We have enjoyed having the 10 NCCC team members on site to help us for the last 5 weeks. We will miss having all of their help on site.

A Successful Pre-Blizzard Blitz Build!

A huge thank you to everyone who helped with the Blitz! It was a great success! Take a look at the progress. The first photo was taken Friday, and the second photo was taken Sunday.

Pictures from the Women's Build October 26, 2010

About 30 people came out to help with the Women's Build! Habitat homeowners Misti Ruiz and Becky Graham joined, as well as future Habitat homeowners Juliene & David Schoenfelder and Paula Crosley. It was a wonderful team effort to witness!

Emilia Longoria's Dedication

HABITAT FAMILY SELECTION

Habitat is still looking for a new family to partner with. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in applying for a Habitat home, please call the Habitat office at 672-3848 to make an appointment to pick up an application. APPLICATIONS ARE DUE OCTOBER 29TH!

Pre-Blizzard Blitz Build

Please join us this Friday and Saturday for our Blitz Build! We will be completely enclosing the Schoenfelder's house at 794 W Timberline Drive, and we'd love all the help we can get!

Friday: Free build - anyone is welcome to join
Saturday: Women's Build - Ladies are invited to come out, and there is a raffle for a 60 minute massage!

Construction times are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and both days will be very low-key. You are welcome to join for a few hours, half a day, or the entire day. Lunch is provided and volunteers receive free t-shirts! (It looks like the temperature will be in the 60's and 70's this weekend - so perfect construction weather!)

**Please call the Habitat office at 672-3848 to let us know if you would like to volunteer so we have enough lunches!

Family Selection

Habitat for Humanity is looking for a new family to partner with! If you, or anyone you know, is interested in applying for a Habitat home, please come to the Inner Circle at the Library at 5:30pm on Monday, October 4th. There will be an informational meeting and a chance to pick up an application. Please bring your most recent tax returns and landlord information.

We hope to see you there and look forward to meeting a possible, new partner.

A Beautiful Day to Run!

Runner and hikers wait to start the 2nd Annual Wolf Creek Wrangle at 9am on Saturday! 100 participants came out to support the event and over $6000 was raised to benefit Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Bighorns!

We thank all of our generous sponsors and partners who made the event possible, as well as our wonderful runners and hikers!

Wolf Creek Wrangle Results

Top three female runners:
1. Keri McMeans 1:49:00
2. Stacy Page 1:51:15
3. Tracey Ostimer 1:57:55

Top three male runners:
1. Andy Hall 1:47:34
2. Sam Morgenroth 1:48:17
3. Patrick Schilling 1:50:10

Top three female hikers:
1. Alicea Steir 1:46:30
2. Kitt Laidlaw and Jeannie Hutton 1:46:40
3. Anette Rinaldo 1:49:43

Top three male hikers:
1. Jack Fritz 1:38:14
2. Jordan Hill 1:46:30
3. Bob Szewc 1:49:46

Becky Graham's House Dedication

Last Thursday, the Grahams celebrated their house dedication with friends, relatives, volunteers, and the Habitat family! It was a touching event, full of tear and joy! Here are some pictures and video to capture a taste of the event.

WOLF CREEK WRANGLE!!!!!

The Habitat for Humanity benefit race is at Eaton's Ranch this Saturday! Don't forget to register at Big Horn Mountain Sports asap!!!

Wolf Creek Wrangle Count-Down!!!

Only 10 more days to sign up for the 2010 Wolf Creek Wrangle!!

*Beautiful hike/run at Eaton's Ranch
*Free T-shirt for participants
*Free post-race BBQ for participants
*Benefits the entire community!

Sign up today at Big Horn Mountain Sports!

Progress on Christie Freeman's house!

Another Brush With Kindness!!!

Last week marked the beginning of another "A Brush With Kindness" journey. Two homes, both on West Loucks, were selected for the quarterly program, and over $5,000 will go into the projects when all is said and done.

