Partner Families of Habitat for Humanity of Talbot County

In this issue: Michelle Friend to be Next Home Buyer in Cambridge; ReStore Celebrates a Successful First Year; Antonia Cuffee Passes the Bar!

Volunteers from Interstate Container recently worked with Habitat Choptank on its construction site at 439 High Street in Cambridge. During their shift, team members worked with other Habitat volunteers and site supervisor Rhodana Fields to raise interior walls on the second floor. Interstate Container has generously committed to providing a volunteer crew for Habitat one day a month.

Michelle Friend (left to right) is joined by her Habitat sponsors Jill Jasuta and Ron Wolfe to sign paperwork for becoming a full partner in Habitat Choptank’s home ownership program.

Habitat Choptank executive director Nancy Andrew (left) joins with Teresa Potter (right), her daughter Brandy and their extended family along with Potter’s Habitat sponsor Chris Stauch (back row, far right) to celebrate Potter’s acceptance as a full partner in Habitat’s affordable home ownership program. Potter is working toward purchasing Habitat’s next home in St. Michaels.

Habitat Choptank celebrated the dedication of three more homes in July 2011. The first home completed was the St. Michaels Faith Build House - a partnership project between Habitat Choptank and three St. Michaels churches. This single family house at 210 Brooks Lane was sold to Habitat partner Lori Whitehead. The next home dedicated was at 703 Wright Street. This house is the result of a partnership with the City of Cambridge aimed at increasing affordable home ownership opportunities in the 'Maple Street' district. New home owner Chanice Rochester and her 2 children moved in that very day. The month was finished with the dedicaton of another duplex unit in the Milestone on Clay development in Easton. Milestone is a 10-duplex mixed income project that Habitat is undertaking with Elm Street Development. New home owner Gina Lewis joins six other families in the Milestone community which is a mix of Habitat home owners and moderate income home owners. To read Gina's remarks from the dedication, click here.

Now in its fifth year, Pitcher and Basin invites young people from around the Diocese of Wilmington to join together in giving back to the community. This year the youth spent two weeks partnering with Habitat Choptank. Participants also spend one whole day - as a group at their host parish, St. Mary, Refuge of Sinners, to say “thanks” to the parish community by pitching in and completing projects on their to-do list.

Susan Devlin (left), executive director of Habitat for Humanity Choptank, thanks Habitat partner Lori Whitehead and her daughter Becca for volunteering at Raise the Roof 2011. Whitehead is working toward purchasing a Habitat home in St. Michaels which is scheduled for completion by the middle of this year.

Easton Rotary president Tim Kagan, left, and club member Ted Bautz, right, take a break from their construction project to welcome Rotary District Governor Don Hackett onto Habitat for Humanity Choptank’s Milestone on Clay development in Easton. The club was volunteering with Habitat Choptank as part of the District Rotary Clubs’ Build Communities Day.

Kristen Van Trieste, president of the Easton High School Habitat Campus Chapter, accepts the President’s Volunteer Service Award from Susan Devlin, executive director of Habitat Choptank, in recognition of the club’s more than 200 hours of volunteer service last year helping to build at the Habitat construction site in Easton. Also on hand for the awards presentation were (from left to right) David Stofa, principal of Easton High School, Michael Meloch, Mona Patel, Tracy Detrich, club advisor, Kathleen Boyle, and LCDR Jon Hammond, club advisor. Missing from the photo is club advisor Amy Harris.

Allstate Building Company has donated the labor for the roof of the Habitat house under construction in St. Michaels. Allstate employees Alex Edge (left) and Ben Pretzler worked on a Saturday and Sunday to finish the roof of the single family home on Brooks Lane.

Members of The National Bank of Cambridge’s management team lend their support to Habitat Choptank. The bank recently presented Habitat Choptank with a donation and team members will be volunteering on the new Habitat home to be built in Cambridge. From left to right: Jean Sewell, David DeLuca, vice-president Habitat for Humanity Choptank, Kim Liddell, CEO of The National Bank of Cambridge, Bill Marshall, Tim McCarter, Johan Trumpy, Wayne Marshall, and Dori Weber.

Retiring board members Brad Messenger (front left) and Jackie Noller (front right) along with outgoing president Dick Deerin (front center) were honored for their service at Habitat for Humanity Choptank’s recent annual meeting. Other board members in attendance included (center left to right) Chuck Mangold, David DeLuca, Rev. Keith Cornish and Bill McDonnell; (back row left to right) Rev. Abigail Crozier Nestlehutt, Mike Hiner, Jeff Pritchett, Brad Baker, Kim Cassady, and Myron Walker.

Community leaders officially broke ground Sunday on the next Habitat Choptank home in Cambridge. From left, Commissioner Frank Stout, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Assistant Secretary Carol Anne Gilbert, Habitat Choptank Board President Dick Deerin, Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley, Governor Martin O'Malley, Habitat Choptank Executive Director Susan Devlin, Habitat Choptank Board member Rev. Keith Cornish, and Commissioner Donald Sydnor.

Habitat Choptank has helped Habitat for Humanity International achieve the rank of number 8 on the Builder 100 list. This is the first time the nonproft has been among the ten biggest builders in the United States.

Thank you to all of the Habitat Choptank volunteers, funders, and partners who helped complete six Habitat homes in Dorchester and Talbot Counties during the most recent fiscal year. Together, we are helping hardworking low-income families improve their lives and their neighborhoods through home ownership.

Tracy and Allen Lake are all smiles standing in front of their new home. Thanks to volunteer labor, Habitat Choptank is able to build its homes for $95,000. Habitat home owners buy their houses at cost with an interest free mortgage. Under this arrangement, the Lake's monthly mortgage payment including principal and escrow for property taxes will be less than what they previously paid in rent.

Habitat Milestone: 3 Construction Sites on 1 Saturday

Habitat for Humanity Choptank construction supervisor Rhodana Fields, left, works with Washington College volunteer Steve Stranahan to cut siding for the Habitat home under construction at 504 Edgewood Avenue in Cambridge. On the same Saturday, volunteers were also busy on job sites in Easton and St. Michaels.