Meet a Partner Family

Heather and her Two Children

Born and raised in Denver, Heather works a full-time job, is pursuing her Bachelor's degree part-time and cares for her two children. After stretching every paycheck as far as it could go, she and her children are very excited to be moving into their new Habitat home.

Their current apartment is badly in disrepair. The family is worried that the bathroom ceiling will collapse from water damage and the kitchen cabinets fall apart when they are opened. Heather's daughter suffers from asthma and is affected when neighbors smoke cigarettes outside their apartment.

Heather and her children know all of this will change when they move into their new Habitat home. Her children are looking forward to playing sports outside and starting school in a new district. Heather is grateful that she has been given the opportunity to learn about construction and repairs during her sweat equity hours and is thankful for the opportunity to meet other Habitat families.

Heather would like to show that through hard work and determination, homeownership is possible. She's excited to be able to ride bikes and do yard work with her children in the future.

To read more about Heather and her children, click here. Also, consider volunteering with us and help to build a brighter future for our partner families.

The AmeriCorps Build-a-Thon

During the week of May 8^th, a team of Habitat’s AmeriCorps members traveled to Milwaukee to participate in a Build-a-Thon to complete 10 homes. Joined by hundreds of other local volunteers and over 80 other AmeriCorps members who worked around the country, the Denver team framed, sheathed, roofed and sided the homes in just five days.

AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs created in 1993 that engages more than 50,000 Americans each year in service in our communities. Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver has 8 AmeriCorps members that help us build safe and affordable homes for low-income families each year.

For AmeriCorps member Leanna Powell, one highlight of her experience was working on the porch for a 21-year old single mother named Santana. Santana’s aunt, Licole, was talking about the house and how in one year they could be eating dinner on the porch with Santana’s daughter.

AmeriCorps members from 13 other states participated in the Build-a-Thon and helped build homes at 8 locations around the country, including Milwaukee. For more information on the AmeriCorps program, visit our website. To see a photo album of the Build-a-Thon in Milwaukee, click here.

Spring Cleaning with the Outlets

As the weather gets warmer, spring cleaning takes over. If you and your family plan to clear out basements, closets and cars, trash can pile up and crowd our landfills. However, this cleaning season, consider donating your materials to Habitat’s Home Improvement Outlets. The Outlets are a great community resource for accepting donations and reselling them back to the public at up to 80% off retail. Plus, all the net proceeds help fund Habitat’s homeownership program. Materials that the Outlets cannot sell will be recycled, saving tons of trash from going to landfills each week.

The Outlets also offer a deconstruction program to help you with your project. If you are planning to remodel or redecorate this spring, call the Outlets to schedule an appointment. A specialized team of volunteers will come out and help you organize and deconstruct materials that can be donated, load them on a truck and haul them away. The deconstruction program can reduce some of the demolition costs of your project and provide you with a tax donation receipt.

The Denver Habitat Home Improvement Outlets offer a wide variety of appliances, tools and other home improvement materials at both locations in Wheat Ridge and Denver. Find the materials to make your vision a reality and connect with the Outlets on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about sales and specials.

The 8th Annual Breakfast for Humanity

Last week, hundreds of Habitat friends and supporters got the opportunity to learn about the organization from table hosts and keynote speakers at our annual Breakfast for Humanity. The speakers included Habitat's Executive Director Heather Lafferty, Governor Hickenlooper's Chief of Staff Roxane White and the daughter of a Habitat homeowner Ann Padilla. Emcee Cheryl Preheim, an anchor with 9News, welcomed guests to the event.

During the one-hour breakfast, guests were introduced to Habitat's homeownership program and how it works to provide a sustainable solution to substandard housing. Each day, Habitat for Humanity builds 150 homes around the world. For Ann Padilla, the impact of Habitat and the hard work of her mother can be seen for generations. Click here to watch the video of her speech as she tells her family story.

A special thank you goes out to all of our table hosts, staff, sponsors and speakers who made the event such a success. For more information on the event, visit our website. Also, connect with us on Facebook to learn about more upcoming Habitat events.

Photos and videos by Chris Haugen. Click here to visit his website.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Habitat

A hard-working single mother, Stephanie, her two kids and her sister are looking forward to moving into their new Habitat home. Struggling to find adequate housing, she currently lives in a cramped house in Denver. She works for the Salvation Army to provide for her family and knows that her new home will bring stability to her families’ lives. She is so grateful for the opportunity to own her own home. This year, you can help mothers like Stephanie by celebrating your Mom and all that she’s done for you.

As our hard-working partner families struggle to find adequate housing, you can spend a day with your Mom helping to build a home. With affordable and safe homes, other moms and children will have a brighter future and a place to celebrate with their families. Also, consider making a donation to Habitat on behalf of your Mom this Mother’s Day. Your gift can provide nails, doors and even roofs for our homes that are under construction.

Celebrate all that Mom does for you by doing something unique for her and help Habitat build brighter futures for Moms all over the world.

For more information on volunteering and donations, visit our website.

Click here to connect with us on Facebook.

Ivanhoe Weekly Video Update

With the construction of 13 new homes set to begin in May and June, learn about some basic safety tips from our construction managers and volunteers before you sign up for your own build day. Show off your knowledge of power tools and hammers by inviting your friends to build with you.

After learning the safety basics, head out to one of our new sites with a group from your organization, business or nonprofit. Click to watch the video below and see how other groups are joining with Habitat to build decent and affordable homes for low-income families.

For more information on volunteering, visit our website. To learn about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, connect with us on Facebook.

Spring Home Dedications

This spring, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver has much to celebrate. From April to the end of May, we will dedicate 11 new homes in Commerce City and Denver! Join us and hear from our partner families and watch as they cut the ribbons and receive the keys to their new homes.

Walsh Place
3186 and 3188 W. Walsh Place, Denver
Tuesday, April 26th at 5:30pm
Proudly sponsored by the Anschutz Foundation

First 4 Ivanhoe
7194, 7184, 7174, 7164 Ivanhoe Street, Commerce City
Tuesday, May 3rd at 5:30pm
Proudly sponsored by the Home Depot PSB and CHFA

69th Place
6993 and 6995 E. 69th Place, Commerce City
Wednesday, May 11th at 5:30pm
Proudly sponsored by Intrepid Potash and Xcel Energy

Last 3 Ivanhoe
7154, 7144, 7134 Ivanhoe Street, Commerce City
Tuesday, May 24th at 6:30pm
Proudly sponsored by Thrivent, Holy Hammers, Cisco & Partners and Anadarko

Habitat would like to thank our volunteers and staff who braved the cold weather to help hard-working families move into safe, warm and affordable homes. With the construction of 13 new homes beginning in May and June, visit our website to learn how you can sign up for your own build day.

Click here to RSVP for our spring dedications on Facebook.