Habitat for Humanity August 2009 Volunteer Newsletter

Volunteer News V O L U M E

“Volunteers don’t necessarily have the time, but they have the heart.”

—Anonymous

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Coordinator Introducing Michelle Da Roza

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Summer Spaces

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Good-bye to Portuguese

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ReStore volunteer Calendar of Events

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Retired or semi-retired tradesmen/instructors, home handymen and reno-enthusiasts to be Crew Leaders on our Burnaby build site Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Floor Helpers to help with shipping and receiving, organizing, pricing and stocking shelves and Customer Service Representatives in our Vancouver and Burnaby ReStores Monday through Saturday.

Jacks-of-all-Trades on our Burnaby build site Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8am to 4pm. Retired or semi-retired tradesmen, home handymen and reno-enthusiasts who feel comfortable on a construction site regardless of the task-at-hand.

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Art Gallery Show Ending Soon

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Buy a House, Build a Home Campaign

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Women’s Build 4 Toolbox—5 months later This Month on Site

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Volunteer Recognition BBQ

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Success!

I S S U E

Site Hosts who can welcome site volunteers, ensure that they sign-in and sign the safety waiver properly, pick up and set out supplies for coffee breaks and lunch. Site Hosts work from 8am to 1:30pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday at our Burnaby Build Site.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Good-bye to Tanya Fink, Volunteer

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Level 2 and 3 OFA First Aid Attendants to fill in when the regular attendant is not on-site. An extra First Aid Attendant is needed every Saturday on our Burnaby build site.

Gardeners to tend to the Habitat Office parking lot and grounds If you are interested in volunteering for any of these positions, please contact Michelle, the new Volunteer Coordinator, at: 604-681-5618 ext. 23 or volunteer@vancouverhabitat.bc.ca

Thanks for Volunteering!

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Volunteer Coordinator Moves On When I first started looking for a summer job in 2008, I didn't even know Habitat for Humanity existed here in Vancouver. I had heard about it on television and figured it just built homes in third world countries. But I quickly learned that it does so much more than just exist here.

I started on June 17th 2008 while finishing my degree in Sociology at UBC. My position as a summer student quickly evolved into Volunteer Coordinator and I worked around my full-time classes.

When I started, this position was a work in progress and I had a lot of learning to do. Managing and coordinating hundreds of volunteers is not an easy task! It was challenging work but also very rewarding.

Volunteer Coordinator, Tanya Fink, is sad to be leaving Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver this month. She will be returning to school to do her Masters Degree.

Working at Habitat for Humanity has taught me so much. But the thing I’ve learned the most is about the volunteer spirit. Volunteers are the heartbeat of this organization and without their energy, enthusiasm and hard work, Habitat for Humanity really wouldn't exist.

In this position, I got to see human compassion and great benevolence on a daily basis. Volunteers are a huge force behind many good things in this world and I have had the lucky opportunity to witness this firsthand.

I am now going to quit working full-time and concentrate on obtaining my Masters Degree in Community and Regional Planning at UBC with a concentration in Community Planning and Urban Policy. I want to be a larger part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis and the widening socioeconomic gaps that people in our city are faced with today. I hope to be able to continue to work for organizations that help such as this one in the future on a much larger scale.

Hello!

INTRODUCING YOUR NEW VOLUNTEER PROGRAM MANAGER...

Hello to all of our amazing volunteers!

It was great to meet a few of you at our Appreciation BBQ and I hope to be able to meet a lot more of you in the next few months. A little about me: I was born and raised in Richmond, BC and I have always held a passion for people and the community. Formerly I had been with eBay for 4 years where I led the employee events and communication efforts for the Vancouver centre, focusing on retention and job satisfaction. I was also heavily involved in the company’s Foundation and “GIVE” team which focused on grant-making and providing employees with volunteer opportunities, including Habitat for Humanity builds!

I am very excited to join Habitat and begin my new role, especially with such a great group of talented and dedicated volunteers.

My time here has been an invaluable learning experience and huge stepping stone to my future goals.

Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver is a wonderful organization that promotes breaking the cycle of poverty and I am very proud to have been a part of it for over a year. I will miss working here and hope that I have made a valuable contribution to the organization in the short time I’ve been here.

I would like to say a special thank you to all the volunteers who made my job so special. I really enjoyed working with all of you towards this common goal. You have made my experience even better.

Michelle Da Roza is very excited to take over for Tanya and meet all of you volunteers!

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SUMMER SPACES VOLUNTEER PROMOTES HABITAT We asked and he answered the call! Wayne Helfrich, volunteer extraordinaire, has volunteered to promote Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver at two Summer Spaces events this summer.

Summer Spaces is a summer-long celebration of community and car-free public spaces. It is taking part in three different neighbourhoods: Main Street, Collingwood and Gastown.

During this event, select commercial streets are opening up on Sundays to let local residents experience them as public spaces. Neighbours are able to roam freely on the street and meet the people in their communities.

Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver was invited to take part in two: Commercial Drive and Main Street.

Wayne has already represented us at the Commercial Drive event in July and will be doing it again at the Main Street event later this month. He is passing out our brochures, talking to the community about our mission, recruiting new volunteers and promoting our ReStores.

At the same time, Wayne is promoting his own fundraising effort of selling the wooden puzzles that he makes. His goal is to reach $10,000 by October 1st and he is well on his way! He has raised $9,040 so far! You can find out more about Wayne’s puzzles at www.woodenpuzzlesarefun.ca.

