A Note of Thanks
From 20 Sweeney Avenue

Jessica Figueroa and her children, Erica, Jordan and Jovani, are loving their new home at 20 Sweeney Avenue in Geneva. HFHOC’s newest homeowner prepared these words for the Dedication Ceremony held on January 25th as Board Members and volunteers gathered to rejoice in and dedicate the work that so many servants of the Lord had done.

"First, I’d like to thank Habitat for Humanity of Ontario County for selecting my family and giving us this opportunity to finally own our own home – a chance I may not have had without their help. It has been such a blessing and a wonderful experience in helping to build this beautiful home, along with the help of so many volunteers. To be here from start to finish – seeing that first wall going up, or putting up that first truss – til now – seeing the carpet down, the blinds on the windows and the curtains hung. Words cannot express how grateful I am for all of volunteers who came out and gave up their time with so much love and support to help build our home.

I never really knew there were so many caring people out there until became involved with Habitat. I want to especially thank Roger for putting up with all my questions and concerns, even though I probably asked him the same thing over and over. Also, Hugh, Bob and Bill for all of their long hours making everything just right. I want to thank Ed Ortis for his time spent installing all of the flooring. I want to thank Country Curtains for the beautiful window treatments, and Pat Schiller for all the picture taking. I also need to give a huge thank you to my daughter, Erica, for all her long hours of babysitting so I could be at the house. Without her help it would have been very hard for me to be so involved.

Thank you to all my friends and family who have supported me through this whole process. And Jill Mott, who called to get me an application and made me fill it out. And once again, I want to thank each and every volunteer who took the time out of their days to come and support my family, helping to build our home. This is an experience we will never forget and our love goes to each and every one of you who have been here with us – to build this house which now we can call home."

HFHOC's Geneva Blitz-build Week

By: Roger and Elaine Chapin
Blitz week can only be described as bordering on a logistical nightmare, as hundreds of volunteers, tons of supplies from a dozen sources, waste collection, food provision, devotional leaders and code requirements all have to be coordinated and utilized effectively.
But, the experiences, accomplishment and coordinating of volunteers of all types are all awesome to see. Relationships are formed and exercised. The homeowner family becomes a participant and partner in the building of their own home. Talents, time and materials are combined - given life - in the spirit of sharing God’s love with a family in need of a hand up. It’s a mini and extreme makeover, of sorts.

The Geneva '08 blitz began on Saturday, September 6th, with almost 40 volunteers signing in. As with every other of the 7 days, we began with a gathering, crew assignments, safety cautions and prayer. A morning break was taken to enjoy refreshments and a devotional time to emphasize our sources, motivation and relationship with God whose love we mean to share with other volunteers, the homeowners and guests. Various houses of worship in the Geneva area, including Faith Community, Our Lady of Peace Parish, The Presbyterian Church of Geneva, First Baptist, The Harbor, Living Hope Baptist Church
and Temple Beth-El partnered with us to provide devotional meditations, reminding us of our purposes and goals. Lunches were provided by churches and businesses, as well.

During this blitz many companies, from all around the county, sent groups of employees to help, some on company paid time. Notable were crews from Guardian Industries, EFP, Parker-Hannifin, Tops Markets, UNUM, APD, Keuka College, Eaton Aerospace and a consortium of siding contractors.

By the time we reached the last day of the blitz, Saturday, September 13th, we could stand back and look, somewhat amazed that the house had been erected, enclosed, roofed and sided in that short length of time with so many volunteers. Truly a work facilitated
by God.

Who knows how many or how much were blessed by this process? We only know that a family is closer to realizing a dream; Givers have been blessed by their donations, whatever the form; Habitat’s goal of eliminating substandard housing – worldwide – has been forwarded; God’s love has been shared and, thus, multiplied.

Our New Homeowner

By: Gail Burr
Habitat for Humanity of Ontario County is pleased to introduce our newest homeowner, Jessica Figueroa. Jessica is the mother of three children, Erica, age 15, Jordan, age 9 and Jovani, age 2 and a half. She has worked for Parker Hannifin in Lyons as a material handler for 16 years. Working full time and caring for three children leave little time for anything else, but Jessica is working very hard to meet all of the requirements being selected as a Habitat homeowner entails. She is also grateful to her close friend, Jill Mott, for being instrumental in getting her to apply for a home in Geneva in the first place. It was Jill who read about the plans that Habitat had for building homes in Geneva and made the initial call that got the application process started. Jessica is fortunate to have such a supportive group of family, friends, and co-workers who have volunteered many hours, especially during Blitz Week. Her employer even gave co-workers paid time off to volunteer during that time! Jessica greatly values the opportunity to own her own home and is very grateful to HFHOC and to all those who are helping to make her dream of owning her own home come true.

Blitz Week Dates Now Set

Adirondack Music Concert to Benefit Ontario County Habitat for Humanity’sGeneva ’08 Build

Habitat for Humanity of Ontario County is pleased to announce a concert of Adirondack Music with award winning musicians Dan Duggan & Peggy Lynn, on Thursday evening, May 8, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. in The Smith Opera House, Geneva. The concert will be feature a silent auction beginning at 6:30p.m., continuing through the intermission. Proceeds will be used by Habitat to help fund the building of a safe, decent, affordable house for a local family in need of a hand up toward home ownership. Habitat homes are built mostly by volunteers and with donations of money and materials. Qualified homeowners are required to put in 400 hours of “sweat equity” toward the construction and will pay the costs of building through a no-interest, no-profit mortgage with Habitat.

Dan Duggan is known nationally for his wizardry on Hammered Dulcimer and Flat Picking Guitar, and is the recipient of the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship. Dan has recorded five albums of original compositions, “First Frost”, “Last of May”, “Seasons of Change”, “Trillium Lane” and “Once in a Blue Moon” as well as three albums of traditional holiday music “Christmas Morn”, “Winters Eve”, and “All Through The Night. Dan’s CD, “The Pieces of Our Life” original songs written with children, received a 1998 Parents Choice Award. Dan’s dulcimer work can also be heard on Paul Simon’s Grammy nominated CD “You’re The One” released in October of 2000. Dan also recently released Shenandoah Falls, original and traditional instrumental tunes.

Peggy Lynn is recognized nationwide as a singer who puts her soul into her voice, and a songwriter with a heartfelt message.Her work has been featured at the famous Bluebird Café in Nashville, and in 1996 Peggy was selected “Adirondack Woman Of The Year”. She has released six recordings, Determination, Chameleon, Bio Songs, Earned These Lines , Close to the Sun and Cloudsplitter. Peggy recently co-authored a book about remarkable Adirondack women, titled “ Breaking Trail “, and has released a CD of songs she has written about these women titled “ Stand a Chance” . Together Dan and Peggy have recorded “A Stitch in Time” , Songs celebrating the art and heritage of quilting”, and “Keeping Christmas” traditional & original seasonal songs and tunes.

The duo are known nationwide for their masterful harmonies and soulful arrangements . This will be a concert you will long remember. Donation is $15.00 for all. Tickets are available through The Smith, online at www.thesmith.org, from Habitat committee and board members. Further information is available from the Geneva Steering Committee at 315-789-4398.

Download other photos and bios at www.esperanceproductions.com or www.quercusmusic.com

Habitat for Humanity of Ontario County
P.O. Box 778 Victor, NY 14564
Tel: 585-425-8960
Email: info@hfhoc.org