At Habitat, we’re thrilled to introduce an exciting new initiative – the Family and Community Build Day, designed to unite our partner families in a shared mission. With this unique approach, each partner family takes charge of assembling a dedicated crew to actively participate in construction projects and community events. This is one of the ways that our families and volunteers can build up our community, come together to make a difference and be of service to other people. They also earn a heck of a lot of ‘sweat-equity’ hours by inviting their friends and family to show up and get their hands dirty.
Jensen was the first partner family to embark on this community endeavor. She recruited friends, family, and some of the other partner families to participate in this event. Commenting on the unity she felt, Jensen said, “I loved getting to know the families more, and them getting to know me more—and it’s only the beginning of this journey!”
Sara, who is also a current partner family, said, “It was so much fun to work with everyone and see a home so close to completion. It was motivating and rewarding. I am excited for the next one!”
Part of the Family build project is for the assigned partner family to beat-the-street and ask other organizations to support our effort on these days. Jensen dusted off her outreach skills and scored KFC for her crew!
These pictures give us a tale of how people work together to lay sod for our families. We witness more than just the physical transformation of yard; we witness the power of human connection and the beauty of a shared purpose. As the lush green sod (hopefully 🙏) takes root, so does the sense of belonging that these volunteers and families have cultivated.
Volunteering at the Multicultural Fair in Great Falls
The Great Fall’s Multicultural fair was an amazing opportunity for volunteerism! Even though it was hot as heck, the volunteer crew set up road blocks, tables, tents and booths for the various food vendors. I met a couple fellow volunteers from Legacy Title (Amber and Shawna) and I learned a lot about Escrow services!
Not long into the afternoon, the smell of diverse culinary aromas filled the streets of Great Falls. Over 20 countries were represented in the fair and 15 of them were serving food (Hawaii was sadly unable to make it). Pro tip: If you don’t want to wait in line, come right at 5PM next year! By 6 or so, the lines were about 30 minutes long!
Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and feel that sense of community which makes our area so great! I look forward to volunteering again next year! Hopefully the weather will be more forgiving 🙂
-Eric
Immersive Visuals
Brazil and Columbia definitely stepped up their game with decorations and fun informational goodies about their food culture.
Unique Combo
I heard from quite a few folks that the fried shrimp and vegetable patties from the Guam booth were exceptional!
Table Displays
A lot of vendors had unique items from their country and India brought some really cool elephant figurines and beaded artwork!
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!
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!