Summer Heat Boils Office Staff

Habitat Says ‘Adeus’ to Portuguese Volunteer

In the midst of late July’s heat wave, Habitat office staff found some Paulo Roque came to Canada in May of this year to visit his uncle, Miguel Flores relief. As each of the staff members sat at their desks with a fan who works at the Vancouver ReStore. To keep himself busy, Paulo decided to pointed directly at their faces, a glorious sound was heard out the volunteer four days a week at the Vancouver ReStore to help his uncle out and window. The ice cream truck! support a great cause. Paulo had heard of Habitat for Humanity before but Being the generous boss that she is, Anneke Rees, CEO, bought never had the chance to personally her wilting employees deliciously cool treats to give them some contribute. He was very excited reprieve from the 30 degree office atmosphere. when he found out he could volunteer at the ReStore.

Very quickly, Paulo became a valuable asset to the store. He worked full days, doing whatever the ReStore required of him. He assembled cabinets, tested lights, dealt with customers, helped unload the truck and other duties that the warehouse requires.

Contributing over 250 hours, Paulo has been an enormous help.

Claudia Shaw, Family Liaison Coordinator, Anneke Rees, CEO, Kim Pettersen, Director of Marketing and Development and Tanya Fink, Volunteer Coordinator, finding relief from the heat in the shade of the ice cream truck.

“I can’t believe someone would spend their vacation working so hard for free,” says Miguel. “Paulo is truly a selfless person and the ReStore will Paolo says goodbye to ReStore miss him as much as I will.”

Manager, Don Beaupre.

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Schedule of Events

AUGUST 2009

August 1—Build Day

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Tell All Your Friends!

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August 6, 7, 8—Build Days August 13, 14, 15—Build Days

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August 27, 28, 29—Build Days

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September 3, 4, 5—Build Days

August 19—Volunteer Orientation August 20, 21, 22—Build Days

SEPTEMBER 2009

September 7—Labour Day September 10, 11, 12—Build Days September 15—Tanya’s Birthday :) September 16—Volunteer Orientation September 17, 18, 19—Build Days September 24—Vancouver Timeraiser September 24, 25, 26—Build Days

The 2009 Vancouver TimeRaiser will be held on Thursday September 24th at 6:30pm. A great chance to volunteer your skills and support the arts! For more information, visit www.timeraiser.ca

Volunteers Needed We’re looking for volunteers to work 4 hour shifts at the ReStore booth at the Vancouver Home + Interior Design Show at BC Place October 15-18, 2009. Please contact Michelle for more info!

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Volunteer Gets Creative With Toolbox

(Left) Volunteer, Susan Peters, makes a toolbox with her own two hands at the 2009 Women’s Build. (Right) Susan sent us this picture to show how she has put it to good use!

ReStore Artist’s Exhibition Ends Soon Reese Terris’ exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery ends on September 20th. Using some materials from the ReStores, and commissioned by the gallery, his “Ought Apartment” consists of a tower that rises from the main floor to the full height of the central rotunda, in which sections from six apartments are stacked one on top of another. Each apartment is furnished with discarded items from the 1950s (on the lowest level) up to the present decade (at the top). Make sure you don’t miss it!

“BUY A HOUSE, BUILD A HOME”

From July 30 to August 30, customers of The Home Depot Canada stores across the country have the option to purchase a paper house for $2.00 at the check-out. Proceeds from this campaign directly benefit The Home Depot’s charitable partners, including Habitat for Humanity Canada. For more information about this campaign and The Home Depot Canada Foundation, please visit: www.homedepot.ca/foundation.

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This Month on Our Build Site

Schneider Electric on site on July 11, 2009

Employees from Home Depot came out to build on July 17, 2009

BC Hydro builders helped out on site July 30, 2009

NYK Line came out to our site on July 18, 2009

Genworth brought out a group of builders on Delta Burnaby employees strutted their stuff July 23, 2009 on site August 6, 2009

Wells Fargo employees helped build on July 16, 2009

Dedicated volunteer, Karen Woo, inspects some work being done on site

Phase 5 is coming right along! Thanks to the hundreds of hardworking and enthusiastic volunteers that come out Volunteers hoist up exterior walls

each month to help build. The families who will live in these homes are eternally grateful!

Special thanks to Schneider Electric, Wells Fargo, Home Depot, NYK Line, Genworth, BC Hydro, Delta Burnaby and the BTLDP!!!

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Volunteer BBQ a Huge Success!!

Monday to Friday anytime.

Our second annual Volunteer Recognition BBQ took place on Sunday August 9th. It was originally planned for a park but because of heavy morning rain (for the second year in a row) it had to be moved inside.

Volunteers had a great time and enjoyed great food generously donated by Fogg n’ Suds Restaurants. There were veggie burgers, mozza and ham steak burgers, coleslaw, potato salad, chips, pop and blueberry shortcake for dessert.

Every volunteer received a prize from places such as the Artsclub Theatre, Unity Yoga, Safeway Canada, Cookies by George, Panago, Ricky’s All Day Grill, the Old Spaghetti Factory, McDonald’s, Changes Clothing, the Vancouver Canadians and the BC Lions.

Thank you to all who came and to all those who helped out.

A very special thanks to you, our volunteers, without whom we couldn’t do the great work that we do.

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Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver says

THANK YOU for your selfless dedication as a volunteer

2009