Pikes Peak Habitat Monthly e-News
July 2024
Interfaith Initiative Honored with International Award
Many of you helped Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity celebrate U.N. World Interfaith Harmony Week in February -- attending our interfaith dialogue event, participating in our seven-day challenge, or both! Thanks to these efforts, we've received second place in the H.M. King Abdullah II U.N. World Interfaith Harmony Week prize competition.
On July 16, Faith in Action Program Manager Chloe Henry, CEO Kris Lewis, and Board President Eric Stolp will attend the award ceremony at the Jordanian Embassy in Washington, D.C. They will be awarded a silver medal and $3,000 to support our interfaith programs. They and staff from Habitat for Humanity International also will meet with government officials to promote affordable homeownership and interfaith work.
Help Us Celebrate with Three Families on July 13
On Saturday, July 13, Pikes Peak Habitat invites you to join us as we celebrate with three families at The Ridge at Sand Creek, 5303 Beauport Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80915! (Please note that these events were originally scheduled for June 22.)
At 9 a.m., we'll hold a ground blessing for Tonya and her family. Three generations -- Tonya, her four children, and her grandson -- will live in the five-bedroom home.
Next, at 9:30 a.m., we'll hold the home dedication for Janice and her teenage daughter, Matty. Both are artists, and they look forward to the stability of having a safe home -- with working appliances! -- where they can create.
Finally, at 10:30 a.m., we'll dedicate the Maverik Build home for Ida, Alex, their daughter Sofia, and Ida's aunt Lucia, who lives with the family. Originally from Puerto Rico, they lost their home to Hurricane Maria in 2017, and they moved to Colorado Springs -- where Ida's brother was stationed in the military -- to start fresh.
In 2023, Maverik – Adventure’s First Stop acquired Kum & Go and together, the two brands fuel customers’ adventures in over 800 locations across 20 states from the Midwest to the West Coast. Maverik is currently expanding its exciting rebrand of Kum & Go stores throughout Colorado and is proud to support Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity and the many families it partners with in El Paso County.
For the past decade, Kum & Go has supported Habitat for Humanity through national fundraising campaigns and donations to specific affiliates throughout the United States. This fiscal year, Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity is the recipient of a $100,000 grant that has helped build an affordable home in The Ridge at Sand Creek neighborhood in Colorado Springs.
Spots Still Available on Disaster Relief Trip to Oregon!
This fall Thrivent is partnering with Pikes Peak Habitat for our very first worldwide disaster recovery trip, where we will get the opportunity to serve a community affected by a devastating wildfire. The most destructive and expensive fire in Oregon’s history, the Almeda fire, scorched through Rogue Valley in September of 2020. The fire left behind a 13-mile-long burn scar, destroyed 2,600 homes and 200 businesses, and left 10,000 people displaced. Habitat for Humanity Rogue Valley has taken the lead in the county’s Long Term Recovery Group to rebuild their community and bring survivors home.
Join us from Oct. 6-12 to help with this work! Cost is US $610 for Thrivent clients with benefit membership, and US $1,060 for all other participants, including associate members of Thrivent. Your program donation includes your expenses while on the build. (Airfare is not included.)
Program donation and registration are due Aug. 22.
Join Our Team!
Do you want a rewarding career working in partnership with local workforce families? Do you yearn to know that what you do every day makes a tangible difference in El Paso County? Do you value environmentally responsible practices, from low-water landscaping to innovative recycling programs through our ReStores? Do you want to work with a team of kind, dedicated, passionate people who share those values?
If the answer is YES, then apply today! We're currently looking for people for these positions:
Read with Us!
This month, we're reading Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust, a certified repair technician and influencer who collaborated with Habitat for Humanity International to promote our Home Is the Key fundraising campaign. She also has expressed her appreciation as a trans person for the acceptance and support she has felt from Habitat.
Homeownership is at the core of Habitat's mission, but we also realize that for a variety of reasons, not everyone is able to purchase a home. Like other affiliates, Pikes Peak Habitat receives many more applications to our homeownership program than we can accept. Some applicants live with family or friends, but many rent their current homes. Our hope is that this book empowers and supports renters in knowing their rights, maintaining their spaces, and feeling secure in their homes!
Help Us Select Books
We're putting together an ad hoc committee to establish content guidelines and help select titles for our book club. Our hope is to include diverse perspectives and voices that represent El Paso County. If that sounds like you, and you love reading books and discussing ideas, please e-mail us to express your interest!
