Fall 2016 Toolbox

Newark & Greater Elizabeth

Fall Edition 2016

Habitat for Humanity Newark Expands into Union County Organization is Now “Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth” Since 1986, Habitat for Humanity Newark has been committed to helping people achieve homeownership in Newark and throughout Essex County, serving a community with 750,000 residents.

Newark & Greater Elizabeth

Newark & Greater Elizabeth

Now, that territory has nearly doubled, as Habitat for Humanity International has awarded Habitat Newark the Greater Elizabeth service area. With the expansion, Habitat Newark is officially changing its name to Habitat Newark & Greater Elizabeth.

Habitat will now serve every municipality in Essex County as well as every town in Union County with the exception of Plainfield, Scotch Plains and Fanwood.

“To say we are elated about this expansion is an understatement,” said Jeffrey J. Farrell, CEO of Habitat Newark & Greater Elizabeth. “We have been in discussions with Habitat International about the critical needs that have been left unfulfilled throughout Elizabeth and most of Union County.

Farrell said the expansion would not have been possible without the work and commitment of the late Jim Kellogg of the Kellogg Foundation, who introduced Farrell to the opportunity and began the important dialogue that ultimately led to this announcement.

The non-profit will be taking over the territory that had been served by Habitat for Humanity Elizabeth.

The organization has been dormant in recent years, prompting an opportunity for Habitat to fill the important role in the community.

In This Issue Habitat Newark Invites Companies to Swap Suits for Boots

Corporations Make Memories at Fall Corporate Challenge

Continued on page 6 Habitat Newark Teams Up with Local Charter School to “Be the Change”

It’s More than Homes for Habitat Newark

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Message from the Chief Executive Officer Fall has finally returned and Habitat Newark & Greater Elizabeth is back at work doing what we love: Helping our Partner Families build their homes.

It is important to note that Habitat is not just about new home construction, but provide critical repairs for families in need.

I am proud to say, through the direction of our Board of Directors and Board of Advisors, Habitat has expanded its mission to focus on enhancing neighborhoods through it’s neigborhood revitalization program.

In our Neighborhood Revitalization program, we are working with community partners in the West and Central Wards of Newark to help people.

You may remember that the West Ward was Habitat Newark & Greater Elizabeth’s original home and we are still

active there today.

Through this evolving community partnership, Habitat co-hosted a college fair at People’s Prep Charter School on Bergen Street in early April. We are currently identifying a number of critical needs in the neighborhoods and to date, we have provided 138 smoke detectors for 40 families, repaired 16 street lights and have completed five critical home repairs.

I invite all of you to learn more about Habitat and how we can partner for a better community – one neighborhood at a time. Thank you for your commitment to Habitat Newark & Greater Elizabeth.

Corporations Make Memories at Fall Corporate Challenge The 2015 Fall Corporate Challenge will be remembered as a landmark success, as Habitat was able to raise $170,000 – a record amount for this campaign – from past participants and new partners. There were 19 companies involved in the Corporate Challenge, working to improve lives of Essex County families.

Bank of America

Prudential

Brown & Brown

Max Lite

Actavis

Anheuser-Busch

Columbia Bank

Credit Suisse

In Partnership, Jeffrey J. Farrell Chief Executive Officer

Habitat Invites Companies to Swap Suits for Boots This year, for the first time ever, Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth’s successful Corporate Challenge program was expanded to include a Spring event!

Habitat invited businesses throughout the region to participate in an annual rite of Spring: a Corporate Challenge that began April 15 and ran through June 15. Employees and employers came together to build and support more homes for hard-working families in Newark and beyond.

Corporations provided volunteers and donations to help build homes and dreams, side-by-side with the Partner Families who are earning the opportunity for homeownership.

“There was no better way to celebrate Spring than with our Corporate Challenge. This was the perfect way for business leaders and their employees to spend the day as a team, working in the sunshine to creating cherished homes for future generations.” said Habitat Volunteer & Development Coordinator Alana Shaul.

Pictured above are members of the dedicated Wells Fargo build team, who have been supporting and

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building with us in Newark for the second year in a row.

For information on how your company can come and build with us, contact us at ashaul@habitatnewark. org; 973-624-3330, ext. 100.

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Meet Carpenter Willie Clark: Building Homes on Faith Each morning, Willie Clark leads a team of volunteer apprentices in prayer at the Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth build site. These apprentices change day to day, as do the locations, but one thing remains constant: they are all there to fulfill the mission of providing a home to a deserving family who desperately needs it.

This mission is what motivates Willie, who looks far younger than his 83 years, to carry out the mission as both an instructor and a carpenter.

