BLITZ BUILD 2013

SEVEN DAYS

SEVEN DAYS

BLITZ

TWO HOMES

TWO HOMES

!

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION

Celebrating Habitat’s mission of building affordable homes for struggling families!

FEBRUARY 8th –10th and 13th – 16th, 2013habitat’s Stevens Creek Subdivision 1884 N. BEttY lANE, ClEARwAtER

EvEry yEar wE hold a building

bliTZ To ConSTruCT

two hoMes in juST

seven days!

WhAT Is A BLITz?

SEVEN DAYS

SEVEN DAYS

BLITZ

TWO HOMES

TWO HOMES

!

welcome to the habitat for humanity of Pinellas County

Blitz BUild 2013!

READY, sET, GO!!!

This year’s theme, “a race to the Finish,” is very fitting since every task at every minute of each of our seven blitz volunteer days is a race against time. From raising the roof on day one,

to laying the sod on day seven, our blitz volunteers are challenging themselves to have both homes completed in time for their

dedications on Sunday, February 17th.

and on that day, when our blitz checkered flags are waved, we will all be winners for having helped two families build their new homes!

iT TakES almoST500 volunteers

and iS aMeMorable ExpEriEnCE.

Join 100 volunteers each day and help us transform two concrete slabs into two homes. we start Friday, February 8th and will conclude with the home dedications on Sunday, February 17th.

No experience is necessary! Each day you can choose to volunteer during a morning or an afternoon shift. as in past years, one of the homes will serve as our “women’s leadership house.”

wE STarT EaCh morning wiTh CoFFEE and bagElS or paSTry

Breakfast, Lunch and a T-shirthabitat will provide lunches and snacks for each volunteer. Each blitz day will start with coffee and bagels – a good way to get the day going while you sign in and get your “race to the Finish” T-Shirt.

at noon, the morning shift will end and the afternoon shift will begin with a lunch. break time snacks and beverages will be provided throughout the day. all you need to bring is your great volunteer enthusiasm!

volunteertoday!

for one of habitat’s most exciting build events!

two homes are built in seven days!

what happens when 500 people show up?

2 homes are built in just 7 days!

SEVEN DAYS

SEVEN DAYS

BLITZ

TWO HOMES

TWO HOMES

!

PAY TO PLAYwhy “pay to play?” as a non-profit organization, we are asking for a small donation for each shift an individual works on one of the two blitz build houses. in addition to offsetting costs associated with our blitz build event such as t-shirts, food, beverages, seating and tent rental, your donation helps habitat to continue helping families in our pinellas County community.

GENERAL INFO AND

sIGN UP• Wewillruntwoshiftseach

day: 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. (both include lunch).

• Theparticipationfeeis$25per shift. no charge for active military personnel.

• Volunteersmustbeatleast16 years old. volunteers must be at least 18 years old before they may climb ladders or use power tools.

• report to the job site, even if the weather seem questionable.

• Wearshoesthatwillprotect your feet (shoes with closed toes and closed heels), and wear clothing that is comfortable and you can get dirty. Clothing should not be ragged, fringed, or in a condition that could get caught in tools or machinery.

• we provide all the needed tools.

To sign up on-line:

1. go to our website: www.habitatPinellas.org

2. Click on “volunteer”

3. Click on “volunteer Signup Calendar” and select a shift

Pay onlIne! at www.habitatPinellas.org

two homes are built in seven days!

REGiStER ONliNE tO VOlUNtEER tOdAY!SEVEN DAYS

SEVEN DAYS

BLITZ

TWO HOMES

TWO HOMES

!

To sign up, select a shift from our volunteer Sign-up Calendar on our web site at www.habitatpinellas.org. you can also pay your participation fee on-line. if you want to register a group, please contact:

Kevin Klucas, Volunteer Coordinator at 727.536.4755, ext. 208, or volunteer@habitatPinellas.org

LET’s BUILD!

