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BUILDING MOMENTUM IN WEST GROVE
We are making great progress at our West Grove community. Roads and stormwater management systems are complete and ready for construction to begin. We are now officially accepting families into the program, and are very excited about providing 40 families with the opportunity for homeownership in a newly constructed home. We have been able to provide these opportunities thanks to our partnership with the USDA which offers low-interest mortgages for families who qualify. Families of one to four members must earn between $43,700 and $69,900, and families from five to eight members must earn between $57,000 and $92,250.
Habitat will bring to bear all of its resources, volunteers and generous contributions from the community, along with USDA’s extremely low-interest rates, to make these homes affordable to families who want to invest in their future. If you or someone you know is interested in applying for a home, be sure to visit www.hfhcc.org/westgrovesite to download and complete the application. If you have any questions while completing the application, our Director of Family Services, Bobette Meeter can be reached by email at bobette@hfhcc.org or by phone at 610-384-7993, extension 14.
SETTLEMENTS
We welcomed three new families to the Cambria Terrace neighborhood in July. Courtney, Rachel, and Daniel & Dawn moved in after a long process of finance classes and “sweat equity,” helping to build the houses they now call home. Your generous support—prayers, volunteer time and financial gifts—made it possible for these three hard-working families to achieve their dreams. On their behalf, please accept our sincere appreciation!
GOLF OUTING SUCCESS
After a rain postponement, we were thankful for such a beautiful day at the 16th annual Driving to Build Golf Outing on July 15th. 87 golfers joined us on the greens of French Creek Golf Club for some friendly competition. With added longest drive, straightest drive, closest to the pin and chipping contests, we kept participants on their “A” game. Thanks to sponsors, donors, and players, Habitat was able to raise $32,000 that will support our mission of building decent, affordable housing in Chester County. An enormous thank you to all that came out to make such a successful event and a wonderful day!
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Bentley Systems Inc. | The Bilotta Family | Ted Peters, Bluestone Financial Institutions Fund | The Bourbon Trailblazers | Brandywine Valley Heating and Air Conditioning | Martin J. Cappelletti Custom Builders Inc. Communications Test Design, Inc. | Fox Rothschild LLP | Rick & Robin Gasloli | Gary & Kitty Knox | MacElree Harvey, Ltd. | Phillips Mushroom Farms | PJM Interconnection | Rainer & Company | T.O. Epps & Associates Viwinco, Inc. | WSFS Bank | The Law Office of Jack Wuerstle
THRIVENT HOUSE TAKES SHAPE
Thanks to the generous support from the Chester County faith community and Thrivent Financial, a hard-working family will soon be able to call this house, home. We are very close to meeting Thrivent’s dollar for dollar match challenge but still need the prayers, volunteers and donations from local churches. Westminster Presbyterian, St. Paul’s Lutheran, Calvary Lutheran and First Presbyterian Church of West Chester have all signed on as Thrivent partners. If you belong to any of these churches, please consider donating to help us meet our challenge. If your church is not yet a partner, contact us and we are happy to meet to provide information about this mission and outreach opportunity. Thrivent is not-for-profit insurance and financial organization serving the Christian community. More information on the services Thrivent offers can be found at www.thriventfinancial.com.
JOEY ANN FOWKES JOINS THE FUNDRAISING TEAM
Habitat for Humanity of Chester County is pleased to announce that Joey Ann Fowkes has been appointed Chief Advancement Officer. Fowkes brings a wealth of nonprofit experience in the management of development programs, charitable gift planning, and major donor relations. Most recently, she was Director of Charitable Estate Planning for the American Heart Association (AHA) for a five-state region including Pennsylvania. There, she served as the organization’s expert in planned giving, helping donors to make significant charitable gifts that ensure a meaningful personal legacy.
“We are thrilled to welcome Joey to our team at this pivotal and exciting point in our history,” says Andrew Signore, President, Board of Trustees. “Her experience, enthusiasm and mission-focus will be a great asset as we celebrate 30 years of service to our community and move forward to have an even greater impact in the coming years.” Fowkes will work with Board members, philanthropic and community leaders, donors, volunteers, and friends to secure the funds needed to increase the organization’s impact on the growing need for affordable housing in Chester County.
Fowkes is an alum of Alaska Pacific University where she graduated Summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s in Organizational Management. Professionally active, her membership activities include Partnership for Philanthropic Planning of Greater Philadelphia; Financial Service Providers (FSP); Chester County Estate Planning Council; and Montgomery County and Philadelphia Estate Planning Councils (PEPC) where she also served as Committee CoChair for The Women’s Initiative.
3 WAYS THE RESTORE MAKES A DIFFERENCE
The ReStore Helps Families: The money raised by the ReStore helps families build a decent and affordable place to call home. When the items you donate to the ReStore are sold, the profits help families achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better future.
The ReStore Helps the Environment: The ReStore diverts hundreds of tons from landfills each year, accepting hard-to-dispose-of items including new and used furniture, appliances and surplus building materials. In many cases, free pickup service is provided for large items.
The ReStore Provides Low-Cost Home Solutions: The ReStore is a unique blend of part home improvement store, part home goods store, and part resale store. Each ReStore has a wide selection that changes often. You benefit because you get fantastic new and gently used items below retail prices.
FOND FAREWELLS AND MORE NEW FACES
Dan Allard joined the Habitat construction team in 2014 after volunteering on the site. The team quickly saw that his patience, great skill and attention to detail would make him a perfect fit for a leadership position. We can’t thank Dan enough for all the time and hard work he put into building with us over the years. We will miss his quiet but always friendly face and wish him the best of luck on his new adventure!
Milby Thorington is one of the newest members of the Habitat team as a Construction Lead. Milby attended Northeastern University graduating in 2019. He started his career in fraud management and risk analysis, but changed direction to construction in 2011 and joined Habitat in July of this year. We are excited to have Milby on board as we start building at the West Grove construction site!
Jim Marshall is another great addition to the construction site, also joining Habitat in July. Jim retired in 2015 after teaching chemistry and coaching various sports for 33 years. He grew up working on construction sites with his father and retained that passion throughout his career. After retirement, Jim led construction projects with disaster relief teams and Habitat for Humanity of the Middle Keys. We are thrilled to have Jim bring his experience to the Coatesville site!