From the Executive Director - Seneca Habitat for Humanity

Seneca Habitat for
Humanity
Board of Directors
Dick Wyka—
President
Tammy Sessions—
1st Vice-President
Bernard Hohman—
2nd Vice-President
Larry Clausing—
Treasurer
Hank Frey—
Assistant Treasurer
Bonnie Boroff—
Recording Secretary
Faye Lyon—
Corresponding Secretary
Dan Galaba
Robert Overholt
Carol Hammer
David Kimmel
Extreme Build 2013
At the
end of
the first
Extreme
Build in
July of
2012,
Rich Zeis
asked our director, Joe
Swora, if he wanted to do it
again. Joe replied,
“Absolutely.”
With that, the first
groundwork had been laid
for the 2013 Extreme Build,
which occurred on Saturday,
November 8 from sunrise to
sundown. The goal—to
complete the exterior of the
home (without siding) in
approximately 12 hours.
Once again, the
Seneca County
Home Builders’
Association, along
with Seneca
Habitat’s Senior
Builders, volunteers
from Tiffin
University,
Heidelberg
University,
Sentinel
Career and
Technology
Center, and
many more answered the
call to work on the home
that will be at 258 Third
Avenue. And while the
project fell slightly short of
goal, getting the amount of
work done on the home
positioned Seneca Habitat’s
builders and volunteers to
continue doing interior work
on the unit through the
winter.
Just as it was
with the first
Extreme
Build, the day
was filled with
hard work
from builders,
volunteers,
and partner
families, all contributing
towards a great cause—
helping provide a new partner
family with a safe, decent,
and affordable home.
Georgia Reed
Lynne Cartwright
New Homes, New Partner Families
Charlene Watkins
Richard Zeis
Emily Kizer
Ruth Metcalf
Teresa Miller
Ronald Ruffing
Seneca
Habitat has
had a busy
year, and
we’re
pleased to
say that it’s
been a good
one. First
off, 252 Third Avenue was
closed on for ownership by
Challie Briihl and her family
in August of 2013. This
amazing threebedroom home yet
again shows the
hard work that our
builders and
volunteers put into
each project.
Next, we welcomed two
new partner families. Tina
and Robert Newman and
their children will be the
owners of 258 Third
Avenue, the focus of this
year’s Extreme Build,
and we anticipate
their home will be
done sometime in
the summer of 2014.
We also welcomed
Kisha Reuter, Steven Kopp, and
their children into the Habitat
family. We anticipate starting
construction on their Third
Avenue home sometime in the
summer of 2014, and we look
forward to working with them!
Page 2
From the Executive Director
This might be a longer-than-usual blurb from me than you’re accustomed to reading in our end-of-the-year newsletter,
but as 2013 winds down and we begin looking forward to next year, I’d like to spend what I think is the appropriate
amount of time (or space) to recollect and recognize some of what’s happened this year, especially over the past few
months. And as I sit here writing this in early December, my memory is going back almost a year and a half to the summer of 2012.
Specifically, I’m thinking of the end of the day at our 2012 Extreme Build, which was held in July of that year. The long
and short of it—together with the Seneca County Home Builders’ Association, we were able to get the exterior of 252
Third Avenue completed in 12 hours. It was a ridiculously amazing event to watch unfold and be part of, and even now, I’m still in awe of
it. Anyway, at the end of that day, as those who were still there were sitting and relaxing, I was walking by Rich Zeis, one of my board
members and the man who had the idea of an Extreme Build to begin with. After chatting for about a minute and taking stock of everything that happened, he asked, with a slight grin, “Want to do it again next year?”
I looked back at him, grinned as well, and said, “Hell yes, I do.”
That event and that exchange have stuck in my mind so strongly because it represents EXACTLY the type of support, dedication, hard
work, willingness, and care that Seneca Habitat is privileged to enjoy from Tiffin and the surrounding community. That’s the main reason
that we’ve been able to serve for as long as we have been—now, as we approach our 28th year of operation, it constantly amazes and
humbles me to see this trend continuing.