For more information on event or volunteer sponsorships, please contact: Steve lightburn, V.P. development, 727.536.4755, ext. 203,

or development@habitatPinellas.org

major sponsors for blitz build 2013 homes are Publix Super Market Charities and habitat’s hammers & heartstrings Gala. This will be the seventh home that publix has sponsored. it is the 10th home funded by proceeds from our annual gala.

EVENt SPONSORS. Food, beverage, tent, t-shirt and chance prize sponsors are needed. CORPORAtE GROUPS. we also encourage our business community to consider sponsoring employee teams to participate in blitz build 2013.

sPONsOR OThERs TO

VOLUNTEERdoes your heart belong to habitat pinellas, but you’re not physically able to volunteer, or prefer to be a booster and cheer for your favorite team from the sidelines? you can still participate!

SChOlARShiPS. you can sponsor a scholarship for an individual who wishes to volunteer, but cannot afford the minimum fee. or, you can sponsor a group or team. Go Team!

whether you’re a volunteer or a volunteer sponsor for the blitz build, it is a wonderfully fulfilling experience. not only do you support a magnificent cause, but volunteers learn valuable skills that can be transferred to working on their own homes. and team building and camaraderie results.

Share your enthusiasm for the habitat pinellas mission by sharing your resources. give what you can from your heart. we promise to apply your contribution in the most responsible way.

CORPORATE sPONsORshIPs

SPONSOR SUPPORt FOR BlitzSEVEN DAYS

SEVEN DAYS

BLITZ

TWO HOMES

TWO HOMES

!

Several Publix staff members attended the dedication of the Okuboye family home, sponsored by Publix Supermarket Charities, during the Blitz Build 2012 home dedications.

thE CARRiGER FAMilY

thE McCOMiSh FAMilY

Saying that Tammie Carriger lives in cramped quarters is an understatement. She and her four-year-old daughter

live with her brother and sister-in-law, sharing a single bedroom.

The small bedroom is quite crowded since it also serves as a storage area for Tammie’s belongings and her learning disabled daughter’s educational equipment and toys.

Tammie has long dreamed of a place of her own, a place where her daughter can grow and thrive. a place that is safe and has a yard to run, and jump and play. a place for Tammie herself to grow and become “her own woman” and provide a good nurturing environment for her daughter.

The shared rent situation has been all she can afford with her modest paycheck, and she is grateful to her brother

for permitting her to stay with him until a more stable opportunity came along. That opportuntity was habitat for humanity. her dreams came true when she was accepted into the habitat program. She envisions her family life in her own home will be “peaceful, blissful and happy.” and gloriously spacious!

whO wE ARE BUildiNG FOR...SEVEN DAYS

SEVEN DAYS

BLITZ

TWO HOMES

TWO HOMES

!

melissa mcComish has been overcoming obstacles and helping her family do the same for years. when

she became a mother at 21, she discovered that her daughter, amber, was born deaf. She buckled down and worked hard to make sure amber could attend speech therapy sessions, that they both took sign language courses to help them communicate with one another, and that amber could attend a school for children with hearing disabilities.

when she had her second child, dakota, at age 39, she was equally determined. melissa is no slacker. being a single mother doesn’t afford her that luxury. “it’s not always easy, but mykidskeepmeyoung,evenat45,”shesaid.Butthistimearound,Melissawantedtobeabletoprovidesomethingbetter.She wanted to do what she could to provide dakota with a stable home and a yard to play in.

Finding out her habitat application was approved was a joyous moment and going through the habitat program a learning experience. “it’s so refreshing to see strangers come together to get a job done. The work is not easy, but it’s so rewarding. From day to day you do different things. one day, i even learned how to install baseboards. how cool is that?” She’s enjoyed working on other people’s homes, and it excited about building her home from the ground up.

“my life and future will never be the same thanks to habitat. i will always have a safe place for my family to call home. To me, that ispriceless.KnowingitismyhomegivesmeasenseofsecurityandIfinallyhavesomecontrolovermydestiny,”shesaid.

