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|  | | Dear Friends,
Habitat for Humanity was founded nearly 50 years ago with the conviction that affordable housing could be built with a deep commitment by the community—with neighbor helping neighbor. This is a concept of volunteering that is deeply ingrained in our mission and identity today.
Here at Habitat DC-NOVA, we have an ever growing community of talented volunteers made up of individuals, corporations, faith organizations, AmeriCorps members and our own Young Professionals, to name just a few. Volunteers serve on our Board, in our office, at the ReStores, on our build sites, and supporting families we serve. Last year we had more than 3,000 volunteers who contributed over 41,000 hours to help us create affordable homeownership for local families.
Our mission to build strength and resilience through housing is dependent, in so many ways, on a robust effort by this diverse cadre of volunteers. Simply put, we could not achieve our mission without the thousands of volunteers who support us.
Volunteering is as powerful for those who volunteer as it is for us. The act of volunteering enriches both individuals and the larger community. Our volunteers develop new skills and relationships while volunteering. Moreover, no matter where at Habitat DC-NOVA our volunteers work, they invariably report a sense of pride in contributing to our mission and to a more compassionate and just society.
As April is National Volunteer Month, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the thousands of volunteers who have given of their time and energy to serve others and make a large and critical impact on our work.
In service, Susanne |
|  | | |  | April is National Volunteer Month—a time when we celebrate the incredible contributions of volunteers both at our organization and throughout the community. National Volunteer Month is the perfect time to shine a light on the impact volunteers make every single day. According to the Independent Sector and the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland, an hour of volunteer time is valued at $33.49. In our region, that hour is estimated to be worth $50.99, underscoring the tremendous value of the work our volunteers perform. At Habitat DC-NOVA and across the area, thousands of volunteers are making a crucial difference by lending their skills and energy to support a variety of needs in our community. Whether swinging hammers, helping in the ReStores, or supporting behind the scenes, we know that our volunteers are all in. They’re building homes, learning new skills, connecting with neighbors, and investing in a more equitable, accessible communities. Visit our website to learn more about volunteering with Habitat DC-NOVA. |
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It’s time to celebrate the amazing volunteers who show up, pitch in, and make a difference. On May 3rd from 1-3 pm, we will be hosting a volunteer appreciation event on to celebrate the work of all of our volunteer and highlight just a few of our incredible volunteers for their service.
The celebration will be held at the Alexandria Bier Garden and is a family friendly event. We hope to see you there! |
| | | | It’s been a busy and productive month as we continue building and preserving homes for families in our region!
Thanks to the incredible efforts of our Sandlot team, Crew Leaders, AmeriCorps members, and dedicated volunteers, our construction sites are filled with the sounds of hammers and saws.
Our Home Repair team has been hard at work completing a wide range of critical repairs—making homes safer and more accessible for residents across our communities.
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| | |  | Did you know we have a Women’s Giving Circle? The Women’s Giving Circle (WGC) empowers women to be philanthropic on their terms. Members connect with like-minded women through social gatherings and volunteer opportunities – all while directly sponsoring the construction of Habitat homes.
If you’re interested in learning more about the WGC, our Spring Soiree is a wonderful way to meet members of the Circle and our team. Email wgc@habitatdcnova.org to RSVP and learn more about the Women’s Giving Circle!
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| | | Rachel Jones, Director of Volunteer & Community Engagement, has worked at Habitat DC-NOVA for two years. Reflecting on her journey, Rachel shares, “Before joining Habitat DC-NOVA, I worked with the Appalachia Service Project, focusing on home repair in the Appalachian region. It was incredibly rewarding facilitating the transformation of homes into warmer, safer, and drier spaces with the help of enthusiastic volunteers nationwide. When the opportunity at Habitat DC-NOVA arose, I was thrilled to continue meaningful work in housing and deepen connections within the community.” |
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| She cherishes the diverse interactions she encounters weekly and finds inspiration from working alongside Habitat families, hearing their stories, and witnessing Habitat’s positive impact firsthand. Her role is dynamic, alternating between on-site engagement with volunteers and office responsibilities.
