Miami’s Habitat Young Professionals kicked off the summer with a charity fitness boot camp at Synergize Fitness on May 17. Synergize Fitness managers were thrilled waive the class fee for young professionals. "This is such a great cause that we are proud to raise money for and continue to bring awareness to,” said owner Alex Villegas. Participants took part in boot camp exercise stations, testing not only their physical fitness skills, but their mental endurance. The boot camp raised about $300 and provided a unique alternative to the happy hour fundraising model, drawing in a handful of new faces that returned to the chapter’s next event.

Habitat for Humanity of Durham’s young professionals program, called the Carpenters Club, hosted a do-it-yourself cornhole board building event on May 31. The club partnered with a local high school shop class and their students’ amazing planning and leadership skills. The event was sponsored by the local Lowe’s Home Improvement store and a few of our generous vendors. More than 20 participants helped raise more than $500. Forty boards were completed in three hours.

We have found that hands-on projects like this are a hit. We plan to make this an annual partnership and research other potential do-it-yourself projects.

Pinellas County Habitat Young Professionals jumped at an opportunity to volunteer for the monthly “First Friday” event organized by the Breakfast Optimist Club of St. Petersburg, Florida, in June. At the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, Central Avenue is transformed into a block party with live music, great food and refreshments. The young professionals succeeded in recruiting enough volunteers to operate a beer truck and beer booth at the event, which attracts hundreds of patrons.

“While thin on man power, we pulled it off and had a great time all the while,” said Connor Davis, development manager of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County. In five hours, the chapter raised almost $600, consisting of $296 in tips and a generous donation of $300 from the Breakfast Optimist Club. The chapter will participate in August and anticipates that the event will allow for increased outreach and networking, as more volunteers are expected to attend.

Juli’s passion for Habitat stems from a childhood parallel to that of many children of Habitat homeowners. Her earliest memories involve living in government subsidized housing until her mother no longer qualified for subsidies. After that, chasing affordable housing resulted in moving almost every year and never really having a place to call home. Like many first-time volunteers, Juli didn’t really know much about Habitat until she stepped foot on a build site with a corporate group in 2010. Given her childhood, Habitat’s mission immediately resonated.

Since then, she continued to volunteer when possible, led a Habitat for Humanity International Global Village trip to Trinidad and Tobago in 2011, joined the Seattle young professionals steering committee as treasurer in 2012, and since January 2013, served as chair of the Seattle chapter and as vice chair of development of Habitat Young Professionals advisory council. Under her leadership, the Seattle chapter has experienced tremendous growth. Consistently about 80 young professionals attend monthly happy hours and about 40 attend monthly builds. While fundraising hasn’t been a key focus, the chapter raised more in the 2013-2014 fiscal year than in the chapter’s six years of existence total. She attributes their successes to an infectious passion and a committee who works creatively and collaboratively to enhance the volunteer experience.

Inspired by her chapter’s successes, Juli decided it was time to chase her dream of leading change on a larger scale. She left her cushy corporate job last August to finish her degree studying nonprofit leadership at Seattle University. Her next endeavor is unknown, but whatever it is, she will always find time to volunteer with Habitat working with families to build something she didn’t have as a child – a place to call home.

Registration for Habitat Young Professionals first Young Leaders Summit is now open. The conference is part of the annual Youth Leadership Conference, which engages more than 300 young adults ages 16-40. The event will be Friday, Nov. 7-9 at the Crowne Plaza Executive Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Registration grants are available. Workshop and exhibit hall proposals are due July 31. Workshop presenters receive free registration for the weekend.

Register now:

• Cvent link
• Habitat website
• Registration scholarship link (available until Sept. 1, notifications Sept. 15)
• Hotel reservation link (rooms are $94 and must be booked by Oct. 20 to receive rate)
  

Tell the U.N. that housing is a global priority.
We need your help in supporting two important petitions! We’re asking the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. to be sure that the United States joins dozens of other countries in making housing a global priority and we’re also asking the U.N. directly.

For the past few years, Habitat for Humanity has been a leader in calling for housing to be part of the United Nations’ next development agenda. After all, if you want governments around the world to prioritize housing, what better way than to put it on the global agenda? We’re happy to see that housing was included in the first draft, but now it’s crunch time! The next draft of the agenda is expected in mid-July, so add your name to both petitions and spread the word today!