Sponsored by:

Sponsored by:

prEparE To bE SurpriSEd

Myths and FaCts

Myth: habitat pinellas gives houses away.Fact: habitat pinellas offers 0% interest homeownership

opportunities to families who are unable to obtain conventionalhousefinancing.

generally, this includes those whose income is between 30 and 80 percent of the area’s median income. prospective habitat pinellas homeowner familiescontribute$500towardtheclosingcosts.Additionally,theycontribute250–350hoursof“sweatequity” on the construction of their home or someone else’s home. because habitat homes are built using donations of land, material and labor, mortgage payments are kept affordable.

Myth: habitat houses reduce a neighborhood’s property values.

Fact: housing studies show affordable housing has no adverse effect on neighborhood property values. in fact, habitat homes have proven to increase property values and local government tax income. The price of a habitat home, while usually under market value, is not considered a “comparable” for a neighborhood or to be used on an appraisal of nearby homes.

Myth: habitat homeowners are on welfare.Fact: Qualifiedfamiliesareworkingpeoplestruggling

to house their families, provide proper nutrition, purchase health care, and assure their children are educated. while some do receive public assistance, most often in the form of disability, most homeowners work. habitat works in good faith with people who are often at risk in society, knowing that owning a home is often the firststeptowardhelpingpeoplebreak out of the cycle of poverty.

Myth: you have to be Christian to become a habitat homeowner.

Fact: habitat homeowners are chosen without regard to race, religion or ethnic group, in keeping with u.S. law and with habitat’s abiding belief that god’s love extends to everyone. habitat also welcomes volunteers from all faiths, or no faith, who actively embrace habitat’s goal of eliminating poverty housing from the world.

Myth: habitat for humanity was founded by former u.S. president jimmy Carter.

Fact: habitat was started in 1976 in

americus, georgia, by the late millard Fuller and his wife, linda.

president Carter and his wife rosalynn (whose home is eight miles from americus, in plains, ga.), have been longtime habitat supporters and volunteers who help bring national attention to the organization’s housebuilding work. Each year, they lead the jimmy Carter work project to help build houses and raise awareness of the need for affordable housing.

Myth: habitat homeowners can sell their houses and make alargeprofitbecauseoftheoriginallowcost.

Fact: AHabitathomeownercannotprofitunfairlyfrom their home. habitat for humanity of pinellas County hastherightoffirstrefusalifthehomeownerneedsto move during the period time that they are paying the mortgage. we repurchase the home at an agreed- upon formula that is written into their mortgage when they purchase the home. we also write a silent second

mortgage for the difference between the mortgage and the value of the home, plus 25%.Thissecondmortgageisforgivenover the life of the mortgage, and protects our donor/volunteer investments by reinforcingourrightoffirstrefusal.Italsoprevents predatory lenders from getting a Habitathomeownertorefinancetheir0%interest mortgage.

Myth: habitat for humanity international givesfundstolocalaffiliateHabitats.Fact: LocalHabitataffiliatesdo not receive any funds from habitat international. in fact, it’s the other way around. we submit a portion of the funds we raise to help build houses overseas. Source: adapted from habitat for humanity international

habiTaT For humaniTy oF pinEllaS CounTy1335549thStreetNorth,Clearwater,FL33762•www.habitatPinellas.org•727.536.4755,ext.208

2013 Blitz lOCAtiON:Stevens Creek Subdivision

1884 N. Betty laneClearwater, Florida

STEvEn’S CrEEkSteven’s Creek is a housing community in

Clearwater, Fl, that habitat pinellas is developing. These three, four and five bedroom homes are

beautiful and efficient Energy Star homes.

BLITZBUILD 2 0 1 3BLITZ

We thank our volunteers and sponsors

for their time, talent and generosity!

hoMe sPonsors:

MedIa sPonsor:

FEBRUARY 8th –10th and 13th – 16th