U.S. Housing Facts   10.9 million individuals live in housing with severe physical deficiencies such as having no hot water, no electricity, no toilet or neither a bathtub nor shower. Habitat Quick Facts * More than 300,000 houses built! * One and a half million people now live in safe, decent Habitat houses. * Houses are sold at no profit with an interest-free mortgage. * Homeowners and volunteers build the houses under trained supervision.

• Feature: Pioneer Prairie Groundbreaking 
• Feature: Our New Partner, Beth Glen Brown 
• Feature: Our New Partner, Storm Kimbrough 
• Get Involved!: What's Happening in the Upcoming Months
• Spotlight On: Dale and Kim Showalter, Showalter Roofing  

FEATURE: PIONEER PRAIRIE GROUNDBREAKING

  

June 24 dawned sunny and hot as DuPage Habitat for Humanity partners gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking at Pioneer Prairie, a planned "green" 11-home neighborhood in West Chicago. Speakers from ComEd, College of DuPage, DuPage County, Thrivent, and DuPage Habitat articulated their reasons for participation in this pioneering project. David Chell, a student at the College of DuPage, expressed excitement at the ability to participate in producing usable green housing solutions. Calvin Butler, senior vice president of ComEd, said that each home's "green" elements will lower carbon emissions by 107,000 pounds over the 30-year mortgage. 

 

Habitat's high-quality, low-frill homes will be built by community volunteers and sold to DuPage County's working families at a zero percent interest rate. In the planned "green" community at Pioneer Prairie, DuPage Habitat is balancing cost-conscious development with environmentally-conscious decisions. The goals are to minimize Habitat's footprint in West Chicago, and maximize cost savings for Habitat's limited-income homeowners. 

  

-- Sarah Brachle    

 

FEATURE: OUR NEW PARTNER: STORM KIMBROUGH

  

   

"If I could build my own house, I would have," said Storm Kimbrough, who has always wanted to lay her family’s foundation in a stable home. The Kimbroughs - Storm and her twin son and daughter, aged 9 - are DuPage Habitat's newest partner family. Storm recounted her family's journey to this turning point, which included her own confrontation with homelessness at one time. For Storm, who now works with the DuPage County treasurer's office, the future is very bright. Storm says she has enjoyed the comradery and the hard work of rehabbing Habitat homes. As the finishing touches are completed on the Kimbroughs' new home, the family looks forward to adding their own finishing touches, especially the Kimbrough children, who Storm says are most excited about decorating their own rooms. Storm expressed her gratitude for the fact that her family's home is built on the foundation of the hard work and generosity of DuPage Habitat's many volunteers and donors.  

  

-- Dave Bristol 

Monday, Aug. 10: 2009 Golf Outing at Klein Creek. Register online now!

 

Tuesday, Aug. 11: New volunteer orientation meeting

6:30 p.m., BP Conference Center, Cantera II, 28301 Ferry Road, Warrenville, Ill.

 

Tuesday, Aug. 11: General monthly Habitat meeting

7 p.m., BP Conference Center

  

Tuesday, Sept. 8: New volunteer orientation meeting

6:30 p.m., BP Conference Center, Cantera II, 28301 Ferry Road, Warrenville, Ill.

  

Tuesday, Sept. 8: Monthly Habitat meeting

7 p.m., BP Conference Center

  

Sunday, Sept. 27: Tentative Brown and Schular Home Dedications

  

Sunday, Oct. 4, 1:30-4 p.m.: DuPage Habitat Homeowner Application Session

Wheaton Bible Church, West Chicago. Visit www.dupagehabitat.org for details.

  

Open Build Dates: Visit www.dupagehabitat.org for upcoming opportunities.  

 

This month, the "spotlight" is on Showalter Roofing, a long-time donor of labor and materials to DuPage Habitat for Humanity. Dale Showalter said that he first offered his company's resources to DuPage Habitat because he found the philosophy of partnering with those in need to improve their lives a refreshing one. "When you give handouts to people without responsibility, you really do them a disservice," he said. The fact that Habitat offers its partner families what he calls "a buy-in" is what attracted him to the organization. Over the last several years, Showalter Roofing has performed complete roof tear-offs on a number of DuPage Habitat rehabbed homes. In 2009-10, the company is committed to placing new roofs or completing tear-offs on six DuPage Habitat projects, including some of the forthcoming Pioneer Prairie homes. Showalter admitted that it's difficult not to make cut-backs during these hard economic times, but decided to continue donating because "people's needs don't cut back."

 

  -- Dave Bristol