Additionally, Rachel serves as the Host-Site Manager for Habitat’s AmeriCorps program. She supports both the AmeriCorps members and Habitat staff to ensure a our offsite engagement opportunities from Neighborhood Revitalization to our playhouse build program and other assembly projects. |
| | We’ve recently welcomed two new members to our team – Enoch Marfo and Regine Sellote!
Enoch joins the team at our Alexandria ReStore as a Warehouse Associate & Driver and Regine joins the Real Estate Development team as Director of Policy & Advocacy
This month, we have five members of our staff celebrating their work anniversary with Habitat DC-NOVA! Thank you Behrouz Ahvazi, Susan Bomberg, Rashiek Harvard, Bernard Jefferson Jr., and Ryan Skitteral for your hard work and dedication.
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| | Women Build strives to engage, mobilize, and empower women and people of diverse gender identities in the critical work of affordable housing. This event offers friends, family, or colleagues the opportunity to work together on a construction site, learn new skills, and serve their community. In order to offer additional opportunities to engage this year, we have reserved a build day for individuals to join in! We have two ways to get involved: 🔨Bring together a team of five and raise $2,500 (or $500 a person) to get a build day just for your group on one of our construction sites. 🔨 Join one of our individual days where you can raise funds or donate and build with other dedicated volunteers. As we want to open this opportunity to as many women as possible, we ask each participant to contribute through fundraising on a sliding scale. Whether it’s $50 or $500, every dollar you raise will go directly toward building safe, stable homes for families in our communities! Email our volunteer team to learn more! |
| | April marks Fair Housing Month, honoring the anniversary of the landmark Fair Housing Act—legislation created to ensure equal access to housing opportunities for all. While it’s been 57 years since its passage, the work is far from over.
In our region, the affordable housing crisis continues to impact families, forcing too many to choose between rent and essentials like healthcare or food. Fair Housing Month centers our work as we continue towards building communities where all families can afford to live, work and thrive. Learn more about our housing programs.
We’re also recognizing Home is the Key campaign this month, a nationwide campaign to raise awareness and funds for affordable housing. Want to get involved? Stop by one of our ReStores this month and round up your purchase at checkout. Your donation can help support one of three critical projects in our community.
Learn more about the history of the Fair Housing Act from the National Low Income Housing Coalition
Learn more about Home is the Key Month and the importance of Fair Housing Month from Habitat for Humanity International |
| | | | On March 8th, we came together to celebrate something special: eight new homeowners at the Skyland Terrace Townhomes! The air was filled with joy as volunteers, partners, Habitat staff, and community members gathered to honor the families and everyone who joined together to make this project a reality.
The celebration featured heartfelt words from three of our newest homeowners, a warm welcome from one of the original Skyland residents, and inspiring messages from our dedicated partners at Douglass CLT, DHCD, and United Bank.
We also marked a major milestone: the launch of our 35th Anniversary Campaign! Madi Ford, Habitat DC-NOVA board member and Co-Chair of our 35th Anniversary Host Committee, kicked things off with the announcement of an energizing goal—to raise $1 million over the next year to build more equitable and accessible communities.
View additional photos from the event |
| | | In March, we had the pleasure of being included in a chili cookoff partners event with Juniper Networks at their Herndon Office!
Juniper Networks, Inc. is an American multinational corporation developing and marketing networking products, including routers, wireless access points, switches, network management software, network security products, and software-defined networking technology. They are driving innovation and setting new standards for AI in networking. |
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| Alongside their partners Presidio, ATP Gov, Harbor Vault Cloud Solutions, Copper River, Colossal (and more!), they have been so generous with their support for Habitat DC-NOVA through donations, recognition, and support of the communities we serve.
The chili cookoff was their second event for Habitat DC-NOVA and we look forward to many more fun and successful events to come! |
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