the specially-made floor joists and sheets of plywood, cut them
to length, and fit them into the puzzle that will be the first floor. DMT
crew members included *Abigail Wheeler*, *Amber Armstrong*, *Andre Cardoso *and
*Cristy Cardoso*, *Harley O’Brien*, *Jeff Anderson*, *Sarah Flaherty*, *
Señor* and *Señora O’Brien*, the parents of Harley, who were visiting from
Peru, and *Donna Gandt*.
“It was great working with the Rochester team yesterday!” said Donna, who
worked closely with Habitat over the past several weeks to plan and
coordinate the day. “Everyone had a good day and I heard several folks say
now that they have done this, they know how it works and look forward to
doing it again.”
Like Habitat, Dare Mighty Things’ reason for being is caring for people and
helping to improve their lives. Please take a look at their website for a
complete description of the many things they do and the many populations and
communities they serve. [http://www.daremightythings.com/ ].
While new to Habitat for Humanity this year, *Danielle Provencal* of Salem
has more than earned the title of “longtime volunteer” for her consistent
commitment and dedication to helping with the Reservoir Road build in
Farmington since early April. So it was a no-brainer when a few weeks ago,
in her quiet way, she asked whether she could help with the fledgling
Rochester project and invite her dad, *Scott Provencal*, also of Salem, to
join her for the day – “sort of like a pre-Father’s Day present,” as she put
it.
“We worked mostly putting in the ‘I’ wood beams. In the morning we measured
and he cut, and Donna from Dare Mighty Things ended up helping us as well.
Then as you saw, we worked on the puzzle of the stairwell opening and making
that work,” Danielle reported later.
Amanda’s and Danielle’s photos of the day’s activities at both build-sites
are coming through and will be posted soon.
And if you or your company would like to participate in a Habitat Build Day,
please contact me at this address or call my number below so we can start
making arrangements.
Bike & Build Riders Are Here
Have you heard of the group Bike & Build?
Some folks are aware, but we wanted to share the news that Southeast NH
Habitat for Humanity is pleased and honored that a crew of 34 riders
associated with the national Bike & Build organization have returned to the
Seacoast for the sixth year to help with our two build sites/four houses.
It’s a wonderful group of thoughtful and caring people that organizes 10
cross-country bike trips for young adults to benefit affordable housing
groups. After pumping their legs and pushing their bodies for anywhere from
22 to 115 miles a day, each group stops along the way to help build houses
for Habitat for Humanity affiliates and other housing organizations.
We are incredibly fortunate and honored that they have returned to
Portsmouth to prepare for and begin their nearly 4,000-mile trek across the
northern United States, winding up in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Local Bike & Build activities began with the arrival of five team leaders
last week for orientation and training. The rest of the group arrived
Sunday, the 19th.
This evening, Habitat’s Board and other community leaders have organized a
barbecue to welcome the riders and to talk with them about affordable
housing needs and issues here and across the country.
Tomorrow [June 20], the day before departing on their adventure, the Build &
Bike crew will divide into two groups and help continue with the final tasks
on the Farmington houses, as well as the start-up framing on the Rochester
houses.
And after an exhausting day on the builds, the riders will head to New
Castle early Wednesday to dip their wheels into the Atlantic, and start
their journey.
Here is the link to learn more about their route; other links on this page
will take you to a page showing all the riders and their bios [
http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/content/view/38/54/ ]. As they head across
country, we’ll also be able to track them and send them emails of
encouragement and notes about our progress.
Who knows? It might even persuade others to take a 3,778-mile bike ride and
build houses across the country next year.
Habitat Names a New Executive Director
Some of you may have heard, but we wanted you to hear the news from the
source:
I have been given the privilege and honor of being selected SENH Habitat for
Humanity’s next executive director. I could not be more thrilled – ecstatic
works – about the opportunities, awesome challenges, and possibilities for
be able to do more to create more affordable housing and improve
neighborhoods in our home towns.
This comes at a time when our affiliate has grown and matured into a very
different organization from its beginnings nearly 20 years ago.
Under the strong leadership, creative vision, hard work, and steady hands of
Board President Tom Boisvert, current and previous Board Directors, ReStore
Manager Doug Willey, former Executive Director Cheryl Van Allen, and so many
other volunteers over the years, SENH Habitat is poised to explore some new
areas programmatically, strengthen its financial position in order to
increase the number of affordable houses it can tackle annually, and
especially to increase the number of lives Habitat “touches” every day and
year.
Through dedication and tireless efforts, Habitat as an organization
approached a tipping point of sorts – the *good* kind – where it was ready
to stretch, reach out, build new and different kinds of partnerships and
relationships, and begin to spread its roots into more communities
throughout our service area of Rockingham and Strafford counties.
Our primary mission will remain the same – building affordable houses for
hard-working people who are in need. But it also is important for Habitat,
working closely with faith-based and other civic organizations, along with
businesses, local governments, volunteers, and others, to tackle other
broader issues related and integral to affordable housing and neighborhood
revitalization, with a special emphasis on our older neighbors and military
veterans.
We also are keenly interested in doing much more to engage the most precious
asset and population in our communities and society – our young people – to
help give them a greater sense of appreciation and connection to their
families and neighbors.
For those who are curious, I grew up on the Seacoast, attended public
schools, and graduated from UNH / Durham. I also lived and worked for many
years in this area.
Throughout my adult years, I have observed and chronicled the impact – both
positive and some less so – that development/growth and financial/housing
markets have had on individuals and families, their neighborhoods and
communities. During more than 20 years as a journalist on the Seacoast and
in other New England communities, I helped to tell people’s stories,
especially those affected by rising rents, housing prices, and property
taxes, and how they dealt with the feelings and sometimes reality of being
“squeezed” out of their home towns.
I also had the privilege of working at one of the nation’s largest
philanthropies, the Kellogg Foundation in Michigan, where I was also able to
roll up my sleeves and work with nonprofits around the country on affordable
housing and neighborhood revitalization issues. And if you tack on the
decade of learning to build and renovate houses from the ground up, it all
adds up to a committed passion for helping to improve people’s lives and
their communities.
We will communicate much more as these and other ideas germinate and take
shape, all the while soliciting your ideas and input for how we can do
better and be more effective.
We have begun meeting and communicating with the scores of volunteers,
community groups, civic and business leaders, public officials, and others
to begin exploring new partnerships and relationships, and will relay more
of Habitat’s plans in the coming months.
We will continue the conversation, and we want to hear your ideas and how
you would like to be engaged.
With warmest regards, and we hope in the coming weeks that many more of you
will want to join your neighbors in supporting and helping to increase
opportunities and access to more affording housing on the Seacoast.