Community support for Seneca Habitat was going especially gangbusters in the last month or so. Not only did we have our 2013 Extreme
Build on November 9th for the home that will be at 258 Third Avenue, we were also one of the recipients of the proceeds of the Holiday
Cooking Show on November 13th. I can’t begin to tell you how great it was to see such outpourings of support for us, from those who
braved the wind and November weather at the Extreme Build to those who supported a great cause on the 13th. It was touching, inspiring, and more, and from the bottom of my heart, representing the partner families, Board of Directors, and volunteers of Seneca Habitat,
we thank you all.
Still with me so far? I’d like to offer some very specific and heartfelt thanks here. Seneca Habitat is a volunteer-driven agency—quite
frankly, without our volunteers (whose duties and tasks are numerous), as well as our contributors, we wouldn’t survive, and I’d like them
to be recognized as best I can. Do me a favor, if you’re still reading this—if you know someone that helps Seneca Habitat, thank them for
what they do.
First, we’d like to thank Jim Wilson Realty, Select Realty, Coldwell Banker Tri-Pro Realty, Real Living Generations, and The AdvertiserTribune for selecting us as a recipient of some of the proceeds from the Holiday Cooking Show, as well as everyone who came out to it! It
was a great evening and a fun event to watch and be part of.
Next, I’d like to thank Rich Zeis, Tom Daniel, and the rest of the contractors and builders who are part of the Seneca County Home Builders’ Association for doing the Extreme Build with us again. There are no words that can describe how amazing that event is—and I hope
we have the chance to do it again.
Building on that (pun intended), I’d also like to thank Heidelberg University and Tiffin University for everyone who came out to help on the
Extreme Build and to support your institutions. Kudos and gratitude also go out to Tom Renninger and the Sentinel students who were
there as well! (For those that don’t know, Tom and his students in the electrical program also do the wiring on our homes for us, and
their work is amazing). Chief Stevens from the Tiffin Police Department was there as well, and we’re happy to have him as a volunteer.
Special thanks also go to Georgia Reed and the Seneca County Opportunity Center for their donation of the tables and chairs, as well as to
Java House, Bailiwick’s Coffee Company, and the Tiffin Bake Shop for the coffee and treats that helped get us through the morning. I’d
also like to recognize Ms. Ruth Metcalf, and the volunteers she recruited, for the delicious food that was provided for lunch and dinner—
and to Skills USA, who also provided an awesome spaghetti dinner as well. A special shout-out to everyone who was there at the Extreme
Build, too—please know that your work will make a difference in our families’ lives.
I also want to thank my Board of Directors, without whom this agency would truly be lost. Dick Wyka, Tammy Sessions, Bernie Hohman,
Bonnie Boroff, Hank Frey, Faye Lyon, Larry Clausing, Dan Galaba, Robert Overholt, Carol Hammer, David Kimmel, Georgia Reed, Lynne
Cartwright, Charlene Watkins, Rich Zeis, Emily Kizer, Ruth Metcalf, Teresa Miller, and Ron Ruffing—thank you all for everything that you
do, and for making my job more fulfilling. WE’LL SEE YOU IN 2014!
The Hammer and Nail Review
Our
builders
and
volunteers
have been
busy as we
continue
working on
our Third Avenue development project.
It’s hard to believe that we’re now
entering our fifth year of working out
there, but we’ve been doing great in
designing and building homes with our
partner families who live there.
246 Third Avenue was completed and
closed on by its partner family in
December of 2011. 252 Third Avenue,
which was the focus of our first Extreme
Build in 2012, was completed and closed
on by its partner family in August of
2013. Both of these homes are
beautiful three-bedroom
units, and reflect the
unique personalization and
hard work that the families
did with our builders.
Our current project is
taking place at 258 Third
Avenue, which saw its
foundation dug and
poured in the early fall of 2013.
Reflecting the commitment and
partnership that we have developed
with the Seneca County Home Builders’
Association, this home was the target of
the 2013 Extreme Build on November 8.
The majority of the exterior was
completed in one day, and several crews
of volunteers continued to show up in
the subsequent weeks to help our
builders finish getting
the home under roof for
winter work on the
interior. We anticipate
that this four-bedroom
unit will be completed in
the summer of 2014.
We will also plan
another new home build on Third
Avenue, the eighth house in our project
there, to begin sometime this coming
summer. As always, if you’d like to help
us build, please don’t hesitate to call the
office, and we look forward to seeing
you there.
Seneca Habitat’s Hard Work Pays Off—
Pictures of this Past Year
Thank you to our donors in 2013!
