Featured news

Hello RV Care-A-Vanners,

I have nearly completed reviewing the many evaluations from this winter's build season, and what a successful season it was. I will have FY2014-15 stats to share with you in a few months. To me, what is more impressive are the comments I am hearing from you, the builders. What a positive and dedicated group you are.

Let me share some of my thoughts. Think of a build as a journey, from the first shovel full of dirt for the footings to turning over the keys to that deserving family. It is a journey not only for the homeowners, but the builders. We at HFHI and the RV Care-A-Vanner program want every volunteer to have a good experience and walk away from a build motivated by the mission, loyal to the cause, feeling good about themselves and most importantly, walking away safe. We want every volunteer to experience that “high” that comes with a day of building side by side with a partner family and other volunteers who believe everyone in this world deserves a decent place to live. Think of how you can enhance that experience for those volunteers around you. If you have a particular building skill, don't keep it to yourself – share it with the less experienced on the team. If you see new volunteers who seem to be intimidated by the hammer in their hand, take them under your wing teach them and give them confidence. If you see some of your fellow builders doing something unsafe, put your arm around them and share your heartfelt concern for their safety. Remember, our most important asset at Habitat are our volunteers, including you!

There were so many positive comments and stories in the evaluations that warmed my heart. Those stories are what keep us at the Care-A-Vanner desk driving hard to make this program bigger and better and to bring this experience to more RVers. I am so honored to be a part of this organization and to serve you, the volunteers in the trenches doing such important work.

Keep up the good work, build safe and have a great summer!

Mary Vandeveld
RV Care-A-Vanner Program Manager
[email protected]
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Announcements

A Decade of Dedication: Honoring Habitat for Humanity's continued commitment in the Gulf
Habitat for Humanity International and Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West will host A Decade of Dedication, commemorating 10 years since Hurricane Katrina, with a week of training and continued service. Bringing together Disaster Corps and Disaster Rebuild Team volunteers from across the nation, this event will highlight their contribution to recovery in the Gulf as well as the accomplishments of HFH St. Tammany West and Gulf Coast affiliates active in recovery. The event will be Nov. 15-21, 2015, and is open to all Disaster Rebuild Team members and Disaster Corps volunteers. We plan to hold training for additional Disaster Rebuild Team and Disaster Corps volunteers during the event. Registration will open soon. For those Care-A-Vanners wishing to get training to become Disaster Rebuild Team members by attending this event, contact Mary for an application at [email protected].

Alice, Texas 2016 winter builds will be posted online sometime mid-summer. There will be an announcement in the newsletter as to what day and time signup will be. The tentative dates for the builds are Jan. 10-29, 2016 and Feb. 28-March 18, 2016. Watch for more information in the July newsletter.

Amenities and costs on build listings: We often post builds up to a year in advance. We do that to allow you to plan ahead. As a result, we don't always know camping locations and costs, so I ask the affiliate to post the maximum it would cost per night. I then update the posting as more information becomes available, so check back frequently on your listing to see if there are updates.

Correction: Peter and Nancy Neidrauer received the Citizen of the Year Award from their hometown of Churchville, New York, not Wyoming as stated in the last newsletter. They were recognized for their 49 years of community service and their work as RV Care-A-Vanners. Congratulations Peter and Nancy!

Featured builds:

Petersburg, West Virginia: Almost Heaven HFH is hosting two one-week builds July 12 and July 26. We are working on getting the cost of camping down. This is an affiliate who really needs our help! Go to our build list to sign up.

Boone, Iowa: Aug. 16-30. The Heart of Iowa Affiliate is hosting its second Care-A-Vanner build. The reports from last year's build were excellent, so please consider a trip to Boone to help out. This is a great little affiliate and we have disappointed them a couple of times by not having anyone sign up. They have a two-week build scheduled starting Aug. 16. Let's get some Care-A-Vanners there so we don't disappoint them again!

Searsmont, Maine: Searsmont is less than 50 miles from Acadia National Park as the crow flies! Come to Maine this Summer and build! Aug.10-23.

Kenai, Alaska has two builds July 5-19 and July 19-Aug. 2. Headed to Alaska this summer? Include a two-week build in Kenai. They are building one house this year and they really need our help.

Go to our build list to sign up for these or any other builds.

Hours and stories needed:

We need everyone to report their hours to the Care-A-Vanner desk. If you are on a build without a team leader, be sure that someone is assigned to keep track of the hours. If you are a drop-in, those hours count, as do ReStore volunteer hours. Affiliates do not report your hours to the desk. I need hours worked and number of houses worked on. This data is very important for grant applications and grant reporting. We also love to hear those "Why We Build" stories! It is the partner families that keep us motivated, so send your stories and your hours to [email protected]

Tithing connections

Nepal response
Thank you so much for keeping the people of Nepal in your thoughts and prayers. Habitat for Humanity has had operations in Nepal for 18 years and has helped tens of thousands of families in need of decent housing. To help after the two massive earthquakes, Habitat for Humanity is removing rubble and debris and plans to help 20,000 families with transitional and permanent shelter assistance.

If you would like to support these efforts, please consider donating to Habitat's Disaster Response Fund. If you know of U.S. affiliates that might be interested in supporting the disaster response efforts, please have them contact the Tithe team directly at [email protected].

Next month, we plan to build off of our May 2015 newsletter submission and share more about the Global Mission Fund.

Katie Grover
Tithe specialist, Habitat for Humanity International
[email protected]

Windows to Washington - May

Onward we go!
In early May, 500 housing enthusiasts attended the Second Annual Housing Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean in Monterrey, Mexico. In the words of Habitat CEO Jonathan Reckford, everyone at the LAC Housing Forum recognized “the ripple effects created by inadequate shelter” and had gathered to address “both challenges and opportunities for more sustainable urbanization,” as well as the need to advocate for policies that promote access to decent housing. The forum was full of important discussions amongst people dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. But when it came to energy and enthusiasm for that laudable goal, Estela Condori stood out from the rest.

Doña Estela is living proof that smart advocacy works. In 2010, Estela became involved with Habitat for Humanity Bolivia through a project designed to improve access to land and property rights for Bolivian women and their families. The project includes a school for women leaders to learn about secure tenure, meaning the right to live on land without fear of being wrongfully evicted. Not too long ago, under property law in Bolivia, land was registered only in a man's name with no legal recognition of his wife. If anything happened to that man or the relationship, a woman would be left without rights and could be forced to leave her own home. The issue of secure tenure, and access to land more generally, is so important around the world that it is the focus of the advocacy campaign that Habitat for Humanity International will launch later this year. That campaign, called Solid Ground, will open the door to advocacy wins like that in Bolivia where, thanks to Habitat's advocacy project and the women leaders involved, Bolivian law was changed to require that land be registered in the names of both husband and wife or both partners, if they are not officially married. To learn more about the women leaders involved in this project, you can visit this site, in Spanish only: http://www.mujerysuelourbano.org/

As the Habitat for Humanity team, or “Hábitat para la Humanidad” as we are known in LAC, prepared to fill a break between sessions at the forum with a parade through the main auditorium, complete with banners and drums, Estela's smile was nearly as big as the sign she carried explaining the project in Bolivia that made it possible for her to live in decent housing. Hailing from Cochabamba, Bolivia, the housing forum marked the first time that she had left her home country. The crowd's interest in housing seemed to fuel her enthusiasm and natural ability to inspire action. Speaking into a reporter's microphone, Estela explained the impact that having the right to the land on which she lived had made in her life and encouraged attendees to support policies that will make it possible for everyone in the world to have a decent place to live. After recounting her role as a leader in her community, she encouraged everyone present, especially women, to join in advocating for housing rights and lead the way in their respective communities. With a hand in the air, a sparkle in her eye and an ever-present smile on her face, Estela cheered, “Mujeres lideres – adelante!” – meaning “Women leaders – onward!”

Habitat will host housing conferences in all regions of the world this year and the momentum generated by those fora will last through October 2016, when global leaders meet in Quito, Ecuador, for the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development. Also known as “Habitat III,” this conference takes place only every 20 years. Habitat for Humanity will have a leading role at Habitat III representing non-governmental organizations from around the world.

This month, we don't have a petition for you to sign. Instead, we invite you to remember the words of Doña Estela and share her enthusiasm and dedication to fair housing policy that will ensure a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Stay tuned in the months ahead as we prepare for Habitat III and the impact it will make worldwide!

The forum received extensive media coverage. Here's just one sample.

Team leader corner

Hello team leaders,

A special thank-you goes out to our marvelous May team leaders. They are Margot and Larry Durham; Ron and Jean Gratz; Roy and Judy Ginn; Jeff and Bonnie Miller; Donald and Melanie Fox; Benny and Darla Robinson; Dyana Todd; Kurt Newton; Ty and Larry Jones; Andy and Kim Hansen; Jerry and Lori McHugh; Glenn and Carol Dunn; Mike Humes; Lowell and Linda Lamont; Bob Gillespie; and Steven Gullette. You all make my volunteer job so much easier!

This is a reminder that we are all responsible for safety. Team leaders should be mentioning safety at each morning meeting. It is not up to the affiliate to initiate this, but you certainly can work with the affiliate to ensure it is addressed. Reminders about safety, such as the use of ladders, safety glasses and hard hats, should always be given in a friendly manner.

Please, team leaders, when you contact me about a build, provide at least a date and location of the build, and the GV number if possible. With so many builds, it is very time consuming for me to find the build you are referring to without this information

If you are unable to read the roster I send you, or things appear to be on the wrong lines, chances are you have a Mac or iPad and Word documents do not format correctly. Just let me know and I will send them in PDF.

Remember, if you've been thinking about becoming a team leader but are not sure what's involved, contact me at [email protected] and I will send you the guidelines. Lack of construction experience is not a reason to pass on being a team leader. Organization and people skills are what are important. So, don't forget to check the “team leader interest” box on your registration if you are willing to lead the build.

Finally, team leaders are needed for the following builds. If you are available and willing, please contact me.

June 14-28	Sheridan, Wyoming
June 28 - July 12	North Platte, Nebraska
July 12-26	Mankato, Minnesota
July 19 - August 2	Sheridan, Wyoming
August 2-16	Pagosa Springs, Colorado
August 16-30	Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Thank you and happy hammering!

Brenda Sawyer
Team leader coordinator
[email protected]

Spread the word
Send your RV friends a Care-A-Vanner brochure about this wonderful mission by pasting this PDF into an email or just printing it out to give to fellow RVers in campgrounds.

Safety corner

As we travel around the country, we often work side by side with AmeriCorps members. Here are some tips from the Habitat for Humanity affiliate insurance company that we can all use.

Eight ways to keep AmeriCorps members safe on the job
AmeriCorps members are an essential part of Habitat's mission and they often act as crew leaders. As with any job site leader or supervisor, it's important that they take the required training to perform the role safely as well as have the aptitude to focus on keeping the rest of the team safe, too.
Here are eight ways to keep AmeriCorps members, volunteers and the entire workforce safe on the job:

Training is key! No employee, volunteer or AmeriCorps member should be allowed to perform work that they haven't been trained to do.
Take advantage of our online training courses. Require all employees, volunteers and AmeriCorps members to complete our Habitat-specific training courses prior to their work. The training can be located at the HFH Affiliate Insurance website under the volunteers tab.
Anyone working from heights must always use fall protection equipment. All window and stairwell openings and holes should be covered appropriately, with railings or fixed covers to prevent falls through them.
Scaffolding should be constructed in accordance with OSHA regulations and you should follow ladder safety guidelines.
The ground should be leveled as much as possible in the areas where people are working.
Keep job sites neat and organized. Materials like boards, buckets, tools, nails and other objects shouldn't be left lying around on the ground. If there are items that pose a tripping hazard and they can't be moved, clearly mark them with bright tape or paint so they are easily noticeable or establish a control access zone.
At the start of each workday, review the tasks to be performed that day along with a brief review of how to do each task safely.
Crew leaders should make the rounds to check that work is being done correctly and safely. If they observe a task being done incorrectly or notice a potential safety hazard, the leader should step in immediately to correct the situation and demonstrate the proper way to proceed with the task.

There is nothing more rewarding than completing a house and handing over the keys to the new homeowner. With proper training and diligent oversight, the home building experience can be safe, productive and rewarding for everyone!

Lisa Crawford
Master Safety Training program coordinator
[email protected]

Collegiate Challenge and Care-A-Vanners

RV Care-A-Vanners Barry Mansfield and Mica DeAngelis have been crew leaders on five Collegiate Challenge builds and they graciously wrote an article about some of their experiences. I hope their article will entice more of you to sign up for a Collegiate Challenge/Care-A-Vanner one-week build. These March 2016 builds will be listed in a couple of months, so look for them then with the CC after the city in the build list. If anyone else would like to share their experiences, just send me an email.

Here's the article:

“OK everyone, and that includes you RV Care-A-Vanners, gather in a big circle butt to butt and put your arms on your neighbors' shoulders.”

About 50 of us were gathered in the community building of the Methodist Church in Albany, Georgia. Students from Penn State and Tarleton State and eight RV Care-A-Vanners had just finished a week of rehabilitating a Habitat home for a woman and her two grandchildren. Students had painted her house a mint green, replaced rotting fascia, built a porch and trimmed out the inside rooms. Now we were gathered for a taco dinner prepared by the students and were lured into this circle to share our observations and feelings about a challenging and fun week.

Taylor, a faculty adviser from Tarleton State, continued our instructions. “We move to the right when I say start, and if you have someone who deserves a shout out, yell ‘stop' and share the shout out.” After a quarter revolution of the circle to the right we got our first ‘stop' and the shout out was directed at me.

“Mica, you painted a mustache on your face blue after seeing your painting crew coat their faces. Thanks, Mica, for making the week so much fun.”

Our circle started shuffling together back to the left. “Stop!” yelled Karen, one of our RV Care-A-Vanner leaders. “A big thank-you to my group who scrubbed mold for a week on the outside of the house. Not a very pleasant job but you went all out, getting wet in the process.”

This was our fifth Collegiate Challenge build. As retired college educators we were drawn to this population naturally, and that attraction has never disappointed us. We may leave each build feeling exhausted, but we leave filled with inspiration and hope that these wonderful young people are a new generation of individuals committed to the Habitat mission. We go being the teachers, but we always leave feeling like the students.

A few years ago at an American Legion dinner I noticed a group of students break out their smart phones during dessert and begin thumbing away. “Are you all checking your Facebook?” I asked, trying to show I was up on social networking. “No!” was the almost universal reply. “You should try Instagram.” In a few short clicks and examples I was on Instagram - and I love it! My husband, Barry, now tells friends that I am an Instagram nut.

Then there is the music, always a given on a college build. Either streamed through iPods or from an affiliate's radio, I've become exposed to music I would never know about or expect to like. On this last build I have come to appreciate Taylor Swift's new CD, “Shake It Off,” and country music. Students dance and sing as they work, and I mean work hard. It is so wonderful to have so many young, strong bodies on-site. If you need to have a pile of lumber moved, and your aching back is talking to you and saying “don't,” a group of students will move it easily and quickly and ask, “Is there any more? Can we move it back in at the end of the day?”

In Albany, we camped under huge pines on the outside of the city. The students were in the dorms nearby. They gathered for dinners, played Frisbee, built huge bonfires, did the two-step in the community room at night and paused for reflections of what it means to do service work far from their comfortable campuses. If you are feeling discouraged about the state of our world, if you are worried about the future for your family, I encourage you to sign up for a Collegiate Challenge build. I guarantee that you will be rewarded in ways you don't expect and you may even learn to two-step or twerk!

