Calvin Klein T-shirt Sale to Benefit Habitat's Earthquake Response in Japan

Calvin Klein has designed a special tee-shirt to be sold in its freestanding stores in Hong Kong in aid of Habitat for Humanity Japan’s earthquake response. The unisex tee-shirts are sold at HK$290 (US$37) each and sport the slogan “Calvin Klein loves Japan.” Habitat is mobilizing volunteers to help clear debris and clean up.

Nearly 200 volunteers have been sent by HFH Japan to help in Ofunato and Rikuzentakata cities worst-affected.

To date, Habitat has cleared nearly 100 homes or community buildings. Habitat will be supporting partners to employ local carpenters to start repairing homes and is planning to distribute “home starter kits” to families moving in to government-provided temporary shelter and those returning to damaged homes. These kits will include items such as bamboo mats, bedding, linen and pans and utensils.

Read more in the quarterly report on Habitat’s post-earthquake response in Japan.
*Story from HFHI Asia-Pacific Update email

New Jersey Needs YOU to Stuff the Bus!

Children need the right tools to begin the school year ready to learn. For struggling parents, providing the necessary school supplies can be a financial hardship. When their children receive school supplies through a local Stuff the Bus program, parents are better able to utilize their limited financial resources to pay for basic needs such as food, utilities, rent, etc. In addition, children have greater self-esteem when they have the school supplies they need, and the same school supplies as their peers.

New Jersey's agencies know how important it is for students to have all the supplies they need at the beginning of the school year to help ensure academic success. Through NJ 2-1-1 and local agencies throughout the State, YOU can help make a difference by donating supplies, gift cards or your time.

If you know a child in need of school supplies this August, please dial 2-1-1 or contact one of the local Stuff the Bus organizers to get additional information on distribution dates and times.

Dial 2-1-1 for additional contact information for organizations with Stuff the Bus events or check out their most up to date listing online.

*from an email received from 2-1-1

Five Simple Ways to Help Paterson Habitat for FREE

Here are five simple ways to help Paterson Habitat. Got more ideas? Share them with us in a comment down below!

1. Show some social love. Follow us on twitter (we follow back!) and like us on Facebook. You can send tweets to your followers about us (@patersonhabitat), retweet us, and share/like our Facebook posts. Show your support by adding us to your profile and bio info too.

2. Add yourself to our email list right here on: www.patersonhabitat.org

3. Get creative with a fundraiser. Create a Causes Page on Facebook or become part of one of our fundraisers like, "Hammering for Habitat" coming in January.

4. Add us to your personal email auto-signature. Link to our website or donation page with a short snippet on what we do. Something as simple as "I support Paterson Habitat for Humanity - www.patersonhabitat.org".

5. Volunteer, and add it to your resume and online profiles (like LinkedIn). Let the world know about Habitat for Humanity, and that helping is important to you!

World Habitat Day - Get Involved

Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, encourages Habitat supporters to organize a World Habitat Day event in their community.  World Habitat Day is October 3rd. 

The Jersey Road Trip - Cars For Homes

Last November, Morris HFH, HFH Newark, HFH of Bergen County and Paterson HFH were jointly awarded the 2011 CFH Partnership Project, a $100,000 matching grant to help the affiliates build energy-efficient affordable housing in their counties. But, the affiliates anticipate benefits from the partnership to last longer than the grant funds.

Barbara Dunn, Paterson HFH executive director, describes the project. She said, “Certainly the extra funds are welcome. But beyond that, the most lasting impact of receiving the CFH Partnership Project is the continuing collaboration with each other. We realize now that by working together on joint marketing, such as signage for the Jersey Road Trip on NJ Transit trains, we have the chance to make a mark in this highly competitive media region of northern New Jersey. I’d recommend that all affiliates look to “sister” affiliates for ways to share Cars for Homes™ marketing -- it just makes sense.”

For one week in May, Cars for Homes™ staff and volunteers from across the U.S. participated in the Jersey Road Trip, helping future Habitat partner homeowners and local volunteers frame, weatherize, landscape, paint and tile four construction projects. The week-long event generated increased awareness of the value of car donations to local affiliates and ended with a celebration at the Morris HFH ReStore. 

Click here to see photos and read more!

Story from Cars For Homes Summer Newsletter.

Habitat blesses Haiti site ahead of 500-house project

Habitat for Humanity recently conducted a site blessing on the 18-month anniversary of the January 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti. Habitat’s staff, partners and local officials and community members gathered at the Santo project site in Leogane, Haiti, where the first of 500 permanent homes will be built in August. About 100 of these houses will be built during the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project to be held at the site in November. The annual special build, led by former U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, is expected to attract about 400 international volunteers. 

