Welcome to HOUSE CALL!
The Official Newsletter of Orleans Habitat for Humanity

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Early Spring 2008 Newsletter

Greetings from Orleans Habitat for Humanity!

Snow is still swirling in the air; but, the calendar says it's March so good house building weather can't be far away.

It's not only the seasons that are changing; we're going through some changes on the Board also. Gary Fleckenstein, our president for most of 2007 and a 15+ year Board member, decided to step down. His steady involvement and dedication will be hard to replace; we'll all miss him.

So the presidency moves from one of the longest serving Board members to the newest. But, in my 1½ years with Habitat, I've come to appreciate the commitment and knowledge of our Board members and volunteers. I know that we have a very strong foundation on which we can continue to build.

The past few months have been very gratifying in a number of ways. First, and most important, Stephanie and her family have moved into House Eleven! It's wonderful to see this house (that so many helped build!) become a comfortable home to a wonderful family. We're planning a dedication ceremony for a little later in the Spring when the weather is more agreeable. We hope to use that occasion to once again thank the many people who made this home a reality.

Another memorable event was our day long involvement in the Brockport' Lowes Grand Opening on the first snowy day of the winter in December. For the entire day we had the opportunity to talk with shoppers about our purpose and our activities, answer questions, and hear stories about people that have been helped by Habitat's efforts. Many of those shoppers came out on that nasty winter day especially to help Habitat and we're so grateful to them and Lowes for making the day a success.

We're very excited about moving on to building House #12! Family selection, site selection, and other activities are in full swing now. As always, starting a new home is a substantial act of faith. Faith that the funds, volunteers, construction skills and all the other necessary components of a successful build will be there when we need them. We certainly thank you - the readers of this newsletter - for your past support and contributions and hope that you'll be able to play an active role in making this next house a reality.

During 2008 the Board hopes to significantly expand and strengthen our sub-committee staffing and activities. We have an urgent need to find people interested in Fundraising, Public Relations, Family Selection and Nurturing, Mortgage and Finance, and Construction. If any of these areas sound interesting to you, I hope you'll contact me or one of the other Board members. We're a 100% volunteer organization and your contribution of even a few hours a month (or your recommendation of someone who could contribute) can help us a great deal.

We really appreciate your continuing support of Orleans Habitat for Humanity. Thank you!!

David Miller, President
798-3904

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