September 2023

Welcome to September’s Habitat for Humanity Great Falls Area Newsletter. As the days have gotten shorter, we have said our farewells to the summer warmth and begrudgingly welcome the changing colors of the leaves and cooler weather. This time of year, walks along the Rivers Edge Trail and Giant Springs State Park showcase our cities foliage transformation. Fall also reminds us of the festivities yet to come–Halloween, Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday. Speaking of Giving Tuesday, our 406 Gives! campaign launches today. This month has been full of blessings and we hope to continue to provide hope and homes for our very own Great Falls community!

Alex and Dion are Officially Homeowners!

On Friday, September 29th, Alex and Dion signed their home ownership paperwork! Jennifer, our current board President, met the family down at Flying S Title and Escrow where Alex and Dion signed what seemed to be an endless stack of official documents! Thanks to Flying S Title and Escrow for providing us this service and hosting us for these beautiful pictures. Alex and Dion will be having a Home Dedication in the month of October. Stay tuned for details.

Hale Family signs Buy/Sell Agreement

On Thursday, September 28th, the Hale family stopped by the Habitat office to sign their Buy/Sell agreement. This is a major milestone for them on the way to Habitat Home Ownership! It was nice to sit down with them and learn about their experience as a Habitat Partner Family. Look forward to a full narrative of their experience so far in future posts!

Pumpkins and more pumpkins

Jordan’s Pumpkins for a Cause took place on September 30th and many of the Habitat Partner Families volunteered their time to support this great event. Raeana chose this activity for her families Partner Family day. The charity of choice this year was Family Promise which provides critical services for families facing housing, food and security instability. We braved the cold winds to help haul pumpkins and assist attendees in riding the hay bail rides!

Peanut Butter elected herself to the board! Her new role is Public & Squirrel Relations. In this role, she will be attending media events, mainly to chase squirrels away and ensure the spotlight remains solely on Habitat for Humanity. Please send all media requests to BarkBoss@HabitatForHoundmanity.org.

#GivingTuesday

At the end of September, we sat down and hammered out 406 Gives! — our #GivingTuesday fundraising campaign. Check your emails and socials for our fundraising posts. We set our goal at $5K this year and we need your help to spread the word about our fundraiser. Please like and share our posts! All proceeds directly build homes and hope in the Great Falls Area! Visit our campaign page to learn more.

Executive Corner

September we finalized House #43 with a Mortgage for our Partner Family!
Alex and Dion and their family are new Homeowners in the Castle Pines Area.

Eric and I attended the Montana Non-Profit Association Annual Event in Missoula and learned about what AI can do for us.

Jolene and the ReStore crew are incredibly busy with incoming donations and with our forklift out of order for a bit, we were using an ancient pulley system to stack up our inventory like the monolithic blocks used to build the pyramids.

Russell and the construction crew have been working with Danny Boyer and the MSU Future Build Program.

Mixed together with juggling volunteer crews and build days, it is always an adventure with a steady reliance on God.

Our unhoused population has not been as prevalent in the vicinity of the ReStore and Rescue Mission area, but we are not out of the woods as far as finding a solution to the ever-increasing population of people who are experiencing housing instability.

In entering this new season of Fall, let us remind ourselves that even on the most overcast days the world is a wonderfully colorful place. So say the leaves. Faith without works is dead. Let us give thanks, be of service, and share with others the Sunlight of the Spirit.

-Martin NoRunner