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2010 Golf Tourney in Fredericksburg

Mar, 2010 - Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fredericksburg is hosting its annual Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 1, at the Lady Bird Johnson Golf Course in Fredericksburg, Texas. The event helps raise funds to continue the mission of the local habitat group.

For information:

Download Event Flyer

Download Registration Form

Download Sponsorship Form

For more information call the local office at 990-8585.

Michelle Weberpal (first row, right) spent a week in Southeast Asia this fall helping Habitat for Humanity build 166 houses for the 26th Jimmy Carter Build on November 15-21, 2009. Former President Carter and Rosalynn are pictured in the center.

Weberpal returns from Jimmy Carter Habitat for Humanity project in Southeast Asia

January 2010 - Local Habitat for Humanity volunteer Michelle Weberpal participated in the 26th Jimmy Carter Build in Southeast Asia on November 15-21, 2009.

About 2500 volunteers representing 30 countries gathered to construct 166 houses in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Southern China. According to Weberpal, the volunteers were of all ages and a mix of first-timers and experienced volunteers.

One project alone resulted in 82 homes built on an old fruit orchard about 20 miles outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The number 82 was chosen to represent the birthday of the King of Thailand on Dec 5, said Weberpal.

“Each family put in 400 sweat equity hours including land clearing, making and transporting cement bricks to each home site and helping during the build week,” Weberpal said. Each cement block home totaled 400 square feet consisting of one large room, attached bath and outdoor kitchen, on a 60-foot square lot allowing for some garden space for each family, with running water and electricity.

The remote location and unseasonably warm temperatures resulted in some challenging building conditions. “No power tools or equipment were used on the build,” Weberpal said. “All building was done by hand with very limited tools. Each house had a crew of between 10 and 20 people. Trusses for roofs weighed approximately 450 lbs each and were put up by a team of 8 to 10 people, with no cranes.”

The Thailand project resulted in an essentially new village that will house approximately 300 people. The infrastructure of sewers, electricity, roads, foundations and plumbing were laid in prior to the group’s arrival. Corporate sponsors Cotto, TruVision, Federal Express, Valspar, and Koica underwrote a community center for the project.

The new homes will create a dramatic improvement in quality of life for the families, according to Weberpal.

“Families chosen were living in very substandard housing including plastic, paper and tin covered shacks, open sewers, running water only four hours per day,” she said. “Many families lived with 10 or 12 people in a 100-square-foot room with little or no electricity, no sanitation, and trash removal.”

Local citizens turned out in large numbers to support the community project, providing buses, police escorts, and interpreters. Students studying English from the local universities prepared an entire year to act as liaisons and interpreters.

“We were greeted by cheering and waving crowds, flower lined roads, flags and banners,” Weberpal said. “At the job site, the families cheered on the volunteers as they entered the site every morning. Opening and closing ceremonies were like being at the Olympics with fireworks, music, dancing. We all felt very appreciated throughout the week.”

Weberpal - a former board member - will apply the experience in her work with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fredericksburg.

“This was the experience of a lifetime,” Weberpal said. “It is humbling and heart rending to know how families have lived and what the simplest of four strong walls, a sealed roof, indoor plumbing and running water can mean to someone's quality of life and future. I felt I should thank the families for giving me the opportunity to do this - we were exhilarated, thrilled, awestruck, overwhelmed all at the same time.”

About 30 friends and supporters joined in celebrating completion of the latest project on Oct 10, 2009. See Before/After photos...

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fredericksburg blesses re-habitat home

October 2009 - Members and supporters of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fredericksburg gathered on Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 to join in blessing their latest project on Cherry Street in Fredericksburg.

The home is the first renovated locally under Operation Re-Habitat.

“We take homes in disrepair and do renovations,” said Melodi Frederick, Habitat President. “This is a new direction for us. We were faced with the situation where we didn’t have land to build a new home, so that’s how this came to us.”

Frederick estimated that nearly 60 local and national volunteers worked on the home since February. Hill Country Home Builders, Foxworth-Galbraith, Pro Build, Hominick Custom Builders, Kingwood Fine Cabinetry, and Jeffrey Plumbing donated materials.

About 30 people listened to comments by Frederick, Judy Hoopman, Volunteer Coordinator, who initiated this project, and the homeowner. Paster John Hierholzer of the Hill Country Evangelical Free Church delivered the prayer.

After the blessing, guests enjoyed refreshments and toured the remodeled home.

