Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity

Dream come true for long-time Habitat volunteer by Jackie Jackie Thorwick and Eric Kube Thorwick ST. PAUL, MINN. – Eric Kube has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity

Eric Kube, Executive Director of Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity, volunteered at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project last week in St. Paul, and worked with Amy Matthews, host of the Sweat Equity program on the DIY network. – photo submitted

and the Appalachian Work Project for many years. Now the Executive Director of Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity in Luck, he has always dreamed of working on a Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Work Project. During the week of Oct 4th he was able to do that when the 27th Carter Work Project was held in Minneapolis and St. Paul, co-hosted by Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. Kube was the co-lead on one of 26 homes being built or renovated that week. The Carter work project this year included a total of 86 homes in honor of the fact that President Carter is 86 years old. Other cities that were part of the project were Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis, MD., and Birmingham, AL.

Habitat Work Kube said he returned home from the week “…Tired and sore but excited about what we can accomplish locally.”

Jimmy Carter visited the site and met everyone working on the home.

He met and talked with a number of people there who are also passionate about the work Habitat does, which is to build or renovate homes with families in need of a simple, decent, affordable home and who are unable to purchase one without help. Amy Matthews, host of the television show “Sweat Equity” volunteered all week also and worked on the same home as Kube. Kube said Matthews got started in construction when she volunteered with her church building or fixing homes for people in need. He also met Susan Haigh, President and CEO of Twin Cities Habitat, Walter Mondale, St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman, and President Jimmy Carter. Kube said of Carter’s visit, “They didn’t warn us he was coming. One day I turned around and there he was. I didn’t even think of trying to get a picture, I just shook his hand and thanked him for coming.” Carter walked through the home and talked briefly with all of the volunteers and the homeowner, who has put in many hours of work on the home.

Mohammed Wehelie, with his wife and four children, will be Building a Habitat Home the owner of the three-bedroom home they worked on. He told Kube he felt like he’d won the lottery twice. Ten years ago he and his family were refugees in Somalia.

Mohammed Wehelie, the owner of the home being rehabbed, worked along with the volunteers, earning his required “sweat equity.”

They had a one in 50,000 chance of getting out, and they made it out. Wehelie said they spent the last ten years of their lives moving from place to place, never knowing what school district they’d be in. And they were one of about 1,000 families who applied for a Habitat home to be approved. He applied after his friend, Noor recommended it to him. Noor was selected to be a Habitat homeowner eight years ago, is still volunteering on Habitat builds and was there working on Wehelie’s home last week. Noor says it changed his family’s life when they got a Habitat home, and he wants to help the program help others.

Volunteers on the builds all met under a large tent for lunches, and speakers were brought in. Kube said he was very moved by one in particular, a woman who as a chil d had lived in one of the homes that was being rehabbed. She was the daughter of Hmong immigrants. She remembers the Habitat Build home as their “window to the world,” and spoke of the great opportunities available to people in this country who are willing to work for them.

This is the St.Paul home Kube and crew rehabbed during the week of Oct. 4 as part of the Carter Work Project. The home was completely gutted and all lead paint and asbestos temoved.

Her grandmother sat in the window every day to watch her leave for and return home from school. There were many positives in their American home, but it was also, literally, poisonous. The younger daughter became very sick from the lead paint in it. The woman who spoke is now a professor teaching at the University of Minnesota. Kube pointed out that woman’s story was not a Habitat story, it’s the story of a hardworking, deserving family who made it without the help of Habitat. But it demonstrates how Habitat can remove the stress and serious difficulties that many families experience in finding a decent place to live, as they work to improve their lives. Jimmy Carter spoke at a gala event Wed. night. Kube loved that he said he supports the program because Habitat is not a charity, it doesn’t give anything away. Habitat sells homes at cost to homeowners on a zero-interest loan, following the Biblical principle not to charge interest on loans to the poor. Kube explained, Habitat raises money to build a house, but through homeowner mortgage payments, over time, the money comes back to Habitat and is used to build more houses. The funds stay in the community but continue to be recycled. Gifts of money, services, or materials, it all helps. Kube said, “Supporting Habitat is not supporting a gift to someone; it’s supporting the future of a program that will help more families with their housing needs.”

WRHFH is working on a very exciting new project, Kube added. “We’re planning to start a new ReStore in St. Croix Falls, opening as soon as January.” ReStores are retail stores where used building materials and furniture are sold, and proceeds are given back to Habitat to build more homes. “It’s a clear win-win-win idea,” Kube said. People donate useable materials they no longer need and can get a tax write-off. It keeps that stuff out of landfills. And it creates a supplier of low-cost building materials.” ReStores have proven to be quite successful, according to Kube. “If people have things they’d like to give away, they may want to hang onto them for a couple of months and then we should be ready to take their donations.”