Richard and Carol Dau's home has already received an upgrade, including repainting, roof repair, and replacement of rotting trim. The Dau's have owned their home for 35 years, but at the ages of 76 and 74, theses repairs could not be easily completed.

Christie Freeman's home is still undergoing some major refurbishing, including electricity, sheet rock, and insulation work in the kitchen; tearing out all of the old carpets; and enclosing and finishing the two upstairs rooms. Christie's husband had been working on the repairs himself, but he passed away this April - leaving Christie's and her daughter, Lisa's, house unfinished.

"He's up there being pretty happy about all this," Christie said of her husband.

The project is expected to be complete by this Saturday.

Some "before" pictures of Christie's house.

Online Survey to Support Habitat!

This quick survey has been floating around the net recently, so I thought I'd share it will you all. Just go to the link below and take the 3-question quiz, and $1 will be donated to Habitat for Humanity!!!!

http://www.savewateramerica.com/home.swa#/home/

Wolf Creek Wrangle!!!!

Just a reminder! Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Bighorns will host a 10M run and 10K hike at Eaton's Ranch on September 25th. The 2nd annual Wolf Creek Wrangle is a beautiful outdoor experience and a great way to support your local Habitat affiliate! Sign up today at Big Horn Mountain Sports!

Run- $50
Hike- $35 (You are welcome to jog this course if you choose!)

All paying participants receive a free t-shirt and are welcome to a BBQ after the race.

If you choose not to run or hike, we are still looking for volunteers! Call the Habitat office at 672-3848.

Back at Habitat!

Welcome back to the Habitat blog! I have had a luxurious vacation in the Wyoming, summer sun, but I'm very excited to be back in the swing of things!

A brief update on the Longoria's home: According to construction manager, Eliza Evans, the house is close to completion. Carpet and appliance installations are next on the agenda - before the First Baptist Youth Group landscapes the lot on the 18th of this month. The house will most likely be ready for final inspections the last week in September!

The end of my summer internship at Habitat

After two months of enjoyable work at Habitat, my summer internship is coming to an end. I will return in the Fall to pick up where I left off; but in the meantime, I want to share a few words about my summer with this organization.

Theodore Roosevelt said "Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." My experience at Habitat embodied that quote. When Executive Director Jessica Lindsley offered me the summer associate position, I was excited to get started. I already believed in Habitat's mission, and knew it would be a joy to work for Jessica; but I didn't know what an incredible pleasure it would be to work with all of the amazing groups of people and individuals that I've connected with during the season.

There is truly something special about the concept of home ownership and a community that believes in it so wholeheartedly that organizations like Habitat can thrive. As a Sheridan native, who has lived elsewhere and traveled back to the great state of Wyoming, I am thoroughly impressed with the monetary and volunteer support I've seen in our little town. The community's incredible willingness to partner with Habitat has made me proud to live in Sheridan!

So thank you all! I look forward to reconnecting with Habitat in the Fall. Enjoy the rest of your summer!!!

-Melissa

What started out as the skeleton of a house has been transformed into the beginning of a home!

Bank of the West presents a charitable donation of $1000 to Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Bighorns!

On Thursday July 29th, Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Bighorns (HFHEB)received a charitable contribution of $1,000 from the local Bank of the West branch.

Sheridan branch President, James “Hoot” Bohnsack, said the decision to allocate funds to Habitat for Humanity stemmed from the Bank’s directives to support those who are underprivileged in local communities.

“It’s tough to get by given the current economy,” Bohnsack said. “I think it is an important service that Habitat for Humanity offers to those who qualify in Sheridan.”

The generous donation will be used through “A Brush With Kindness,” a Habitat program that refurbishes about 12 houses a year for low-income homeowners.

“Habitat for Humanity is honored to be recognized by Bank of the West as a community partner providing every Sheridan citizen a safe place to live,” said Jessica Lindsley, HFH Director. “We look forward to partnering with them in the future.”

Meet David and Juliene Schoenfelder!

David and Juliene Schoenfelder have been selected to occupy the third new home on Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Bighorn’s construction schedule.

