Finch-Jones Dedication

On Tuesday, Jan. 28th we had the honor of celebrating our final dedication of the 2019 build season. We are so excited for Kate, Nick, Wyatt, and Josie on this new chapter in their lives in a brand new home!

Work began on this home back in July, and we are very excited with how it turned out. Our dedication involved a short ceremony and meal, with plenty of socializing with the new homeowners and their family and friends. This was also the first time that the St. Peter High School students that helped on the home were able to attend, and it made it extra special having them there as well.

We’d like to thank everyone that contributed along the way to get this house built. Thank you to all of our wonderful and dedicated volunteers – many of them came on an almost daily basis to help us out. Thank you to all of our donors who contributed money or in-kind donations to help offset the upfront costs of the home. Thank you to Warren Peterson and the students at the high school for their great work. Thank you Pastor Andy from Union Presbyterian Church in St. Peter for his words during the dedication, Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Peter for contributing blankets for the kids, and Dana Lamb for the welcoming care package, and to everyone who brought food to share for the meal. And lastly, thank you to everyone who was able to take time out of their day to come celebrate with this wonderful family in the dedication of their new home.

Congratulations and God’s blessings on your new home!

Gallardo Dedication

Tuesday, November 19th was an exciting evening at Habitat as we celebrated our 2nd dedication of the year with the Gallardo family! Kimberly, DeAndre, and Kylani are beyond thrilled to be moving into their new home on a beautiful lot in Le Sueur, and we are so happy for them!

The event centered around a short program, during which Kimberly shared her journey that led to this moment, and was followed by a delicious meal for all to share. The love that her family has for each other and the joy of this opportunity was extremely evident, and we know that they will love their new home for years to come.

We owe a big thank you to Pastor Andy Davis of United Presbyterian Church in St. Peter for his words during the program, our Construction Manager Mike Kroenke and the many volunteers who helped build a lovely home, Trinity Lutheran of St. Peter and Dana Lamb for the quilts and welcome bags, and to everyone who graciously helped provide food. And lastly we appreciate everyone who was able to come that evening to celebrate with this wonderful family.

God’s blessings on your new home!

Kopischke Dedication

On Monday, November 11th, we had the privilege of holding our first home dedication of the season! Congratulations to Karin Kopischke and her children – Tyler, Eli, and Sabrina – on their new home in St. Peter!

We had a full house for the event, which included a short program celebrating the new homeowners, and a delicious meal afterwards. Karin is never one to hide her excitement, and it was a joy to see how happy she and her family are to be moving in to their own home. She shared with the group how long she has been waiting for this day and how much she enjoyed tracking the progress – starting with the initial building of the house by local students at the St. Peter High School up through the sweat equity that she and her family and friends put in and all the hours contributed by Habitat staff and volunteers.

A huge thank you to everyone who was able to attend, for all the great food that many people contributed, to the blankets donated by Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Peter, to Pastor Joy of Trinity Lutheran for her help with the dedication, to Warren Peterson and the St. Peter HS students for their work constructing the house, and to Habitat’s Construction Manager Mike Kroenke and Terry and Carol Endresen for their countless hours dedicated to completing construction.

2019 Care-A-Vanners

South Central Minnesota’s Habitat for Humanity was recently blessed to have a traveling Care-A-Van crew with us for about 2 weeks helping us build our homes in St. Peter and Le Sueur.

If you are unfamiliar, the Care-A-Van program is an effort coordinated through Habitat for Humanity International that matches traveling volunteers with Habitat affiliates all across the country in need of volunteer support. These volunteers venture to various affiliates while living in an RV, enjoying the benefits of RV living and volunteering at the same time.

This year’s crew at our South Central MN affiliate included one solo volunteer (Steve, joining us from Colorado for the 2nd year in a row), and two couples (Mike & Janet from Indiana and Doug & Chris who are living full time in their RV). They were a very hard-working and entertaining crew, and helped us make great progress on our current builds. Four of our prospective homeowners even had the opportunity to provide meals for the group. Below are a few pictures from their time with us.

Our 2019 Caravan group
The 2019 Care-A-Vanners along with our regular volunteers Terry and Carol.

We thank our five Care-A-Vanners for all their hard work, generosity, and joyful energy that they brought to our organization for these two weeks, and wish them luck on their continued journeys!

If you would be interested in learning more about Habitat for Humanity’s Care-A-Van program, please follow this link.

17th Annual Golf Tournament

Our Golf Tournament was a “scorching” success with 88 dedicated golfers who showed their stamina through searing temperatures and sky-high humidity!!! We would like to thank Pub 500 for donating a delicious lunch and the other 25 sponsors who contributed to the event’s success! We are enormously grateful to our Golf Committee members–Barry Hager, Warren Smith, Will Dallenbach, Adam Huiras, Brock Thaemlitz, Tom Gengler, and Adam Christenson. We couldn’t have done it without them!

Hard Hat Breakfast a Big Success

Habitat for Humanity of South Central Minnesota recently hosted our first annual Hard Hat Breakfast, and we are happy to announce that it was a very successful event!

The morning included a free breakfast buffet, live harp music, and two wonderful presentations. The first was our keynote speaker, Dr. Sheri Allen, who is the soon-to-be-retired superintendent of Mankato public schools. Dr. Allen gave us a wonderful presentation on the great importance of stable housing on today’s students. She included many eye-opening statistics as well as examples she has seen first-hand in her many years in education.

Our second speaker was Abby Martin, who is a recent recipient of a local Habitat for Humanity home. Abby, along with her daughter Ahna, shared with us her very touching story about her family’s background and how she ended up applying for a home through Habitat. She was very open with us and really conveyed how much getting a new home has meant to her and her children. They are so happy to be in a great home and community that they love, and we were blessed to hear her story and see the difference Habitat has made in their lives.

All in all, we had 157 appreciative guests, 29 sponsors contributing $12,000, and we received more than $12,500 in individuals donations from guests in attendance.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff, we want to thank our generous community for their ongoing commitment and support!!!!

Hoffman Home Dedication

Our first home dedication of the season was held this past Thursday in Nicollet at the home of Chris and Heather Hoffmann. It was a heart-warming event for the family of six, their friends, their relatives, and the staff of Habitat. Blessings and prayers were shared as were four quilts that were made by two churches–Christ the King in Mankato and Madelia Presbyterian Church–which were given to each of the four children. The donor of the land also presented Chris and Heather with a yummy cookbook and her best wishes for the family. The family is extremely appreciative and thrilled to be moving into their own home! Join us in wishing them the very best.

 

Mankato Motors supports Habitat for Humanity

Pictured: Julie Schmillen, executive director Habitat for Humanity, Dale Schmitt, owner Mankato Motors, and Michael Euerle, Habitat for Humanity resource development manager

Habitat for Humanity of South Central Minnesota, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building safe, decent and affordable housing with and for families in need, accepts a $16,700 donation from Dale Schmitt, Owners of Mankato Motors.  Habitat for Humanity was the recipient of $100 per new or used car sold from Mankato motors for the Month of May.