Thrivent Builds with Habitat home in Webster making great progress

Aug. 21 was the first day volunteers were on site working on Home this Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity home in Webster. As of Oct. 2, the outside of the Webster Thrivent Builds with Habitat home is done. “Volunteers have been tremendous this year,” said construction manager Jeff Butler. “They’ve really gone above and beyond to make this house come up fast, working more than the usual Tuesdays and Saturdays.”

Thrivent Home

Habitat homeowners, along with their families, put in many hours of sweat equity building their home. Above on the left is homeowner, Haven Tracey, with his father, Howie, who has driven 3 ½ hours one way up from his home near LaCrosse on five Saturdays to work on the home. Tracey’s mother and sisters have come and helped a couple of times also.

Above on the rightJennifer and Haven Tracey and their children Kyla, Ava, and Hyatt, sit in the doorway of their new home.

Habitat homeowners Building a home

Above on the left, Mick Peterson, Habitat board member and volunteer, shows Kyla Tracey, member of the Habitat family, how to use a hammer. Peterson is a retired shop teacher and seems to still enjoy using his teaching skills.

Above on the right, (L-R) Chuck Molitor has volunteered on 18 builds with WRHFH; Jerry Heckman is participating in his first; and Dave Wilhelmy has worked on 6 Habitat homes.

September 2010:

Thrivent Builds with Habitat home under way in Webster

WEBSTER – Another home is rising from the muddy ground in a lot on the outskirts of Webster, and soon another family who needs a home will have it. The home is being built by Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity, a faith-based volunteer organization that builds homes for, and with, families who need a decent, modest home, but are unable to get one without help. Thrivent Builds is partnering with Habitat and providing a significant portion of the funding needed to build this home, as well as providing Lutheran volunteer labor. The partner family is Haven and Jennifer Tracey, now living in Danbury with their three children. Mom and girls

Jennifer Tracey and her daughters Kyla and Ava brought lunch for the volunteer workers who put up the walls of their home on Aug 21.

After the slab was poured, 7 volunteers layed out and put up all but one small section of the walls. The remaining section of wall will be completed using the blessing boards that people signed at the Polk County fair. Next, roof trusses will go up, and then the family will choose siding and shingles color and those will be installed.

Another home that is being built by WRHFH this year in Osceola is nearly complete. We expect the family, Shirley Schoenberger and Breanna Prouty, to be in the home by Oct. 1. A dedication ceremony is being planned for shortly before then; please watch for announcements and join us.

If you would like to work with some great people on a wonderful project, please consider volunteering. Contact the Habitat office at 715-472-6080. The home is at 7514 Balsam St. West in Webster and build days are Tuesdays and Saturdays. Donations are also gratefully received, and they can be sent to WRHFH, PO Box 136, Luck, WI, 54853. For more information, check out our web site at www.wildrivershabitat.org and find us on Facebook.

About Thrivent Builds Homes

First day of building a new home

All but one small section of the external walls was put up on the first day volunteers were on site at the newest Habitat home being built in Webster.

The Thrivent Builds Homes program is expanding the home-building capacity of Habitat for Humanity affiliates and engaging thousands of volunteers nationwide. The program is part of a multi-million dollar home-building partnership between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity International called Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity.
“Thrivent Builds” homes mirror other Habitat homes, but have a greater focus on volunteers from local Thrivent volunteer chapters and Lutheran congregations. Those groups and other volunteers from the community—including Habitat partner families—come together to build simple, decent, affordable homes. But it’s not a giveaway program. The homes are sold to partner families at no profit. In addition to monthly mortgage payments, each homebuyer family invests hundreds of hours of labor into building their home and other Habitat houses.
Since its inception, the program funded construction for more than 2,000 homes in 46 states and the District of Columbia. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers helped build the homes.

In 2010:

181 homes are being built in 37 states.
More than 200 Thrivent Financial for Lutherans chapters—geographically-based volunteer groups of Thrivent Financial members—will be involved.
Homes will be built with 155 Habitat for Humanity affiliates—independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations that coordinate all aspects of Habitat home-building within specific geographical areas.
It will cost approximately $20 million to build the 181 homes:

Thrivent Financial is funding approximately $13 million, or 65 percent.
Habitat affiliates need to raise nearly $5 million, or 25 percent.
Thrivent chapters need to raise nearly $2 million, or 10 percent.