The local Habitat group will break ground on their next project in January. Families who wish to be considered for a Habitat home can attend one of two upcoming meetings to be held at First Baptist Church, 1407 East Main Street:
Thursday, October 22 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 24 at 9:00 a.m.

To learn more, contact the local office at 990-8585, email info@fbghabitat.org, or visit www.fbghabitat.org.

Nonprofits benefit from tax exemption

By Conor Harrison
The Daily Times

Published July 11, 2009
Nonprofit groups will have two more years of property tax exemptions after Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law a bill Friday co-authored by Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville).

House Bill 2555 allows organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to hold onto property longer for eventual development before paying taxes.

Link: http://dailytimes.com/story.lasso?ewcd=04db165114c79323

Golf Tourney a success

June 2009 - The 1st Annual Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fredericksburg Golf Tournament was held at Lady Bird Johnson Golf Course on May 9,2009. Thirteen four-man teams played in a scramble format tournament. Team scores were based on their handicap to level the playing field. Lunch, snacks and a pizza dinner were served to the players. There was a silent auction and a raffle as well as prizes.
 “We had tons of fun, there were lots of prizes and thanks to recent rain; the golf course was lush and green. I look forward to playing in next year’s tournament,” said golfer Dane Batterton.
Habitat raised approximately $6500. thanks to the players, volunteers the many prize and auction donations and hole sponsors. click for photos and winners

One World: Theme for fall fundraiser

To spice things up this year, the fall fundraiser will be themed: One World. Artists will be given this theme and asked to create and donate for auction, a piece of work in their chosen medium.
Habitat for Humanity International’s astonishingly far reach across the globe will be highlighted at this event. Table sponsors will decorate their table after a country of their choosing where Habitat builds.
Once again, there will be a silent auction, live auction, raffle tickets, dinner and entertainment.

House #13

This May, Habitat completed the purchase of two lots on the corner of Park and Santa Rosa Streets. Lance Tatum, Architect and Board Member has begun the work of designing home #13. The site work including clearing the site, forming the house, underground electrical work, rough-in plumbing, and pouring a concrete pad should begin in the fall.

The Care-A-Vanners will arrive in February and work on framing, roofing, exterior siding, installing doors and windows and will start on the interior work. Some community volunteers will work side-by-side with the Care-A-Vanners on this phase of work. When the Care-A-Vanners leave in April, community volunteers will complete the home along with several local sub-contractors. The application process for house #13 will begin in August.

Operation Re-Habitat

For the first time, in the 13 years Habitat has been in Fredericksburg, we did not own any land that lent itself to building on! And so, Operation Re-Habitat was born.
Information about the program and applications were sent to local churches and an article appeared in the local paper searching for eligible families. The Wonder Workers from the United Methodist Church nominated the family who was selected.
To qualify for Operation Re-Habitat, Applicants must own and occupy their own homes, be unable to afford necessary home repairs and be unable to complete home repairs on their own. Furthermore, applicants must earn 50 percent or less of median income, be willing to pay a portion of project costs through a loan and must hold current homeowner insurance on the property. Finally, applicants must agree to occupy the home for at least five years following repair completion.
The support from the community was incredible! The Hill Country Builders Alliance put out the word to its members and materials and labor donations poured in. The Care-a-Vanners and a core group of dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly to complete the home in just 3 months. Habitat plans to continue this program each summer.

Making a difference

For the homeowner of the re-Habitat home - Diane - it has been impossible to put into words the effect this project has had in her life.

“I’m still in shock - it’s hard to put it into words,” she said. “It is God’s blessing that they came and helped me do all this.”

“All this” was turning a dwelling without electricity, plumbing, or insulation, with holes in the roof that let in rain, wind, and squirrels, into a snug, modern, safe home with new furniture and appliances.

“I’m still trying to get this all soaked into my mind,” she said. “When you live for 12 years eating off paper plates, then to come home to a warm house, not a cold house
not a house where the rain comes in - it’s still hard to believe.”

Judy Hoopman was instrumental in bringing this project to attention of Habitat. Hoopman knew the owner - Diane - from having her clean her home. She first brought the matter to her church group.

“It is overwhelming,” Hoopman explained. “Diane was concerned that she didn’t know these people and how to repay them. But they don’t want that - they are doing God’s work.”

Hoopman personally spent time helping, even letting Diane live in her home while the renovation was underway. “I thought it was helping and giving, but I actually received so much more than I ever gave. I saw how the community came together,  how people did this purely out of love for their neighbor. They didn’t want anything back.”

It certainly changed Diane’s life.