“Habitat for Humanity isn’t just a place to work. I didn’t walk in looking for this -- I was sent to Habitat,” Willie says. “I was sent here because this is an organization built on prayer; it was built on faith.”

“If you don’t have that faith in what you’re doing, you can’t lead,” he adds. “In this job, you need to be a leader.”

Willie, an East Orange resident who originally hails from Gaffney, South Carolina, moved to New Jersey in 1949 and is schooled in all aspects of construction. Over the years, he has worked as a plumber, electrician and roofer.

patient, smile, be nice, and if they do something wrong, you don’t yell or scold them. You say ‘don’t worry’ and you help them.”

Before coming to Habitat nearly 20 years ago, Willie had his own construction business and held construction posts at the IRS, Fort Dix, and the VA Hospital in East Orange.

“It’s a lovely thing to see my Partner Family stand in front of that door and say ‘This house is mine.’ Tears come out of their eyes and tears come out of mine, he says. “Those are tears of joy.”

At Habitat, Willie says, the learning never stops. “I’m a teacher of these volunteers, I’m also a student. You have to learn about the individuals and what motivates them.”

“That’s how you keep people coming back.”

“We’ve got volunteers from all walks of life. You can’t treat one differently from the other. You have to be

The goal is to provide a home for a family to cherish.

Willie is then quick to open up his work portfolio to show a depiction of Jesus Christ: “This is my leader, and he was a carpenter, too. Here, in Newark, I’m trying to follow in his footsteps. It’s what keeps me going.”

Neighborhood Revitalization Corner Launched in May 2015, Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth’s Neighborhood Revitalization Program had an impactful inaugural year. By identifying community needs beyond new housing, Habitat’s mission in Newark has expanded to implement solutions to other neighborhood needs.

Newark Community Solutions was the first partnering agency to assist with Neighborhood Revitalization by helping to create community conditions panel.

The American Red Cross was the second agency to assist by donating 30 smoke detectors, installed by Habitat in more than a dozen homes in the first round of a long-term partnership between Habitat and the American Red Cross.

“We are excited Habitat is partnering with the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign to help reduce the number of deaths and injuries related to home fires,” said

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Paul Gass, regional preparedness manager, American Red Cross New Jersey Region. “Smoke alarms can cut the risk of death from a home fire in half. Having Red Cross free smoke alarms installed and critical fire safety information shared through Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth’s Neighborhood Revitalization Program will help make Newark families safer.”

PSEG is another important community partner in the Neighborhood Revitalization program by repairing non-functioning street lights that were identified by Habitat staff. Habitat researched blocks with nonfunctioning lighting. As a key community partner and corporate citizen, PSEG rapidly responded to make the Neighborhood Revitalization program transcend bricks and mortar as it includes critical repairs, A Brush with Kindness, health and educational programming.

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Students and Opportunity Mix at Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth’s First-Ever College Fair On April 2, Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth was pleased to sponsor its first-ever College Fair as part of its growing Neighborhood Revitalization program in Newark.

The event at People’s Prep Charter School in the Central Ward offered a sample of North Jersey’s best in higher education. School representatives dispensed hope, advice, and healthy encouragement to Newark students.

“I’m a mentor to all young people who walk through my office,” said Berkeley College Student Government President Tammy Boxten. “I love coming to these events. It gives me a chance to talk with students, see what they are interested in, how they’re feeling, what their goals and dreams are.”

University, Essex County College, Saint Peter’s University and New Jersey City University were among the many schools represented at the fair, alongside numerous career and service organizations.

Students hit the snack table to grab bagels and orange juice before fanning out across the room to hear what a college degree could do for their future.

For Boxten, a college education is about selfimprovement, no matter where you are in life. “I’m a student, too,” she confides. “I’m going to be graduating this summer with a degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship. When I tell my kids that, it shocks them. It just shows that it’s never too late to start an education.”

“The event was a proud new initiative of Habitat, which seeks to improve life in targeted Newark neighborhoods most in need of services. Fostering interest in higher education, and improving access to college opportunities, are keys to the mission,” said Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth CEO Jeffrey J. Farrell.

“Improving college opportunities for Newark’s students is an important part of maintaining a healthy community here,” he emphasized. “These are the people, after recieving their degrees, will give back to their community and build upon the progress.”

NJIT, Pillar College, Berkeley College, Stevens Institute of Technology, Montclair State University, Rutgers

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Eagle Scout Honored for Work with Habitat

Meet our latest homeowner!

Last year, Jack Farrell and some of his fellow scouts came together for a “wall build,” as they helped build part of a home that will go to a veteran living in Essex County.

This past Christmas, two families in the Central Ward of Newark received the gift of a lifetime: Homeownership.