Read more about the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Haiti. 

About Habitat for Humanity Haiti

• Habitat for Humanity has been at work in Haiti for more than 27 years.
• Habitat Haiti has provided housing solutions through a variety of initiatives including new home construction, progressive building, home repairs and improvements.
• Habitat Haiti also teaches construction skills, disaster risk reduction and financial literacy, and works in coordination with community and government agencies.

Habitat’s commitment to Haiti

Habitat is committed to serving 50,000 Haitian families over five years. Learn more about our Haiti earthquake recovery efforts.

Habitat World Day - Save the Date!

Today, 1.6 billion people live in inadequate shelter around the world; 1 billion of those live in slums. By 2030, it is expected that 2 billion people will live in slum communities.  The world’s housing situation is a crisis in need of attention and action.  
 

On World Habitat Day, October 3, Habitat for Humanity joins the United Nations and organizations around the world in raising awareness, educating and mobilizing individuals and communities to take action on the current global housing crisis while working together to ensure adequate housing for all.

 

In recognition of World Habitat Day and the work Habitat for Humanity has done to alleviate poverty housing, Habitat will dedicate its 500,000th home in Maai Mahiu, Kenya, and raise the walls on its 500,001st home in Paterson, New Jersey. This milestone represents 500,000 houses built, rehabbed or repaired and families served.

Now more than ever, support is needed to help Habitat for Humanity address critical housing needs in our community and around the world.  To support the work of Habitat for Humanity, visit our website and Habitat for Humanity Int’l website. 

SAVE THE DATE: This October 3, Paterson Habitat joins Habitat for Humanity volunteers, homeowners, partners and supporters around the world in recognizing World Habitat Day!

Keep it Cool - Heat Safety Tips

Child Safety Tips

• Make sure your child's safety seat and safety belt buckles aren't too hot before securing your child in a safety restraint system, especially when your car has been parked in the heat.
• Never leave your child unattended in a vehicle, even with the windows down.
• Teach children not to play in, on or around cars.
• Always lock car doors and trunks--even at home--and keep keys out of children's reach.
• Always make sure all children have left the car when you reach your destination. Don't leave sleeping infants in the car ever!

Adult Safety Tips

• Slow down. Reduce, eliminate or rescheduled strenuous activities until the coolest time of the day. Children, senior and anyone with health problems should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.
• Dress for summer. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.
• Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods, like meat and other proteins that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.
• Drink plenty of water or other non-alcohol or decaffeinated fluids. Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you don't feel thirsty. Persons who have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease, are on fluid restrictive diets or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a physician before increasing their consumption of fluids. Do not drink alcoholic beverages and limited caffeinated beverages.
• During excess heat period, spend more time in air-conditioned places. Air conditioning in homes and other buildings markedly reduces danger from the heat. If you cannot afford an air conditioner, go to a library, store or other location with air conditioning for part of the day.
• Don't get too much sun. Sunburn reduced your body's ability to dissipate heat.
• Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician.

Source: NOAA's National Weather Service website

Act Now to Protect Low-Income Programs from Reckless Cuts!

With only a few weeks left before Congress must vote to raise the debt ceiling or face default, negotiators are working overtime to come up with a deficit reduction package. Low-income families and children have much at stake in this debate as critical safety net programs and ladders to opportunity are on the chopping block. It’s not too late to take a stand against reckless cuts to these programs and make your voice heard. In fact, here are a few easy ways to get involved:

Call your senators. Beginning Wednesday, July 13, through Friday, July 15, grassroots advocates concerned about the threats to human-needs programs will participate in national call-in days. Take a few minutes to call your senators and ask them to protect programs supporting low-income Americans and ask them to support fair increases in revenues to fight reckless cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and other important services. You can call toll-free at 888.907.1485. If you’re unable to make a call this week, we urge you to send an email to your senators with the same message. Click here to send an email—it will only take three minutes or less.

Discuss the current budget battle with members of Congress. On Thursday, July 14, at 2:15 p.m. EST, join a national call on which you’ll hear from members of Congress like Rep. Chris Van Hollen, leading advocacy organizations, and service providers about what’s at stake for low-income families in the budget debate. RSVP by Wednesday, July 13, as call-in lines are limited. To RSVP, click here.

Urge your networks and colleagues to do the same. Please forward this message to colleagues, friends, and family. With the lives of millions of low-income families and children hanging in the balance, the time to act is now.