Business and Club ContributionHabitat for Humanity International
Kroger’s
Ballreich Brothers, Inc.
HWE Co-Op: Operation Roundup
United Way of Sandusky County
United Way of Central Ohio
Tiffin-Seneca United Way
Select Realty Group
Clouse Construction Company
The Republic Banking Company
Dr. Richard Fletcher, DDS
The Old Fort Banking Company
Custom Machines, Inc.
American Legion Aux. Post 404
Heidelberg University
Sutton Bank
Tiell Financial Group
The Tiffin Rotary Foundation
Kiwanis Club of Tiffin
The Advertiser-Tribune
Alpha Phi Tau
Edward Jones Investments
Church Contributions
NWOA United Church of Christ
Zion United Church of Christ
First Presbyterian Church—
Lydia Circle
Trinity United Church of Christ,
Tiffin
Bascom United Methodist Church
First Christian Church Women’s
Fellowship
Bascom United Methodist Church,
Women of the Church
Trinity United Church of Christ,
McCutchenville
Christ’s Church at Tiffin
Memorials—Alton Raudebaugh
Arthur and Joyce Geyh
Individual Contributions
Allan and Loretta Kaplan
Gerald Burkholder
Marie Setzler
Dan and Holly Kimmet
Fred and Louise Zoeller
Gary Link
D.R. and P.E. Smith
Donald Loving
Blanche Hurley
Leon and Phyllis Putnam
Janet Rennels
Ann Harry
Larry and Judy Clausing
Tom Chambers
Jeanette Overmeyer
Steven and Kimberly Dandurand
Matthew and Arlene Swora
Tom and Paula Bartlett
Sue Hesson
Marietta and Ken Estep
Loretta Miller
Dave and Peg Baker
Ray Weininger
Leroy and Elaine Bockbrader
Memorials—Bob Avers
Jim and Dianne Dannemiller
Tom and Mary Ann Wolfe
Marilyn Homeister
Patricia Watkins
Dalton and Margaret Pope
Carol and Henry Frey, Jr.
Dave and Ann Haney
Mary and Dave Watson
Memorials—Richard Curns
Tom and Deb Kahler
Memorials—Maxine Leeds
Betty Pifer, et al
Memorials—Bo Risner
Jerry and Sue Donaldson
Memorials—Earl Warnick
Mary L. Stone
Memorials— Deacon Dan Scherger
William and Betty Obringer
Memorials—Carl and Rosemary
Clouse
Clouse Construction Company
Honorarium—Lenny Clouse
John and June Bollinger
Honorarium—Glenn Ritzenthaler
Chloe S. Fertig Trust Fund
Arthur and Joyce Geyh
Honorarium—Jim Ruess
Faye Lyon
Honorarium—Tyler Wise
The Tiffin Rotary Foundation
Honorarium—Hank Frey
Mark and Marguerite Frey
Honorarium—Wilma Farmer and Jeanie Perl
Daniel Busch
Honorarium—Carol Hammer
The Old Fort Banking Company
Zion United Church of Christ Choir
Honorarium—Tom and Denise
Daniels’ 40th Anniversary
Deborah Tiell
Memorials—Cliff, Bruce, and Chris
Farmer
Stephen D’alisio
Gifts In-Kind
The Whirlpool Corporation
Seneca County Home Builders’
Association
NWOA United Church of Christ
Building Hopes and Homes Since 1986
Bulk Rate
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Tiffin, Ohio 44883
Permit No. 118
65 Grace Street
Tiffin, OH 44883
(419) 447- 4270
senecahfh@yahoo.com
senecahabitat.org
Habitat for Humanity works
in partnership with God and
people everywhere, from all
walks of life, to develop
communities with God’s
people in need by building
and renovating houses so
that there are decent
houses in decent
communities in which
people can live and grow
into all that God intended.
Special Recognition and Thanks
Seneca County Home Builders’ Association
Zeis Development, Ltd.
The Gordon Lumber Company
Tilson Roofing
Sentinel Career and Technology Center—
Building Trades
Seneca County Opportunity Center
Java House
Bailiwick’s Coffee Company
Heidelberg University
Tiffin University
Logan Burd and Clayton Burke
The Old Fort Banking Company
Anyone and everyone who has helped us in our
mission to build safe, decent, and affordable
homes with our partner families!