It will take roughly 326,000 volunteer hours from more than 50,000 volunteers to build the 181 homes—approximately 1,800 volunteer hours from 280 volunteers per house.

August 2010:

Thrivent partnering with Habitat to host Harlem Ambassadors game Sep. 26

Harlem Ambassadors basketball team Thrivent Financial is working with Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity to bring the internationally-acclaimed Harlem Ambassadors professional basketball team to Frederic to play a team of our own local basketball hotshots The game is set for Sunday Sep. 26 at 3 p.m in the Frederic High School gym.

Advance tickets are $5 for kids, students, and seniors, and $8 for adults. At-the-door prices will be $7 and $10. Children 4 and under admitted free. Tickets are available for sale at local banks.

Don’t miss this exciting event and fun way to raise funds for a great cause! Call Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity at 715-472-6080 to find out how to participate or with any questions.

Supplemental funding has been applied for from the Polk-Burnett Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Harlem Ambassadors Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit Christian housing ministry. Habitat builds simple, decent, affordable homes in partnership with those in need. Volunteers do most of the construction work. Habitat raises the money needed to build the homes and holds the mortgages. Many of the materials used are donated or discounted.

Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, serving Polk and Burnett Counties. We are an equal opportunity lender.

The Harlem Ambassadors offer a unique brand of Harlem-style basketball, featuring high-flying slam dunks, dazzling ball-handling tricks and hilarious comedy routines.

The Ambassadors have worked extensively with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs, and many others throughout the U.S.. They perform more than 200 shows a year, helping to raise millions of dollars. Check out their web site at www.harlemambassadors.com.

Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is a four-year $125 million alliance between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity International. The alliance makes Thrivent Financial one of Habitat’s largest allies and aims to increase Habitat’s annual house production by hundreds of homes per year. To date, 2,000 homes have been built in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries. For more information, visit www.thriventbuilds.com.

May 2010:

Habitat and Thrivent Builds break ground for two new homes

OSCEOLA/WEBSTER – Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity held two groundbreaking ceremonies over the last two weekends. At these joyful events, the symbolic start of building a home for a family who needs one, God’s guidance and blessing is asked for the workers, the families, and the home that will be built. If you would like to join in and help build these homes, or if you would like to support this work financially, contact WRHFH at PO Box 136, Luck, WI 54853, or call 715-472-6080.

The Webster home is being built through the Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity partnership this year. Matt Bobick and OJ Aune of Thrivent Financial attended and brought refreshments to share. Bobick spoke, sharing how in these times of troubling news about financial companies, Thrivent Financial, a nonprofit Fortune 500 company, is doing a lot of good. The Webster home is one of 182 homes in 37 states that is part of the Thrivent Builds project this year. Thrivent has committed $15 million for 2010 toward building these homes. Throughout the four-year alliance, 2,000 homes have been built, with more on the way. To volunteer or for more information, visit www.thriventbuilds.com. - submitted

Habitat Family Shirley Schoenberger and Breanna Prouty, the Habitat partner family, prepare to break ground where their new home will be built in Osceola, along with Habitat volunteers Becky Sunde, Pastor David Sollitt, and Eric Kube, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity.

The Tracey family breaks ground for their new home in Habitat Home Webster. Participating were (L to R) Tom Stusek, Webster Village President, with Jennifer Tracey, Eric Kube of HFH, Haven Tracey holding son Hyatt, and Matthew Bobick of Thrivent Financial. In front are Ava and Kyla Tracey.

Shanty Town event raises funds, awareness about homelessness

BALSAM LAKE – Living on a school bus isn’t all bad, according to Wayne Whitwam, principal at Unity elementary. Whitwam, along with others, spoke at the Shanty Town event held at Unity May 8 and 9, jointly hosted by the Salvation Army and Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity. Whitwam talked about being homeless as a child as part of an evening program after participants in the event built their shanties and were served a soup supper. Whitwam said he hadn’t thought of Shanty build himself as being homeless until he saw the definition as an adult. There wasn’t a trace of self-pity as he told his story. His parents had a loving marriage, then and now. He spoke admiringly of his father, who, he said “broke the cycle of alcoholism and abuse” that was active in his father’s family of origin. They hadn’t been able to break the cycle of poverty, however. Whitwam figured their family had moved 17 times by the time he was 17 years old – if you counted times they had moved the bus from one location to another. His parents valued education highly, always getting him and his siblings registered in school after each of the many moves, once as late as May, when he admitted thinking it was crazy to have to register so late in the year.

