Pikes Peak Habitat Faith in Action Monthly e-News
January 2024
Meet the 2024 Apostles Build Partner Family
As we kick off 2024, Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity is honored to announce our 2024 Apostles Build partner family! In the coming months, churches across El Paso County will come together to partner with Bernadette's family as their home is being built.
A Colorado native, Bernadette grew up in Fountain, where she still lives with her three children ranging in age from nine to five– but as a single mom employed in the childcare field, she’s found buying a home in El Paso County to be impossible.
The primary concern she has about her current living situation is crime. She shared, "There’s been a lot of crime, including guns tossed into nearby bushes and fentanyl busts at a neighborhood park." Safety for herself, her children, and visitors is just one of the things she looks forward to when she moves into her Pikes Peak Habitat home: “Having people over in a safe environment, not having them come over and being like, ‘Let’s lock the door right away,’” she says. “The kids can ride their bikes outside.” Another concern that’s become more pressing for the family is the need for space as her kids get older.
When Bernadette was asked about what she is most excited about for her future home she shared, “I am just looking forward to having a place to call home because I feel like home is where my parents are at. That’s where I grew up; that was my grandma’s house. That’s home. I don’t feel like having an apartment or where we’re at right now is our home yet.” She is also looking forward to finding community with her future neighbors as they work on building each other's homes as a part of their sweat equity requirement. “Not very many people get to say that they helped build their own house or their family members helped build the house,” she notes. “I think it’ll be a good community. I came into the first [future homeowner] meeting like, ‘I’m meeting my neighbors right now!’”
Be sure to check out Bernadette's full family profile to learn more about her and her kids, and what they are most excited about for their new home.
Later this spring, churches will gather for our 2024 Apostles Build Kickoff event to hear Bernadette share more about her family's story, reserve Apostles Build volunteer days for their congregation, and learn about a variety of ways churches can partner this year with Pikes Peak Habitat. To learn more, e-mail chloe@pikespeakhabitat.org.
Ways to Put Faith into Action This January
Join Us for Our ReStore MLK Jr. Day of Service
Pikes Peak Habitat is offering a unique volunteer experience, the "Building the Beloved Community" initiative in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day at both of our ReStore locations on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.
Habitat for Humanity launched its Beloved Community initiative in 2018, marking the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination and the passage of the Fair Housing Act. Since that time, Habitat affiliates across the country have mobilized people in their communities to reach out across cultural divides and celebrate our shared humanity. Over the years Habitat affiliates have hosted events, built homes, and revitalized neighborhoods in an effort to build what Dr. King called the Beloved Community — a community that includes diversity and allows for tension undergirded by love to lead to transformation" to create a community of justice, equal opportunity, and dignity for all.
Volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of ways including on the sales floor, back in our receiving area, and on special projects within the store. Pikes Peak Habitat has current availability at our ReStore NorthEast location in the afternoon (2 - 6 p.m.) and at our ReStore South location in both the morning (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.) and afternoon (2 - 6 p.m). Sign up individually or with members of your church today!
Read Race for Profit with Pikes Peak Habitat
This month, engage with Pikes Peak Habitat by reading Race for Profit, a Pulitzer Prize nominated work which details how over time exploitative real estate practices continued and evolved nationwide despite the passage of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968. Pick up your copy today, and starting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 15, 2024 check out our Pikes Peak Habitat blog for reflection questions about the book.
Celebrate the ReStore South's 20th Anniversary!
The ReStore South will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Jan. 17, 2024, at
411 S. Wahsatch Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. Consider celebrating with Pikes Peak Habitat by purchasing items at our ReStore and help us propel our mission forward in 2024. To mark this special celebration, customers can take 20% off one item per purchase for 20 days, beginning on Jan. 17.
Additionally, shoppers also have an opportunity to get to know one of the families currently participating in our homeownership program. One of our future Fund for Humanity homeowners, Miranda, will be present at the store on Wednesday, Jan. 17, for a meet-and-greet from 5 - 6 p.m.