Habitat MidOhio Monthly Musing
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CEO Corner
I had the great opportunity to recently visit a Donato’s employee town hall meeting to thank the team for their support of Habitat MidOhio, which has been happening since 2022 through a round up and cookie campaign that has raised $171,066 since its inception. I am incredibly grateful to Jane Grote Abel, Chairwoman of the Board, and the entire Donato’s team for supporting Habitat to become a leader in connecting people to hope and opportunity through affordable housing.
The Donato’s team - and every supporter of Habitat - helps build communities and create profound and life changing transformation for our partner families, volunteers, and team members. This change starts with a house. A house which often takes the place of a vacant property. A house that will be owned by a first-time homeowner and occupied and cared for by a family who is building community within their family and in their neighborhood.
Our community building goes beyond this. The Habitat model provides an opportunity for powerful communities that include our volunteers and staff members. In my 17 months at Habitat, I’ve been incredibly inspired by our “regular” volunteers; volunteers who work several days a week and are part of building a house or more year over year. It’s an inspirational, devotional practice of service. I’ve loved getting to know these various volunteer groups, and today I want to highlight the Women Build Crew.
This crew of women volunteers build our annual women build houses (and more). I’ve been personally touched by the stories of these women; some of whom have shared about being denied the ability to take shop class in high school (and required to take home economics) and eventually had the opportunity learn and practice shop-type skills on Habitat homes. The women build crew members have a deep sense of community and fellowship among them; it’s palatable when in their presence. The community of the women build crew came to life recently through an end-of-life journey of one of their own – Alison Harris.
I’m honoring and celebrating the life of Alison and what her journey of community building represents. Alison started volunteering in 2018. She volunteered on build sites with the Women Build regulars, in the office helping the volunteer department, in the warehouse with playhouse kit creation, and as an ambassador for Habitat through community events and through the stories she shared. Alison didn’t shy away from challenges; she was proficient from basement to second floor trusses; but crane day when the trusses were set was one of her favorites. Alison wasn’t just an ambassador at community events or on site, she regularly wore Habitat swag to prompt conversation about our mission and was always encouraging others to give volunteering with Habitat a try. One of Alison’s favorite quotes was “The first step in helping yourself is helping others.” Alison embodied the Habitat core value of Service to Others through her work at Habitat and professional life as a social worker, caring for others.
In 2024 Alison was diagnosed with cancer; a journey many of us have been touched by unfortunately. If you’ve been touched by cancer, especially terminal cancer, you know the importance of close support for the journey. Alison didn’t have traditional family nearby to support her journey, but she did have her women build family – a community of women who supported Alison right up to her last day. The women build members drove Alison to medical appointments, drove to her Habitat events, and ensured she could still volunteer in appropriate ways. One of Alison’s women build community build members shared a picture of her hospice nightstand – crowned by a Habitat for Humanity hardhat. Think about that for a minute. Being of service through Habitat was so impactful to Alison that she wanted to be reminded of it in her last days.
Thank you to Alison and her community of women build regulars for you service to Habitat and for demonstrating what community building looks like – on and off construction sites.
In Service,
Brandi Braun AL-Issa
President & CEO
Construction
NEW CONSTRUCTION RISES OUT OF GROUND IN LICKING COUNTY
August will bring the start of a new home in Licking County and we are excited to have the sponsors and many wonderful volunteers gearing up to help bring the dream of homeownership to life for a great family! This past spring two new homes were completed on Washington Ave, Newark leaving one additional lot to build on. Last month pre-construction activities took place and the foundation for a beautiful new ranch home is now in place and ready for volunteers to come out.
This project will bring together a strong contingency of our Licking County sponsors including Discover, Park National Bank, Licking Memorial Hospital, The Energy Cooperative, New River Electric, and OCCH. These companies have been and continue to be long standing supporters of affordable housing through their work with Habitat for Humanity MidOhio and we thank them for the dedication to the community.
We would not be able to teach and lead all of these incredible volunteer groups without the experience and dedication of a core group of individuals who come out year after year, project after project to work both independently and to help with the leadership needed. This small group of individuals who come out regularly are eager to get back out onto the site and help in bringing this new home up out of the ground. We are thankful for their time, talent, and commitment to serving others!
This Licking County project will be under the site leadership of Tom Mix who has most recently primarily been leading projects with the HFHMO Repair Program. Tom is excited for the opportunity to serve in his community where 10 years ago he and his family became Habitat homeowners themselves. We welcome Tom into this new leadership role.
ReStore
2025 Flower Sale Success!
The 2025 event proved to be our most successful as we sold over 6,000 flowers and plants, generating over $38,000 in total revenue! Our strategy of including all 3 locations and adding additional nurseries really paid off and we are excited to build on this awesome event in the future. Our success is never an individual effort, rather the combined effort of our affiliate’s staff and dedicated volunteers. We are extremely grateful for the hours all of our volunteers committed to the event. A special THANK YOU to our corporate partners: AmericanHort, Lettuce Works, Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse, and Strader’s.
New ReStore Location!
We are excited to announce a new ReStore location with a planned Grand Opening of September 5, 2025! We will be opening our next location in Hilliard, OH, at the intersection of Roberts Rd and Hilliard Rome Rd. It’s a great existing retail space and we are excited to introduce ReStore to a new customer base! We will continue to send out updates on grand opening, be sure to check out our social media pages for store updates.
Deconstruction
Did you Know: Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio offers deconstruction services for your home!
The Habitat ReStore Deconstruction Team provides removal of salvageable materials from your home or business. As a locally recognized and respected organization, we offer efficient service and experienced personnel to complete your job on time.
How the Deconstruction Process Works
1. Contact us to schedule a walkthrough of your project at jcobbs@habitatmidohio.org or 614-772-5445
2. Our experienced crew removes salvageable materials from your property
3. Materials go to the Habitat ReStore to help raise funds to build affordable housing
4. You receive a donation receipt for tax purposes
Volunteer Services
Volunteer Spotlight
Each month, we spotlight volunteers who have gone above and beyond to support Habitat’s mission. Check out our website to view all of our recently spotlighted volunteers, including the Habitat Homeowner Selection Committee!
Resource Development
On August 7th we held our 5th Annual Licking County Playhouse Blitz at the beautiful Canal Market District! Our generous sponsors - Discover, Park National Bank and Licking Memorial Health Systems - came together to build four playhouses for local families, including a Habitat homeowner!