John Collins, Amery, also told his story at the event. Collins had a home and a business in the Minneapolis area some years ago and back then had been a Habitat volunteer. Collins told the story of how he had lost his business and their home, become homeless, until last year they were selected to be Habitat’s partner family. Eric Kube, executive director of Habitat for Humanity, explained how the Habitat program works.

Duana Bremer, executive director of the Salvation Army, gave a presentation on the factors that cause homelessness and poverty housing in our area, including low wages and high building costs. She said the Kettle Campaign usually brings in about $70,000 a year, which is then disbursed to people from our community experiencing crisis with rent, utilities, transportation, or medication. Shirley Schoenberger, shelter manager of the Serenity House, said the shelter had housed 130 people from our community, but had turned away 120, due to a lack of space.

Eric Kube Director Finally, people attending were encouraged to come up with ideas on how they might help combat homelessness. Many ideas were shouted out and recorded, such as cooking a meal or running a food drive for Serenity House, ringing a bell for the kettle campaign, working on a build for Habitat for Humanity, or working at a food pantry. Then “Call to Action” cards were handed out and people committed to take action on one project.

If you were unable to attend this program but would like to help fight homelessness, contributions may be sent to: Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity, PO Box 136, Luck, WI 54853. Please note “Shanty Town” on your donation. If you would like more information or would like to volunteer, call Habitat at 715-472-6080, or the Salvation Army at 715-485-1221.

April 2010:

HFH hires Executive Director; family selected for build in Osceola

LUCK –Eric Kube, 38, of Amery, last week accepted the position of part time executive director of Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity. Kube is no stranger to WRHFH, as he was president of the Polk County chapter of the affiliate last year before the chapter merged with the affiliate into one group. WRHFH is thrilled to have Kube on board, who has many years of experience in the building trades, in running a business, and in working with faith-based housing ministries.

Kube has worked with Habitat for Humanity for over 20 years in Polk and Burnett Counties, in the Twin Cities, and in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He also has worked extensively with the Appalachia Service Project. ASP is an organization affiliated with the Methodist Church which performs emergency home repair for needy families in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. Kube has worked there for 20 years for at least a week each year. One summer he served as the construction coordinator over many projects. “I drove 8,000 miles in 8 weeks that summer,” Kube said.

Kube owned and ran a cabinet-making business in Amery, where he lives, for 11 years until 2009. Kube also had been employed as a project manager for three years building Applebees and other restaurants.

“Our affiliate has grown significantly,” said WRHFH president Pastor Cindy Glocke. “We now need someone on staff to manage the many aspects of running our organization that is both a construction company and a mortgage holder. We are so fortunate to have someone with Eric’s talents, skills and passion to help us continue building homes for and with families who need them.”

Jeff Butler, who was the construction manager for WRHFH for many years through 2008, has been hired to fill that role once again. “Jerry Livingston did a fantastic job for us last year,” said Glocke. “But he’s just too busy to do it again this year. We’re very lucky Jeff was available again.”

Shirley Schoenberger and her 11-year-old daughter Breanna Prouty have been selected as the partner family for the home that will be built by them and WRHFH this summer. “I had accepted the fact that I would never own a home again,” said Schoenberger. “I had to make my peace with that in order to make choices for our future. And then we were selected. I said, wait a second. How did this happen?”

Schoenberger said one of the hardest things for her about not having a home has been that Breanna, who is in sixth grade, has already attended four different schools. “Every couple of years it was just time to go, for one reason or another,” she said. She said it was amazing to walk on the ground where the home will be built, to know she will be able experience the pride of owning a home again, where she will be able to plant flowers, and where Breanna will have room to practice dance and to be a little noisy if she wants to. “We have to be so quiet in this apartment, you hear everything,” said Schoenberger. “Sometimes I hear my neighbor snoring. Being in our own home again will be a dream come true.”

Sign up for Shantytown and a chance to win an iPod Touch
WRHFH and the Salvation Army are hosting an overnight Shanty Town fundraising event at Unity School on May 8 and 9. Interested people or groups may now sign up for this fun, educational and inspirational event which will also raise funds for families in need. It is open to anyone but is a great opportunity for youth groups to work together to help combat homelessness. Participants will be asked to collect a minimum of $25 in pledges. An iPod Touch will be awarded to the person who raises the most funds.

Participants will stay overnight in cardboard shanties that they build themselves. They will bring their own supplies, limited to cardboard, scrap plastic, newspaper, string and tape, and sleeping bags and pillows. The evening will include dinner, group games and a program by Unity’s elementary principal, who experienced homelessness as a child. Music and a movie will follow, and breakfast will be provided. For more information or to sign up, please contact WRHFH at 715-472-6080.