Article taken from: American Action Progress Fund

World champ is a knock out with Habitat for Humanity

The best boxer in the world is supporting Habitat for Humanity. WBO welterweight Super Champion and currently rated the world’s number one pound-for-pound boxer Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao has been named a Habitat Hero Ambassador for HFH Philippines. The honor was unveiled at a private dinner hosted by Fernando Zobel de Ayala, a member of the Habitat for Humanity International board. Pacquiao, who has won ten world titles at eight different weights, is also a congressman representing Saranggani province on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines. He considered poverty to be an even greater opponent to those whom he faced in the boxing ring. Pacquiao’s first gesture of support was to donate a 3.5 hectare plot of land in Saranggani which will enable 200 to 250 homes to be built. Read more about Manny and the dinner. 

Story from Habitat for Humanity International 

Are you sitting in the heat?

From our friends at Paterson Education Fund:

How hot is it in your office? I bet you didn't start with day with 86+ temperatures in your room with no air conditioning! But thousands of NJ's children are sitting in air conditioned classrooms today. And even releasing them early won't undo the damage to asthma sufferers or children with other vulnerable conditions.

We spend a lot of time in NJ talking about our 21st century high standards for education. Our kids have to try to meet the standards in 19th century factory conditions. 

Tell our govenor and your legislators to get serious about school construction. And post your office temperatures at 10 and noon to PEF's Facebok Page. We'll share.

Sitting cool, but the kids are not.

Paterson Walking Tour

Use your birthday to change the world!

We all get things we don’t need for our birthdays, why not use this special occasion to raise money for a cause you really care about? This feature allows any Facebook user to create a Birthday Wish and ask their friends to donate to the cause of their choice as a birthday present.

Cause will walk you through really simple steps to create your wish and promote it to your family and friends.

Get started on your wish: http://wishes.causes.com

Tips

• Make it personal – pick a cause that is meaningful to you and reflects your interests. Your friends will feel more invested in supporting your cause if they know why it means something to you.
• Don’t be afraid to ask. Your friends can’t donate to your birthday wish unless they know about it! Use our tools to send emails and set status messages, but don’t forget to talk to your friends about it, post the link everywhere you can think of, and get the word out.
• Say thank you! Don’t forget to thank your friends who donate; we’ll let you know who donated and remind you to thank them. A personalized heartfelt thank you means a lot.
• Tweet about it! Shout about it! Planning an event or birthday party? Include a link to your wish in the invite.

Check out our Causes page here: http://www.causes.com/causes/202643-paterson-habitat-for-humanity

Tips on Keeping Your Home COOL

Puzzling out how to keep your house as cool as possible during these hot summer months? Trying to remember the conventional wisdom but not quite sure how it goes? Those window fans, for example, should they be placed to draw air in or out? Upwind or downwind of the dwelling? And what about windows, shades, and awnings? Are windows on the North side of the house better left closed or open during the day? Are awnings better than shades?

1. Reduce the cooling load by employing cost-effective conservation measures. Provide effective shade for east and west windows. When possible, delay heat-generating activities such as dishwashing until evening on hot days.

2. Over most of the cooling season, keep the house closed tight during the day. Don’t let in unwanted heat and humidity. Ventilate at night either naturally or with fans.

3. You can help get rid of unwanted heat through ventilation if the temperature of the incoming air is 77 F or lower. (This strategy works most effectively at night and on cooler days.) Window fans for ventilation are a good option if used properly. They should be located on the downwind side of the house facing out. A window should be open in each room. Interior doors must remain open to allow air flow.

4. Use ceiling fans to increase comfort levels at higher thermostat settings. The standard human comfort range for light clothing in the summer is between 72 F and 78 F. To extend the comfort range to 82 F, you need a breeze of about 2.5 ft/sec or 1.7 mph. A sow-turning ceiling-mounted paddle fan can easily provide this air flow.

5. In hot climates, plant shade trees around the house. Don’t plant trees on the South if you want to benefit from passive solar heating in the winter.

6. If you have an older central air conditioner, consider replacing the outdoor compressor with a modern, high-efficiency unit. Make sure that it is properly matched to the indoor unit.

7. If buying a new air conditioner, be sure that it is properly sized. Get assistance from an energy auditor or air conditioning contractor.

8. Buy a high-efficiency air conditioner: for room air conditioners, the energy efficiency ratio (EER) rating should be above 10; for central air conditioners, look for a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) rating above 12.

9. In hot, humid climates, make sure that the air conditioner you buy will adequately get rid of high humidity. Models with variable or multi-speed blowers are generally best. Try to keep moisture sources out of the house.

10. Try not to use a dehumidifier at the same time your air conditioner is operating. The dehumidifier will increase the cooling load and force the air conditioner to work harder.

