The REALLY Important Awards

All this talk about the SAG Awards, the Golden Globes, the Oscars...pish posh...they're missing out on the real story!

Why, the Resale Store Extraordinary Partner Awards, of course!

We are pleased to announce Buck Lumber and Pam Harrington Exclusives to be the 2006 Extraordinary Partners!

Each of these businesses have contributed significantly of their time, resources and referrals. Because of them, the store's merchandise is the high caliber that shoppers have come to enjoy. Happy shoppers + great merchandise = high store revenue to purchase more 'bricks & sticks' to build more homes!

(Top is part of the Pam Harrington Exclusives team & the second pic is part of the Buck Lumber team plus my boss, Kimberly.)

Bloggers' Block

Sorry for the delay in posts...I've had bloggers' block! (is that a coined term yet??)

Since I, obviously, haven't been blogging, just what have I been doing? Well this was the week for meetings! I can't believe that Jan. is almost over, it's kind of sick - I expected to be more established in my projects by now...

...projects like our Golf Benefit, church-sponsored house build (x2), grants, articles for our annual report, my monthly mini-newsletter to the Board Members, etc.

Whew! I'm glad to be busy and things really are coming along. I'm assured by the fact that I'm working in God's timing! I hope you have that assurance, too. If not, I suggest asking God to help you let go & seek His plan. As Creator of the universe, let alone of you & me, He knows best. Please comment or email me if you'd like to know more about God's plan and love for you.

Building on the Dream

We 'rallied to build' and 'raced to finish' the MLK House as a group of volunteers dedicated to honoring the legacy of Dr. King. We had about 45 people from St. Pauls Parish out helping on their day off because they believed that through their action, they can make a difference.

The day began with breakfast and a rally, then we all marched to the build site where we put up the walls of the first SIHH home in Hollywood, SC. Our homeowner was hard at work all day along side her friends and family. We were also blessed to have the help of a celebrity! Tamara Tunie (from Law & Order: SVU and As the World Turns) helped by contributing financially, helping garner media attention and by swinging a hammer all day long. By the end of the day, our construction manager, Troy, said that he's pretty sure this is the farthest we've ever gotten on a home's first build day. Way to go St. Pauls Parish!

Picture, L to R: Congressman Brown, Rev. Alston, Rev. Linnen, Tamara Tunie, Jackie Heyward

P.S. Yes, I got to meet and talk with Tamara! :)

A House for Affordable Housing!

WOW! Can you believe that someone donated an entire house to our Resale Store?! Our local newspaper, the Post & Courier, ran an article covering the amazing story. Here's the short version:

Wesley Pritchett, a builder living in Atlanta, purchased a piece of land on Johns Island and loved the land, just not the house on the land. He could have solved the problem quickly by ordering a wrecking ball to destroy it - but instead he donated it to our store on the conditions that the buyer pays to move the house within 30 days of purchase.

So, our store is accepting sealed bids for the 3 bedroom, 2 bath, never lived-in house until Jan. 31, 2007. The minimum bid someone may submit is $2,500. What a deal! The house is 90% complete, so apparently whoever began building the house abandoned it. It has new appliances, wood floors, huge porches and everything! (incase this is peeking your interest, call our store for more details, 559-4009.)

This is the largest, highest-value, single-item donation our Resale Store has ever recieved! We are so thankful for people's generosity and creativity in their giving!

p.s. In case you're curious as to why we're not using the house for one of our homeowners, it's because it's bigger than our other homes. We want to: a. remain fair to all homeowners, and b. don't want the taxes & insurance to be an impossible burden on our homeowners.

New Year, New Progress!

This past weekend, the church I attend began a study on the Book of Ephesians with the theme being "New & Improved." Fitting for the start of a new year. I'm glad to say that the outlook for progress at Sea Island Habitat can fall into this theme also!

A future neighborhood, Brownswood Place, that has been tied up in permitting, zoning, environmental reviews and much other hoopla is finally about to begin! No lie, we have been trying to open this parcel of land as a neighborhood for over FIVE years and today we were able to accept a contractor's bid to clear both phase I & phase II of it! :)

Brownswood Place will hold 53 homes - 53 families with new lives on the horizon! Already, four homes have been fully sponsored by individuals wanting to make a difference - and six individuals have sponsored the lot on which homes will be built (a program we call "Adopt-A-Lot," where for a $5,000 gift, a sign will say who adopted this lot during construction).

The image at the top of this post is the plot lay-out of Brownswood Place, so you can see that it will be a very child-friendly neighborhood with most the houses being situated on cul-de-sacs.

It's a new year...we're looking forward to God's new blessings!