The ReStore will be open for business on Tuesday July 26. We will not have the official Grand Opening until the 28th at 5:30 pm though. We invite you to come out on either or both of those dates to celebrate the Grand Opening with us. The band Fletcher Bright and the Dismembered Tennesseans will perform starting at 6pm.

We would like to say thank you to all of our volunteers and donors. A special thanks to Scott & Lisa Maclellan, The Strauss Co., Thomas Palmer, Electric Power Board, Tennessee Valley Authority, Electric Power Research Institute, and Green Spaces. We would have not been able to complete this project without your help.

If you would like to know more information about Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area and our ReStore visit our website. To RSVP to the Grand Opening or donate to ReStore contact Tina Shaw Cox. 

All of the appliances, furniture, tools, building supplies, etc are at the new ReStore. Now we just have to organize it all. We are working on putting all the merchandise in neat and organized shelves to help the shopping experience.

We also want to make the ReStore a pleasant experience for shoppers, donors, and volunteers. This new ReStore will be able to give that with all of the new features. I am excited to see everyone’s expressions on the Grand Opening.

We have really outdone ourselves with the new ReStore and I think you are going to love it. Just remember from now until July 26 the ReStore is closed so we can get everything together. I do invite you to come to our Grand Opening on the 28th at 5:30 pm.

If you would like to donate to the ReStore or have any questions contact Tina Shaw Cox (423-756-0507 ext 20) or visit our website. This update is a huge project and we want to thank all of our donors and volunteers. We still need help though, so please contact Tina to learn what you can do.

 Aisha’s ground breaking.

We also had a Fish Fry cooked for us by  Pat! We had a lot of great volunteers helping out as well. We had groups from New Blue Construction and Vision Hospitality Group giving up their time to help us out.

On Sunday, Father’s Day, we had our Lego Build Competition. We had a great turnout with about 76 teams competing and at least another 50 who just wanted to play. We had teams of all ages build the most creative thing they could think of.

We had some really cool ideas like space ships, boats, cars, houses and lots more. After everyone was done we had to sit down and pick the winner. Luck contestant # 45,  Jacob Slatton, won our grand prize of a giant set of Legos.

 This is Jacob’s tree house that he built with his father.

We had a lot of fun at this event, and we hope to do it again. Habitat was able to raise over $600 to put towards our general fund that helps our families.

If you want to be a part of more of our events or volunteer visit our website or contact Dawn Hjelseth

I went to the job site Friday June 3, 2011 to meet Maria. She is originally from Oklahoma, but she decided to go to Notre Dame for their engineering program. The University Of Notre Dame requires their students to do an 8 week job experience program. Maria chose HFHGC because she wanted to do something that was close to her major. “I wanted to make sure to integrate service with learning,” said Maria. “I have always liked Habitat and I always wanted to get involved.”

Maria has been working on our job sites to see everything that goes into building a Habitat house. She even gets down and paints the baseboards. She will also being attending board meetings, helping out with events, and working with families in order to get a well-rounded experience. Maria will be able to have some experience in every part of a nonprofit and the building world.

“I am excited about getting to meet new people, learning about construction, and learning why people are here,” said Maria. When I met with her on the 4^th said had only been with Habitat for 4 days, but she said she is already enjoying herself. “Everyone I have met has been great. I am really excited.”

If you would like to help volunteer building a house please contact Dawn Hjelseth at dstoike@habichatt.org. Also visit our website to find more information about Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area. our projects, and how to donate.

Also learn about Connie O’Neal, Director of Family Services.

They have also installed the new lights and working on putting the bulbs in. You can see already how much it has improved from the old ReStore. Check out our other updates to see how much work as been down already. May 6,May 20, and May 27.

The new ReStore should be open in July and we are so exited. If you are interested in supporting the Restore Fund campaign contact Tina Shaw Cox at (423)756-0507 ex.20 or at tshaw@habichatt.org. Help us Restore the ReStore! And help make the Chattanooga ReStore the first LEED certified ReStore in the country!

The National Direct Member will contribute to the overall goal of increasing home production at HFHGC by assisting in the development of crew leaders. In turn, the trained crew leaders will replace the member as the volunteer trainer after his/her term of service creating a sustainable method to utilize more volunteers on the construction site.

Primary Responsibilities and Duties -

• to assist the construction manager on the construction site in daily activities related to creating a productive and efficient volunteer experience
• engage volunteers in the tasks to be performed
• assist in the recruitment and retention of construction crew leaders
• participate in any meetings  considered relevant to the work of the member along with trainings or other courses deemed necessary

Qualifications:

To be successful in executing the responsibilities assigned in this job, a person must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. This person must be self-motivated and able to make quality, ethical decisions independent of supervision when necessary.

• Basic construction knowledge and skills are preferred
• Must be comfortable and able to work at or above 8 feet and on ladders
• Must be able to lift 50+ pounds
• Must have a valid driver’s license
• Must meet qualifications for AmeriCorps National Direct Program including traveling to national events
• Must be able to work Tuesday – Saturday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Education and Experience

High School Diploma or GED is minimum education requirement.