11. Seal all air conditioner ducts, and insulate ducts that run through unheated basements, crawl spaces, and attics.

12. Keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees F or higher if using ceiling fans. Don’t air-condition unused rooms.

13. Maintain your air conditioners properly to maximize efficiency.

Warm Weather Window Solutions

14. Install white window shades or mini-blinds. Mini-blinds can reduce solar heat gain by 40-50 percent.

15. Close south and west-facing curtains during the day for any window that gets direct sunlight. Keep these windows closed, too.

16. Install awnings on south-facing windows, where there’s insufficient roof overhang to provide shade.

17. Hang tightly woven screens or bamboo shades outside the window during the summer to stop 60 to 80 percent of the sun’s heat from getting to the windows.

18. Apply low-e films.

19. Consider exotic infills in your windows, a new technology that fills the space between panes with krypton or argon, gasses that have lower conductivity than air, and which boost R-values.

Tips for your A/C

19. Provide shade for your room A/C, or the outside half of your central A/C if at all possible. This will increase the unit’s efficiency by 5 percent to 10 percent.

20. Clean your A/C’s air filter every month during cooling season. Normal dust build-up can reduce air flow by 1 percent per week.

22. Turn off your A/C when you leave for more than an hour.

23. Several studies have found that most central air conditioning systems are oversized by 50 percent or more.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/keep-house-cool-23-tips.html#ixzz1Nx0DYJKZ

Donate to help Joplin tornado victims and other flood and storm victims

The central United States has been hit by back-to-back disasters with a devastating tornado in Joplin, Mo., other tornadoes across the south and Midwest and flooding from the Mississippi River. Affected communities face an enormous task of cleaning up and rebuilding. Habitat for Humanity affiliates throughout the region will be assessing the damage to low-income housing in their communities. Your donation today can assist these efforts.

Visit Habitat's donation page here.

Matching Gifts - Find out how!

Many companies offer matching gift programs to encourage employees to contribute to charitable organizations. Many employers will match tax-deductible charitable contributions made by their employees, retirees and employees’ spouses. Some provide matching funds to support employee volunteer hours.

Donate online, by phone or mail! Then, follow the steps below to have your company match your gift.

1. To find out if your company will match gifts to Habitat for Humanity, please enter your employer's name on the Habitat for Humanity International website.    

1. If your company is eligible, download or request a matching gift form from your employer. Complete the form your company has in place for matching gifts.

   Employer Identification Number (EIN) (i.e. Federal Tax Identification Number):  22-2598-353
   Organization Name: Paterson Habitat for Humanity
   Organization Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2585, Paterson, NJ 07509
   Phone: (973) 595-6868
   Fax: (973) 595-0974
   E-mail Address: office@patersonhabitat.org
   Web Site: www.patersonhabitat.org
   Organization Type: Civic, Health and Human Service, Shelter

2. E-mail or mail your completed matching gift form to:

   Attn: Matching Gift
   Paterson Habitat for Humanity
   PO Box 2585
   Paterson, NJ 07509
   Email: office@patersonhabitat.org
   

Thank you for your support!
Your employer's match will help build even more houses and change even more lives.

Habitat mobilizes more volunteers in Japan

Habitat for Humanity Japan is set to recruit more volunteers from within the country this weekend to work in earthquake-hit Iwate Prefecture. The second and third teams of volunteers are expected to travel to badly affected Ofunato city in June. More details on habitatjp.org. 

During Japan’s ‘Golden Week’ national holidays more than two weeks ago, 12 Habitat volunteers from university campuses across Japan traveled to Ofunato to help clear debris and repair houses. They pulled out wet floor insulation and tatami mats (traditional Japanese flooring) and cleared mud from houses, among other works. Ofunato, in northern Iwate Prefecture, about 500 km. north of Tokyo, was one of the three areas most affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami on 11th March. Subsequent teams of Habitat volunteers from within Japan are also expected to work in Ofunato in June. Isako Matsuoka, 20, was among the first team of Habitat volunteers. She wrote in a volunteer diary: “I now feel that I have a tie to Ofunato and the home-owners I have worked alongside. I think the message that I will pass on is that the situation is not helpless and we can do something for the people affected.” Read more of her diary. 

One local resident who only wanted to be known by his family name Hosoya, related how he escaped death by going out to sea together with his neighbor, a fisherman. “After the tsunami I had no money, house, or anything to eat. But people unknown to me sent food and clothes. They wanted to help us. Do not forget that you are living in a world with others that care and wanted to support you.” He added: “I never imagined that I would smile again, or feel love again.” Habitat for Humanity will be helping survivors in both Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures alongside partners, like United States-based non-profit organization All Hands Volunteers. 