For Jack’s effort coordinating the wall build, as well as earning 21 merit badges as a Boy Scout, the Livingston teen recently attained the highest scouting rank he could achieve: an Eagle Scout.

It was a celebration for one and all, as local dignitaries, friends, family and Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth representatives gathered on the front lawn of the two-family home on Dec. 15. There, a long red ribbon stretched from post to post on the front porch, as all marked the signature ribbon-cutting that culminated the long journey of two Newark families.

“We are tremendously proud of Jack; only four percent of Boy Scouts are granted the rank after a lengthy review,” said Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth CEO Jeffrey J. Farrell, who also happens to be Jack’s uncle. “It took years for Jack to fulfill this rank, joining two million other young men who also reached the pinnacle. To say our family is proud is a big understatement.”

In receiving the Eagle Scout, Jack received citations of merit from Gov. Chris Christie as well as members of Congress and other dignitaries, highlighting the major milestone.

Last year, Jack pulled together about 12 other boys for the wall build project, a big help in Habitat’s ongoing efforts to construct veteran housing in Essex County. There is a tremendous need for such housing, prompting the focus of Habitat as part of its long-term planning.

Harmony Point Nears Completion This summer, Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth welcomed back dedicated and hard-working volunteer teams, as well as new corporate partners, faith-based groups, and individuals who provided volunteer manpower to build Harmony Point, as well as supported the project with financial sponsorship.

“We are thankful to our many volunteers and donors for helping us get to this point and are eagerly looking forward to the ribbon-cutting,” said Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth Construction Manager Kercel Pemberton.

If you’re interested in helping with efforts at Harmony Point or any other build site, please let us know! For volunteering, check out our online volunteer calendar at www.volunteerup.habitatnewark.org.

Habitat for Humanity Newark Expands into Union County (Cont from pg 1)

“We are particularly pleased with our efforts to provide critical repairs and homes for returning veterans in Essex and Union counties,” Farrell added. “We are now undertaking the largest construction project in our history, known as Harmony Point, in which we are building a development in Newark for deserving future homeowners.”

Farrell said he is eager to meet with government, business and religious leaders throughout Union County in the coming months to ascertain need, identify funding sources and to become an important thread in the community fabric.

“We can’t wait to get started,” he said.

Families of both Natalia Harper and Tarmeland Belizair, now next-door neighbors, put in more than 200 hours of sweat equity to help construct their homes, at 438-440 South 9th Street.

“Everyone’s dream is to have a dream home,” says Essex County Freeholder Rufus Johnson, who joined in the special moment. “And it’s a blessing that that dream is attainable at an affordable price and with sweat equity. Those are the kind of things you can’t take away from people who want to live the American Dream.”

“Habitat has been in Newark for 30 years now and has made homeownership possible for nearly 100 families,” added Habitat for Humanity Newark & Greater Elizabeth CEO Jeffrey J. Farrell, as he held the ceremonial scissors. “A big part of what drives this organization is the ability to give people a hand up, and not a hand out.”

Habitat ensures that Partner Families don’t spend more than 30 percent of their income to pay their zero-percent-interest mortgages.

As Natalia and Tarmeland smiled and welcomed all to their new homes, they said they were so grateful to the extended Habitat for Humanity Newark family.

“What has been done for us is incredible; thank

you,” Natalia said, a large smile on her face.

Tarmeland agreed, smiling at her new neighbor.

“This is a special moment for both of us and our families.”

For Tarmeland, her four-bedroom Habitat home is a dream. There is plenty of room for her four children, ages 18, 14, 12 and 3. “It is so special that my kids have their own rooms and a backyard where they can safely play. It is all so comfortable.”

Tarmeland, 39, was born in Haiti and grew up in Elizabeth, before moving to Irvington and then Newark in 2013. For her entire life, she has dreamed of homeownership, with her own driveway to park her car.

Tarmeland is proud to be a caregiver at a nursing home in Union Township. “Habitat took care of me.

This is so wonderful. I love it all.”

Donate your vehicle to help build homes.

FOR VOLUNTEER INFORMATION, CONTACT (973) 624-3330 EXT. 100 IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE, PLEASE CONTACT US AT 973-624-3330

877-277-4344

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Newark & Greater Elizabeth

P.O. Box 32189 Newark, NJ 07102-0589

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEWARK, NJ PERMIT NO. 9029

HELP HABITAT NEWARK & GREATER ELIZABETH • One Time Donation • Gifts on Behalf of a Loved One • Recurring Gifts A monthly, quarterly, or annual pledge can be automatically paid by credit card.

• Cars for Homes Appeal

Contact us at 973-624-3330

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