David was born and raised in Sheridan, and his wife Juliene moved to Sheridan from the Philippines 10 years ago. The couple, who’ve been married since 2000, has five children between the ages of three and eight, and the family of seven currently lives in a two bedroom, one bathroom house on North Main.

“We’ve outgrown the house,” said David, and Juliene added, “With five kids in the house, it gets claustrophobic.”

Not only are they cramped, but the house that they've lived in for the last 5 ½ years is not in the best condition. The floors are uneven, and the children trip; the ceiling is falling apart and leaks; the swamp cooler doesn’t keep the house cool enough in the summer; and the heaters get so hot in the winter that they are a safety hazard for the children.

Right now, the family cannot afford to make the repairs themselves with David’s hourly pay from the City; and on top of the repairs, the location of the house guarantees lots of noise. The house is right next to the Buggy Bath Car Wash, and the noise from the vacuums, along with the noise from traffic on North Main, has been difficult.

The family said that having their own home will change their lives greatly. They will have “breathing room” and space to organize their life.

“A lot of people take these things for granted, but it’s the little miracles in life,” David added, giving the example of turning on the thermostat and the house actually reaching the correct temperature.

“This is the first house we’ve ever owned,” he said. “I get to build my own house – it’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Both Juliene and David noted that they are also excited to be involved in the volunteer aspect. They think volunteer work is important and they’re excited to meet new people.

“This is really a sweet system Habitat has put together,” David said. “You build your house and help others build their houses. Plus, they have other volunteer organizations helping out. It really is a wonderful system.”

The couple said they understand the hard work they will have to put into building their own house and the required volunteer labor they will give to support other habitat homeowners.

They are both looking forward to taking pride in something they own.

Care-a-vanners have helped us build all summer. Below: The crew works on a house in Buffalo!

Photo Update of the Longoria's House!!!

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT TO HABITAT'S VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION EVENT AT THE 3RD THURSDAY STREET FESTIVAL ON JULY 15TH!

Habitat Executive Director Jessica Lindsley thanks the community at Habitat's Volunteer Appreciation Event at the 3rd Thursday Street Festival

Homeowner, Kat Deeds gives a "Thank You" message to the community at the 3rd Thursday Street Festival

Meet Four of our Summer Associates!!!

Below you can learn about our four construction-site summer interns. They work on site from 8am - 4pm Tuesday through Saturday, and have already contributed greatly to Habitat's successful summer season.

Jessica Myers

Jessica Myers migrated all the way from Missouri to work on the construction site. She is a sophomore in engineering and said she applied for the program in Sheridan after completing similar volunteer work in New Orleans.

Her responsibilities include communicating between the traveling volunteers and the Habitat construction staff, organizing a volunteer day, and working directly on the build!

“It’s a blast!” she said of her work at Habitat. “The habitat environment is relaxed and fun. Everyone is happy about what they are doing. Everyone is excited to be here.”

Geoff Scott

Geoff Scott is a local associate from Dayton. He said he applied for the program because he has volunteered through Habitat before and always enjoyed his experience.

"I believe it gives people a hand up instead of a hand out," he said of Habitat. "You get to work alongside the homeowners, and they earn it."

Geoff added that there are also challenges that arise because the construction team relies on volunteers.

"It's volunteer labor, so you have to go back and fix things later," he said. "But you're continually learning new things and putting them to use."

Dave Komoroski

Dave Komoroski traveled to Sheridan from Pennsylvania where he is a junior at UPitt Johnstown. He said he’d been looking into AmeriCorps for awhile and this program allowed him to learn important skills he could use in the future.

"I've learned a ton," he said, "and really enjoyed my experience here so far."

He said he is especially impressed with the community of Sheridan for putting so much money back into programs such as Habitat.

And as for the hard work he's been doing on the construction site, he said, "Sometimes you get these days when it’s tough work and you can’t stand it, and those days when it just flies by and you don't want to stop!"