For more information on the position please visit http://www.habitat.org/cd/hr/cncsJobsDetail.aspx?pid=40956.

Also, for more information on Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area visit our website.  Don’t know what AmeriCorps is, visit our blog post on it.

Please submit cover letter and resume to Dawn Hjelseth by email at dstoike@habichatt.org or by fax to (423) 756-0509 no later than FRIDAY JUNE 24!!!

If  you would like to help volunteer building a house please contact Dawn Hjelseth at dstoike@habichatt.org. Also visit our website http://www.habichatt.org to find more information about Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area. our projects, and how to donate.

Your car donation will support Habitat for Humanity’s local and global mission of eliminating poverty housing and homelessness and save you the time and energy of finding a buyer.  By donating a car to our vehicle donation program, you can help Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga build houses in partnership with families in need of a hand up, not a hand out.

It is quick and easy to donate cars, trucks, boats, RVs, motorcycles, construction equipment and other vehicles ~ running or not!  Plus, you may be eligible for a tax deduction.  (Consult your tax advisor or the IRS for details.)

To donate a car, truck, boat or RV to Cars for Homes™ – Habitat’s official car donation program, call (877) 277-4344 toll free or visit www.carsforhomes.org and let us take care of the rest.  It’s a convenient way to support Habitat for Humanity of  Greater Chattanooga and create more space in your driveway!

David Stoner of A-1 Salvage recieves his gift card from Tina Shaw Cox - ReStore Director

A-1 Surplus is the winner of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga ReStore’s 3rd Annual Spring Donation Drive sponsored by the Hixson Lowe’s.  David Stoner, owner of A-1 Surplus, donated over 17 pallets worth of brand new ceramic tile to the ReStore.

“Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga ReStore is thrilled to begin working with A-1 Surplus.  It’s folks like David and others who allow us to serve the community on a daily basis.  We look forward to working with them for upcoming projects” says Tina Shaw-Cox, ReStore Director with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga. “During the drive we took in 7 full truck loads of assorted new and recycled building materials and home supplies.  Thanks to community generosity, the ReStore is stocked full of new and useful products.”

“We have been very fortunate to have a start up business in this economy and to have had such a good customer clientele.  It is a real pleasure to work with a great organization like Habitat for Humanity” says A-1 Surplus owner David Stoner.

The Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga ReStores takes in new and recycled building materials and home goods and sells them to the public at 50-75% off retail costs.  In most cases, these building materials and home goods would be  discarded.  The ReStore provides a resource for individuals, remodelers, contractors, and local companies to donate their items at no cost and receive a tax-deductible donation receipt as well.  Revenue from the ReStore’s sales helps Habitat meet operational costs and supports the construction of homes for low-income families.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga’s ReStore is located at 1201 East Main Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408.  Their hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 9 am- 4pm.  The store can be reached at (423)-634-1004.

McCallie Guitar Ensemble provided dinner music.

Guests enjoyed music by the McCallie Guitar Ensemble and a dinner catered by Sodexho Dining Services.  Long-time volunteer Diane Barnes, who along with her husband Don was honored last year with a life-time achievement award from Habitat for Humanity International set the tone for the evening by sharing her passion for investing in people’s lives through homebuilding.

A scroll representing how many homes Don and Diane Barnes have helped build was unrolled as their service was recognized.

An auction then followed with board members, homeowners and staff sharing different facets of Habitat’s work and its impact.  Erika Pope whose home is currently under construction brought home the emotion of longing for homeownership, when she talked of her son’s life-long dream of having his own room and a family dog.  His dream will soon come true thanks to her Habitat home which is currently under construction.

Habitat homewner (right) Erika Pope, her son and other guests enjoyed dinner catered by Sodexho Dining Services.

As each auction level was reached, details were added to a digital representation of a house on a screen, thanks to graphics generously created by Artech.  DV Communications support through audio and visual equipment greatly enhanced the evening.

“Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Wilkinson Group, all our event expenses were covered, so that 100% of the funds raised at the dinner, go to support Habitat’s work,” said Sumner McCallie, president of Habitat’s board.  “We are so grateful to everyone who came out to support Habitat’s work in this community.  Thanks to them Habitat will be able to change the lives of more families and ultimately our community.”

Diane Barnes spoke eloquently regarding the importance of building relationships when partnering with families in need of homes.

The lead sponsor for the event was the Wilkinson Companies – Pinnacle Condominiums.  Other sponsors included:  A& A Outdoor Maintenance, ABC Supply, Charlie Belcher, Dave and Erin Labelle Photography, DV Communications, Hayward Bolt and Supply, Ramsey Dethero, Sumner McCallie, and Thompson Rogers and Williams, PLLC.   Twenty five other individuals, organizations and businesses hosted tables.