More family stories, volunteer diaries, an aid worker’s account and photos on Habitat’s Facebook. Click here for more information on Habitat’s response in Japan. 

Story from Habitat for Humanity International - www.habitat.org 

Diary of a Women Builder

I have been involved with the Women Build project since 2008 and witnessed so many wonderful, energetic and generous women who come out to build with such pride for the work they are doing.

We are all in awe of the final finished product ― a beautiful house for a deserving family that will turn it into their own home.

On May 4, 2011, a rather rainy and dismal Wednesday morning, I took a step back and watched as, one by one, 25 dedicated women came to report for duty.

Among these women was Julie “The Accidental Housewife” Edelman. She was the National spokesperson for the Women Build project of 2010 and spearheaded the building of our fifth WB project. She is back to again to “spread the glove” for the sixth Paterson Habitat Women Build house.

As fate would have it, Pam McBride, who designed, helped finance and build our first two Women Build houses, was here, too. These two women had never met before, but had been in touch as it just so happened that Pam won “An evening with Julie” at our Twenty-fifth Anniversary Gala auction. They quickly became fast friends and were excited at the prospect of their night out.

As I continued to observe the ladies throughout the day—never complaining but every once in a while shouting something like “there goes my nail” amidst a roar of laughter, or a couple of ladies taking a little break, hard hat and gloves in hand comparing calluses with pride—I would think to myself, “Who would have ever thought that these ladies with little time on their hands would be so selfless, committed and eager to return to see the job through?”

We are truly blessed. I am blessed and humbled to see the kindness and generosity of these people every day. I can’t wait for them to meet the future homeowners.  Read more Women Build Diaries.

Written by: Gina Damiano, Resource Development Manager.

Habitat for Humanity ranks No. 6 among largest homebuilders in the U.S.

Habitat for Humanity’s work to provide affordable housing in Paterson has helped Habitat for Humanity International rank as the sixth largest homebuilder on Builder magazine’s top 100 list.  With 6,032 closings in 2010, this is the second time Habitat for Humanity has placed in the top 10. 

“Our placement on the Builder 100 list is a testament to what can be accomplished when people work together,” said Larry Gluth, senior vice president of U.S. and Canada for Habitat for Humanity International. “So many families in the United States and around the world face an incredible need for affordable housing, and this need only increases during challenging economic times. Habitat works every day to help these families, and we are grateful for the generosity of our donors, volunteers and advocates who have joined our efforts to help families obtain safe, decent and affordable homes and to strengthen communities.” 

The Builder 100 list is an annual compilation of the largest homebuilders in the country. In 2009, Habitat for Humanity ranked eighth on the list with 5,294 closings, marking the first time the organization made it to the top 10.   

Habitat volunteers tackle Waldwick home to house four families

The Record - May 5, 2011
BY ALLISON PRIES
Full Article Here

Volunteers toiled inside and out at a Wyckoff Avenue condominium Thursday that will soon be home to four local families.
                                                                

A half dozen men and women used pick axes and shovels to dislodge stones from the dirt in front of a converted 1790s Dutch colonial. Inside the four units, tiles and laminate flooring were laid and walls were getting a second coat of paint.

The renovation is being done by Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County and will result in homeownership for families who now live in cramped apartments in Mahwah, Ramsey, Waldwick and Hackensack.

Extra hands were on site Thursday to help bring the project closer to its expected August completion. About two dozen people from Franklin Lakes-based BD, a medical technology company, and Habitat’s Cars for Homes program pitched in with a full day’s work.

Several representatives from Cars for Homes, a component of Habitat for Humanity International, were in Waldwick as the third stop on their “Jersey Road Trip.” The week-long event brought Habitat employees and volunteers from across the country to work at project sites in Summit and West Orange.

Friday they will help weatherize a 20-year-old Habitat home on Main Street in Paterson by siding, insulating and patching the home’s drywall.

“I love to come out and do the physical work,” said Marcia Rundle, who runs the Cars for Homes program from her house in Montana. “It’s great meeting the families and volunteers.”

Four North Jersey Habitat affiliates – Bergen County, Paterson, Newark and Morris County – won a challenge grant from Cars for Homes, which sells donated cars or scraps them to raise money that is used for building projects. Cars for Homes will match the money raised through cars donated in honor of the four affiliates between November 2010 and June 30, 2011, up to $100,000.

“These affiliates are awesome,” Rundle said. “Each one had a project that had something to do with restoring, recycling or making a building green.”   Read the rest of the article here