What we have been up to
Hey!
Welcome to your inside scoop on what we have been up to at Habitat for Humanity Great Falls.
Honestly, summer is flying by. We hope you all had a great Independence day and spent some quality time with your friends and family.
We have been busy over here at Habitat with a super fun BBQ, getting our newest partner families up to speed, building houses, going to the State Fair, creating a new website and an online ReStore!
Dam Tasty BBQ!
July’s Family and Community Partner BBQ at Ryan Island Dam was a hit! Grill master Russell served us up some delicious BBQ and Jolene brought her famous pulled pork. Martin got the fun going with a bounce house, cornhole and a scavenger hunt spanning the whole island. Big thank you to all the volunteers, staff and sponsors who helped us put on this event and we look forward to next year!
Volunteer Spotlight – Tim Fairbanks!
I spoke with Tim Fairbanks, a Habitat volunteer, and he talked about what volunteering means to him. “I enjoy volunteering on the construction site, and I feel like I am giving back. My faith is very important to me. Part of being a Christian is giving back to those that are in need. It’s a privilege to be involved in something like this. I am always learning something on the jobsite–including patience.”
Want to be like Tim and give back to your community? Click the “Volunteer” link at the top of this email to learn more about it!
Thanks for being of service Tim!
Note From Our Director
Executive’s Corner
July was a celebration for America with the 4th of July and HfH Great Falls with our 1st Quarter BBQ and get-together at the Ryan Dam Clubhouse. It was a dam good time! 😉
We had music, 50/50, raffle, and a scavenger hunt for all attendees to participate in.
Our bookkeeper and office mother Sue was out for a family reunion so we did our best to keep folks paid and not party too much 😊
Eric has gotten us hooked up with some cool swag so we can attract through promotion folks, funds, and fun! Our partner families are on schedule to be part of their solution and we are getting geared up to launch an online store to sell, sell, sell.
Jolene and the Restore are seeing so much great stuff come through the doors that we are at the ready to have regular sales to get the products and items you need to you at a price you cannot beat!
Russell is a master builder who continues to hone his skill on the field, as well as with Danny Boyer and our Future Build Program with MSU, as we get ready to impart our youth with lifetime skills.
Our city and our ReStore have seen a dramatic increase in our unhoused population. This is a complicated matter with a solution that is going to take cooperation and collaboration across all sectors of social work and business to have the most complete solution.
By participating in our local Continuum of Care (COC) we are invested in being part of the conversation that will allow us as a community to showcase our compassion. Compassion for the folks who are down and out, and compassion for our hardworking community members who live, work, and play here in the Electric City.
It is easy to have compassion for and show patience, kindliness, and tolerance towards people who are living their best life. It is God who allows us to live our faith and show our compassion by exercising his word through our works for his children who are in the storm.
Faith without works is dead. Let us give thanks, be of service, and share with others the Sunlight of the Spirit.
-Martin NoRunner
Gettin’ Those Hours
In July, the newest partner families started putting in some good ol’ fashioned sweat equity hours at the ReStore! Sara did an amazing job organizing our Hardware and appliance sections. She is like our very own Marie Kondo 🙂 Jensen and Peanut Butter helped dust and pick up any food scraps. Raeana, Manny and Victor have been keeping those floors clean and brushing up on their organizational skills!
New Giving Platform!
We are excited to have a new donation platform–Givebutter! Givebutter has our best interest in mind and has very minimal processing fees on our end. This helps us maximize each dollar donated to building homes and hope in our community! Clink the link above to visit our new giving portal.
Secretary In Training
Peanut Butter has been training with with Heather and Jenn from Opportunities to become the cutest secretary in Great Falls! She has been greeting visitors with enthusiasm, providing moral support in stressful moments, chewing on paperwork and monitoring any potential squirrel threats!
THANK YOU!
Thanks for spending the time to read our newsletter. Check back next month for more important news and Peanut Butter updates from Habitat for Humanity Great Falls Area!