Pikes Peak Habitat Monthly e-News
September 2024
Registration Opens for Gingerbread Home Build
It's that time of year again! Registration for our 2024 Gingerbread Home Build is now open! This event raises funds to help build an affordable home for Willie and Barbara, our 6th Veterans Build family.
Willie is a U.S. Army veteran who was stationed at Fort Carson during his service and also is the son of a Korean War veteran. Barbara’s father served in Vietnam. Both also have siblings who are veterans – so they have deep military ties.
Between them, Willie and Barbara are the parents of eight children (four apiece!) and 29 grandchildren. They look forward to having enough space to host family when they move into their Pikes Peak Habitat home.
“We look at our blessings ahead, and nothing can stop us!” says Willie. “We have a goal, and we can see it.”
They're excited to decorate their own gingerbread home and also to see the many creative entries from other individuals, families, and organizations!
Fall Begins with Double Ground Blessing and Home Dedication
We're celebrating three families -- and the start of the fall season! -- on Saturday, Sept. 21, at The Ridge at Sand Creek, 5303 Beauport Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80915.
First, at 9:30 a.m., we'll hold a joint ground blessing for Glenda's family and Tamara's family, marking the start of construction on their future homes.
“I can have a garden, and I can plant flowers!” says Glenda. “My daughter will have a beautiful place to go outside and read, because that’s what she loves to do.” Their two-bedroom home is slated for completion in May 2025.
“We’ve been through so much," says Tamara, who is raising her son and a nephew. "I feel like we need a break – and this is a huge blessing.” Her family's three-bedroom home is scheduled to be dedicated in June 2025.
After the ground blessing, at 10:30 a.m., we'll celebrate the home dedication for Miranda's family, who will be living in a three-bedroom home.
"You want the best for [your kids] so badly,” Miranda says. “The biggest part of my heart is the happiest because they get what they deserve!”
All three of these homes are being built through the Fund for Humanity. Please join us on Sept. 21 to celebrate with these families!<
Pikes Peak Habitat CEO Honored with Award
Kris Lewis, Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity CEO, was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2024 Southern Colorado Impact Group Prism Awards in July!
This well-deserved honor recognizes Kris’ outstanding leadership of our affiliate and her support of affordable homeownership opportunities for workforce families in El Paso County and beyond. Thanks, Kris, for all you do!
You can read about Kris and other award winners in The Gazette's coverage.
Book Club Meetings to Launch in October
Join Pikes Peak Habitat for monthly book club discussions! We're launching with a Zoom meeting Thursday, Oct. 10, from 7-8:30 p.m. Our first title is Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect by John Inazu.
Inazu graduated from Air Academy High School here in El Paso County! He is also a U.S. Air Force veteran who was working in the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. He now serves as a professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, a Trustee of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and a Senior Fellow with Interfaith America. His book presents various scenarios in which disagreements often occur, as well as suggestions and reflection questions for how we can continue to respect and engage with each other despite our differences.
If you're interested in participating, please e-mail Monique@PikesPeakHabitat.org for the Zoom link and a conversation starter!
Other upcoming titles and dates include the following:
Thursday, Nov. 14: The Women by Kristin Hannah
In honor of Veterans Day and our 5th Veterans Build home dedication Nov. 9, we’re reading this New York Times bestselling author’s novel about a woman who serves as a nurse in Vietnam, then returns home to a divided country, where her service is often both unacknowledged and unappreciated.
Thursday, Dec. 12: Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World by Jonathan Reckford
As we prepare for our Apostles Build home dedication on Dec. 14, Reckford, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, discusses seven virtues that are important to him as a Christian and that also transcend religious divisions.
Please note that we choose a selection of titles that relate to our work -- some connected to a specific event or initiative, and some that address broader issues around affordable homeownership. We invite you to join us in reading any books that interest you!
Viewpoints expressed in these works, and in the related discussions, are those of the individual authors and participants and do not necessarily reflect views of Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity's board, leadership, staff, homeowners, and/or volunteers; or of Habitat for Humanity International's board, leadership, staff, homeowners, and/or volunteers.
These books serve as a starting point for discussions. You might not agree with everything you read or hear, but our hope is that we’ll all come to understand each other better!
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: