May 2015 RV Care-A-Vanners Update
 

Featured news

Hello RV Care-A-Vanners,

I want to share with you this month a message from Jonathan Reckford, the CEO of HFHI:

We are Habitat. We build.

During my time at the World Economic Forum earlier this year, I participated in a simulation exercise designed to help participants better understand the challenges and frustrations that too many people around the world face each day.

The task for my “family” team was to make paper bags out of newspapers and try to sell them to shopkeepers who did not treat us fairly. We needed to sell enough bags to pay for rent, food, water and sanitation. Ideally we wanted to be able to pay for school fees for our children.

If we didn't have enough money for housing, we would be evicted and forced to live under a bridge. If we didn't pay for water or sanitation, family members got sick and couldn't work. The families who were evicted spiraled down as they had additional health problems. Our family survived but only with some heartbreaking compromises.

The many challenges we faced evoked strong feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness. As we worked through our changing circumstances, I never forgot that the situations highlighted in our exercise represented the lives of real people who struggle just to survive.

Those real people are the reasons that housing matters, and the work that you do to help
build homes, communities and hope is why I am proud to say, “I am Habitat.”

When we build alongside a family and help them to construct their future home, we help turn struggle into success. When we help very low-income families repair and improve their houses incrementally and when we work alongside families to create their own housing solutions, we add to the joyful chorus declaring, “We are Habitat.” When we advocate for land rights and better housing policies, millions more add their voices.

As we build and advocate together, we, too, are changed. So many of you have shared with me how dramatically Habitat has altered the way you see the world. I meet volunteers and supporters all the time who describe their great satisfaction, personal empowerment and the many blessings they have received by giving of themselves to help families seeking a pathway out of poverty.
We build much more than houses.

It's your generous support that enables us to continue to reach more families around the world. However you lend your hearts and hands to our mission, know that your involvement makes all the difference in the world to the families we serve. We couldn't say “
we are Habitat” without you!

— Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity International CEO

We are Habitat and as RV Care-A-Vanners, we are making a difference one family at a time. Thank you for your hard work and support.

Safe travels,

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 run from Nov. 15-Nov. 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 who wish to get training to become Disaster Rebuild Team members by attending this event, contact Mary for an application at [email protected].

Amenities and costs on build listings
We are often posting builds up to a year ahead. 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 most 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.

Tahlequah, OK HFH received a $2,000 grant from the Care-A-Vanner Program to assist them with purchasing fall protection safety equipment. This comes from our matching grant program where the affiliate fundraises for a portion of the cost of scaffolding and harnesses and we give them the remainder. This program is made possible by our Master Safety Trainers who each time they train, a portion of the course registrations comes back to the Care-A-Vanner Program. To date, the Care-A-Vanner Program has awarded $18,600 to five affiliates.

Congratulations to Peter and Nancy Neidrauer for receiving the Citizen of the Year Award from their community of Churchville, Wyoming. They were recognized for their 49 years of community service and their work as RV Care-A-Vanners. Great work Peter and Nancy. We are proud and thankful to have you as RV Care-A-Vanners.


Featured builds:

North Platte, Nebraska: Beginning June 28 2015. This is a small affiliate that depends on the Care-A-Vanners to give them a hand up with their building program. For you train buffs, North Platte is home to the largest classification rail yard in the world and is home of the Golden Spike viewing tower. Sign up today!

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.

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

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

Tithe Connections – May 2015
U.S. affiliates can either designate their tithe to a specific Habitat National Organization abroad or they can send it to the Global Mission Fund. The Global Mission Fund is all sent internationally, where most needed, to fill gaps in funding, provide matching funds for government or corporate grants or fund pilot programs. Below are two “real world” examples of the positive impact of this fund on communities abroad.

Bangladesh:
Habitat Bangladesh is implementing integrated housing and water, sanitation and hygiene, or WASH, projects with the support of unrestricted dollars. Partnering with the Korea International Cooperation Agency, or KOICA, 164 low-income families will now have new or repaired houses, while 62 permanent latrines will be built and 32 tube wells will be installed.

Malawi:
Habitat Malawi has constructed 200 homes for vulnerable families in six communities with the support of unrestricted funds from the Global Mission Fund. The services include improved housing, malaria prevention training, HIV prevention training, vocational training skills and property and inheritance rights training.

In June, we will have two additional examples to share with you about the impact of the Global Mission Fund on Habitat programs abroad.

Also, I wanted to share with you the tithe program's new video titled “Imagine a World” that is posted on YouTube and features some of our national directors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap8XsOpjtuU

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


Windows to Washington - May

Habitat goes to Hollywood
You'll be happy to know that there's a movement underway to encourage more generations to follow in your footsteps. Don't worry, you're not about to see masses of 20-year-olds trying to navigate RVs down the highway, but we do expect that you'll see more students devoting time to serving their country and addressing challenges facing their communities. Habitat for Humanity is part of “Serve A Year,” a campaign that aims to inspire young Americans to dedicate at least one year of their lives to our nation through National Service. One of the most popular National Service programs is AmeriCorps, also known as "the domestic Peace Corps,” which offers challenging (and rewarding) full-time positions across the United States.

The Serve A Year campaign launched in late March with an announcement on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which was the top-rated talk show that evening. So far, nearly 3 million people saw the show on ABC or online, but the good news doesn't stop there. With help from writers in Hollywood, young characters on shows ranging from The Middle and Modern Family to Parks & Rec and Melissa & Joey are announcing plans to join AmeriCorps as part of the shows' storylines. Many celebrities are joining the charge, using their fame to amplify the call for service.

As one of the original organizations to engage with National Service programs, Habitat recognizes how the programs benefit our organization, the AmeriCorps members themselves, as well as American taxpayers and local governments. Over the past 20 years, Habitat AmeriCorps members have served 22,500 families, engaged 3.1 million community volunteers and provided 14 million hours of service. In 2015, Habitat has 500 AmeriCorps members serving in 35 states, encompassing more than 140 communities. These members gain work and life experience while Habitat grows with vital, low-cost staffing resources. Further, National Service programs are a value to the taxpayer; with Habitat covering approximately half the cost of each service member, we get results on the ground at a much lower cost than direct government services. What's more, National Service programs fill the gap between the services that communities need and what state and local governments are able to provide and can afford.

Our exciting record of service is why Hollywood and an organization called ServiceNation invited Habitat to join Serve A Year. As a cultural campaign aiming to change the way people think about serving their communities, Serve A Year's goal is ambitious and admirable: to make a service year the expectation, not the exception. Habitat is proud to be part of a broad coalition of service partners supporting the campaign, including groups like City Year, Teach for America, FEMA Corps and others.

On the opposite coast from Hollywood, however, National Service is facing serious challenges as federal lawmakers on Capitol Hill threaten to cut their budget. The Corporation for National and Community Service  oversees National Service programs and, as a federal agency, its budget is determined each year by Congress. As we do every year, Habitat encourages lawmakers to keep the agency funded so that affiliates and AmeriCorps members working with them can continue to benefit from the program, support initiatives like ReStores and reach more partner families.

The good news is that there are many ways you can support National Service during May – and throughout the year. Learn more about the Serve A Year campaign and spread the word. You can watch the shows, post fun clips of the shows to Facebook and let people know about the benefits of National Service. Three key people you need to reach are your U.S. representative and two senators. Tell Congress to support the programs that benefit service members, Habitat families and our nation as a whole. Please take 30 seconds today and sign this petition to ask your members of Congress to adequately fund CNCS in the FY16 budget. As helpful as that signature is, studies show that personalized messages from constituents are even more effective. So if you've worked with an AmeriCorps member on a build site, please take another 30 seconds to add that to the language of the message you send. If you have a story of working with an AmeriCorps member that you'd like to share with your lawmakers, all the better! We'd love for you to send it our way, too: [email protected].

P.S. – We'd be remiss not to let you know about the uplifting speech that Vice President Joe Biden gave about the importance of homeownership at an event that Habitat co-sponsored in April. HFHI's Stephen Seidel, who moderated one panel and got the chance to meet Mr. Biden, wrote this blog about his experiences meeting celebrities during his years with Habitat. You'll find a full recording of the event online along with a video of only the vice president's address. If you'd like to receive more advocacy news directly to your inbox, let us know at [email protected].


Team leader corner

Hello team leaders,

A special thank you goes out to our awesome April team leaders. They are Dyana Todd; Carol and Michael Vincent; Lowell and Linda Lamont; Chuck Ostrander; Margot and Larry Durham; Bill and Ardelle Pickering; Larry and Diane Mock; Michael Ash; and Michael and Donna Botto.

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.

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.

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 difficult for me to find the build you are referring to without this information.

As we get into peak tornado season, please be sure you have a safety plan in place for your team, as well as a way to stay aware of the weather. If you need assistance with this, or anything, please contact me. I am here to support you – not just badger you to be team leaders!

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

May 17-31, 2015 Crooksville, Ohio
May 24-June 6, 2015 Iowa City, Iowa
June 7-21 Brookings, South Dakota
June 7-14 Canton, Ohio
Aug. 2-16 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

In a previous segment we talked about some safety requirements the affiliates need to follow. This month, let's talk about what you can do as an individual volunteer or a team leader.

  1. At the very least, make sure that you and your teammates follow simple safety guidelines:
    • Don't lean stepladders; open them fully.
    • Wear safety gasses and hard hats.
    • Secure the extension ladder at top and bottom.
    • Ensure the extension ladder extends 3 feet above the roof.
    • Use a 4-to-1 ratio for extension ladders. (4 feet up to 1 foot out). With your feet touching the bottom of the ladder, your arms should extend fully at shoulder height to touch the ladder frame.
    • Don't use the top two steps on a stepladder.
    • A 19-inch change in elevation requires a ramp or ladder. This usually means the porch or foundation on a new construction build.
  2. Be aware that on a job site, the less experienced people are watching the more experienced, whether you know it or not. Be the example others follow. Regardless of what everyone else is doing, make sure that you follow safe work practices.
  3. If you see another volunteer doing something unsafe, say something. If you see someone hammering without safety glasses, a simple reminder may make a difference. Leaning a stepladder against a structure? Remind them to open it correctly. Telling someone you are simply reminding them to do it safely because you care about their welfare may also help.
  4. Look at the Safety Corner on the RV Care-A-Vanner Web page. There are articles on various safety topics including general safety, ladder and stairway, scaffolding and tools to name a few. There is also a good safety orientation video that everyone should watch.    
  5. Take the free online safety course at http://hfhaffiliateinsurance.com/volunteers
  6. As a team leader, one of your responsibilities is to do a safety talk at the beginning of each workday. On OSHA.gov, under the Small Business tab, you will see Quick Links on the right-hand side. Under Web Tools you will find eTools and Safety and Health topics. Both contain a wealth of information that can be used for the daily safety briefing. If you are not a team leader, feel free to approach the leader, or the construction supervisor, before the morning meeting and ask if you can do the safety talk. Most appreciate the assistance. If you are not comfortable speaking in front of the group, simply being aware of these tips can help you stay safe on the job site.
  7. Be familiar with OSHA guidelines. There is a misconception that they don't apply to volunteers or to Habitat for Humanity. Nothing could be further from the truth! With a little effort and awareness, you can help keep your teammates safe and help affiliates avoid violations.
    • For the most commonly used standards, go to the OSHA Law and Regulations page, then the Construction tab. Don't worry, no one is expecting you to memorize everything, but it helps to have a general knowledge of the standards and where to go if there is a question.
      • Subpart C General Safety
      • Subpart K Electrical
      • Subpart L Scaffolds
      • Subpart M Fall Protection
      • Subpart X Ladders and Stairways
  8. You can contact the CAV desk and ask them to offer any affiliate the Competent Person Safety Training. Once on-site, you can tell the affiliate/construction supervisor about the course. You can explain that once they have been through the training, they may be eligible for grant money for safety equipment. The Care-A-Vanner desk will be happy to provide you or the affiliate the necessary information if you aren't familiar with it.
  9. When the team leader is talking with the affiliate before arrival, they can mention the safety initiative and remind the affiliate that Care-A-Vanners are committed to following OSHA. I was a team leader for a build last spring and did just that. When we arrived, the affiliate had the proper scaffolding already in place. The construction supervisor mentioned that they typically leave off the rails, but this time they used them, simply because we asked them to.
  10. If it violates OSHA, or you feel something isn't safe, don't do it. If for example, the day's work requires you to be on the roof and they don't have fall protection, you shouldn't be on the roof. There are several strategies you can employ, one being to simply tell them that Care-A-Vanners follow OSHA, and thus we do not get on roofs without fall protection. Or a lighter approach would be to say that I or Mary would have a heart attack if fall protection wasn't used. A third strategy goes back to number 9. When you talk to them before your arrival to find out what tasks you will be performing, remind them that Care-A-Vanners follow OSHA.

Lisa Crawford
Master Safety Training program coordinator
[email protected]


trips Collegiate Challenge and Care-A-Vanners

I hope everyone had a nice spring. I know many of you are already planning your travels for next fall and winter. The Collegiate Challenge builds for next February and March are not listed yet, but keep them in mind if you are a seasoned mentor for our Collegiate Challenge builds or have been thinking about it and might like to give it a try. You just need to feel comfortable teaching students in construction skills. You can sign up for a week or for several weeks in a row, whatever suits your schedule. Remember to look for the CC after the name of the city on the build list.

Diane Gravlee
Collegiate Challenge coordinator
[email protected]


Welcome new Care-A-Vanners

Dwain and Cindy Benton, Mark and Cheryl Blomstrom, Kenny and Patricia Brooks, Melissa Cook,Ralph and Peggy Corning, Joseph and Pamela Faubion, Jeana Flanagan, Dave Grimmer, Joe Henrick and Paula Harper, Allan and Mary Horton, Gail Howells, Jan Huck, Gary, Jeanne and Tom Klebar, Dennis and Donna Klein, Nancy Kurtze, Rick and Kris Pierce, Penny Porter, Dave and Karen Ransom, Roy and Theresa Simonson, Joseph and Cherilyn Wiatr.

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 area, 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. Your knowledge can help our affiliates learn more about these new building practices.

  • Superstorm Sandy: Recovery efforts from Sandy continue to be slow. Funding is the struggle for the affected affiliates. I have listed a build in Toms River for spring and should be listing more for the summer months. Toms River was ground zero for Sandy and they really need volunteer help, so consider signing up. I know the camping fee is high, but on the coast it is difficult to find cheap RV sites and the affiliate cannot afford to supplement our camping. We hope to get that fee down some. If you would like to be on my email list for Sandy recovery, please send a note to [email protected]. I will notify Care-A-Vanners on my list first about build opportunities for Sandy recovery.
  • 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 to sign up!
  • Colorado 2013 floods: We had six affiliates in the flood-affected areas in Colorado. Habitat Colorado has a large amount of grant money to rebuild, but they are having trouble finding qualified families. To date, only 18 families with another 10 in process have been identified and more than half of those have been served already. If you would like to be on the list and hear about build opportunities first, send me a note to [email protected].
  • 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.

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].



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