-- Barry and Mica DeAngelis

Diane Gravlee
Collegiate Challenge coordinator
[email protected]

Welcome new Care-A-Vanners

Ken and Marlene Boggs, Rick Bolin and Christine McCafferty, Steve Bond and Bettina Mize, JuDee Janowitz, Jane Johnston, David and Jo Ann Lininger, Al McAttee and Robin Bates, Jon and Sharron Prisbe, Doug Turner, and Evan and Ann Wride.

Our apologies if we have included a seasoned Care-A-Vanner, or if this is a duplication. Habitat for Humanity is grateful for the work that you do!

Disaster Rebuild

Remember our mission in disaster response is to come in at the time of the rebuild efforts and to stay until the last house is replaced or repaired. A lot has to happen before rebuilds begin, including permitting, fundraising, FEMA grant application and awards, building capacity at the affiliate, family selection, etc. It is easy to remember the disaster that just happened, but where we need the help often is in the areas where a disaster happened two or three years ago. HFHI Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery, our partners, are also working with affiliates to do fortified building to reduce injuries and damage to homes when a disaster does strike. This includes building safe rooms in tornado areas, hip roofs in hurricane zones and using anchoring systems appropriate for the risk. If you are interested in learning more about fortification standards, please review IBHS Fortified for Safer Living Standards (PDF). Your knowledge can help our affiliates learn more about these new building practices.

Calgary, Alberta: The June 2013 flood in southern Alberta was devastating, affecting 55,000 square kilometers and forcing 120,000 families out of their homes. The town of High River was impacted the most, with all 13,000 residents ordered to evacuate resulting in the community largely being abandoned for a week as officials assessed the situation. The Calgary affiliate is now rebuilding and has asked for Care-A-Vanner help. This is new construction of a duplex for two flood families. Camping will be paid for by a grant from our friends in disaster response at HFHI. The build starts Aug. 16 and runs through Sept. 6. Let's give our friends to the north some support as so many Canadian Care-A-Vanners have helped us. Review the build listing and sign up!
Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Tuscaloosa is still building homes for people who lost their housing unit in the 2011 tornado. Yes, there are tornado victims who still have not gotten into homes. Our mission continues there as we stay until the last home is replaced. Tuscaloosa loves the Care-A-Vanners and has builds listed throughout the year. It is a very nice place to work.
Floods in Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma: I know a lot of you have been watching the news of the epic flooding in the south-central U.S. Once the floodwaters subside, assessments will be done as to what the needs are and how our affiliates and their partner families have been affected. I hope to have an update on this area in next month's newsletter.

Rebuild Nepal fundraising tee

The Habitat Store, Habitat for Humanity International's official online store, has joined the effort to rebuild Nepal.

In May 2015, two massive earthquakes struck Nepal killing thousands and displacing 2.8 million people. Habitat for Humanity has worked in Nepal for 18 years and is in place to help families in need of decent, safe housing.

$20 from the purchase of each shirt goes directly to Habitat's global relief fund. The shirt is available in both unisex and ladies' fits. At $26.00, the shirt is a bargain and an attractive way to display support for Nepal's earthquake victims. Because this is a fundraising effort, no discounts will be applied to these particular tees. Normal discounts will be honored on all other items with U.S. affiliate and HFHI staff log-ins.

The Habitat Store also has an expansive inventory of branded apparel and goods to support the Habitat mission.

Visit The Habitat Store to view the Nepal relief shirts and to make your purchase.

Questions, cancellations or concerns?
1-800-HABITAT, ext. 7534
1-229-410-7534 (direct)
[email protected]
RV Care-A-Vanner staff contact info

Current list of active builds
Builds list

How to register for a build online
Step-by-step instructions

Roster updates
Please email updated roster information to [email protected] or [email protected], or call 1-229-410-7534.

Report Care-A-Vanner hours
Help us keep track of total volunteer hours contributed, and partner families served. Please email these stats from your drop-in or ongoing builds to [email protected].