March 2010:

Habitat home will be start of new life for Danbury family

Family selected for home funded by Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity, a partnership that will change the lives of 181 families this year

Family Selected for Habitat for Humanity LUCK – This year will mark the beginning of a new life for the Haven family. They recently learned they have been selected to build a Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity home in Webster. Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is a multi-year, multi-million dollar partnership between Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. This initiative will provide 65 percent of the construction costs of the Haven home. Area Thrivent chapters and Lutheran congregations will raise an additional 10 percent while Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity will fund the remaining 25 percent, as well as the raising funds for a second home to be built in Osceola this year.

Because the need for affordable housing is so great, the desire to partner with Habitat for Humanity to build a home is also great. Families are chosen based on their need for decent housing, their ability to repay a no-profit, zero-interest mortgage and their willingness to help build their home or other Habitat for Humanity homes. Because partnering with Habitat is a life-changing experience, selected families are often thrilled when told the good news.

“We are chomping at the bit to get started working on our new home,” said Haven Tracey. “It will be so great for our family to have enough room and our own yard.” The Tracey family will put in a minimum of 300 hours of “sweat equity,” building their home.

Haven and Jennifer Tracey and their three children are now living in a one-bedroom home in Danbury. “We turned the mudroom into a living room,” Haven laughed, “and the living room into our bedroom. The two girls (Kyla, 3 years, and Ava, 2) get the bedroom and Hyatt stays with us.” Jennifer adds, “And the laundry is in the kitchen!”

Haven and Jenny were both starting out with promising careers at the time they met, but when Kyla came along, everything changed. Jennifer was quite sick when she was carrying her, and lost so much time at work she was let go. When Kyla was born, they discovered she had a faulty heart valve. She had heart valve replacement surgery when she was 6 weeks old, and will need to have the valve replaced again periodically as she grows. She was in the University of Minnesota hospital for three months when she was born. Jennifer and Haven were there with her most of the time.

Haven and Jen moved to the area a couple of years ago to be near Jen’s parents. Haven found a job with a local contractor, but there wasn’t much work. He also worked at a canoe rental place. Recently he got his certificate for substitute teaching and has been doing that. Jen is looking for work after having their third child, Hyatt, in December.

Their new home will be the result of a partnership between Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Called Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity, this partnership has resulted in more than 2,000 decent, affordable homes across the country and around the world since 2005. Thanks to its 2.6 million members who own financial products with the organization, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is able to contribute to the improvement of communities like Webster. The Thrivent Builds partnership also engages volunteers—members of Thrivent Financial, members of area Lutheran churches and members of the community at large—to work alongside the partner families to build these home. To learn more, visit www.thriventbuilds.com.

While WRHFH will build one home in partnership with Thrivent Builds this year, (as well as another that is not funded by Thrivent) other Habitat affiliates in 37 states will build hundreds more homes for a total of up to 181 Thrivent Builds homes in 2010. These partner families will all experience the pride of home ownership by year’s

December, 2009

Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity celebrates its contribution to reaching 2,000-home milestone of
$125 million alliance

Thrivent announces a new commitment to affordable housing in 2010 – home to be built in Burnett County

LUCK – Minneapolis. A partnership between Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, called Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity, has resulted in 2,000 homes for families in just four years. WRHFH’s recently completed Amery home was part of that effort.

At the December 4th event, Thrivent Financial announced a 2010 commitment of $15 million to Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity and its homebuilding program, continuing its support of Habitat’s mission for a fifth year. This funding will make the construction of 181 additional homes in 37 states possible. WRHFH has received word that it has been awarded $56,550 for the construction of another Thrivent Builds home in 2010, this time to be built in Burnett County.

“The Thrivent Builds partnership has helped us increase the number of families served in our community,” said Pastor Cindy Glocke, president of the board of WRHFH. “We were able to build two homes this year instead of one. We are so grateful for Thrivent’s support of our efforts to provide decent, affordable homes in partnership with families in need.”

While Thrivent Financial provided at least 65 percent of the funding for each of the 2,000 homes, local volunteers—many of them Thrivent members and members of area Lutheran congregations—assisted with construction and helped raise additional funds.

The four-year Thrivent Builds alliance was announced in September, 2005 and has helped construct approximately six percent of Habitat homes built in the United States from 2006 through 2009. Ongoing in 2010, the Thrivent Builds partnership continues to ensure Thrivent Financial as one of the largest non-government supporters of Habitat for Humanity International.

For more information about the Thrivent Builds partnership, please go to www.thriventbuilds.com.

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