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Effingham Magazine

Looking Back on a Year of Homebuilding, Advocacy and Fundraising in Honor of World Habitat Day

Looking Back on a Year of Homebuilding, Advocacy and Fundraising in Honor of World Habitat Day

 

Habitat for Humanity was founded on the belief that everyone deserves a safe and decent place to live. Since 1995, we have perpetuated that belief in Effingham County by building homes for 24 local families. On World Habitat Day (October 7), we reflect on the work we have done this year to put God’s love into action through homes, community and hope.

In January teams of volunteers and seasoned construction professionals began construction on Effingham County’s 24th Habitat home, which is part of a four-home development in Guyton. Our newest partner is Tasheena Shiggs, who applied for our pathway to homeownership after a fire made her duplex uninhabitable.

In February, we advocated for attainable housing on the national level. President/CEO Jimmy Rutland traveled to Washington D.C. with a group of delegates from Habitat for Humanity affiliates across Georgia. The delegation met with Senator Raphael Warnock to advocate for crucial housing and community development programs that would put homeownership in reach of more families in Georgia and nationwide.

Throughout the spring and summer we collected aluminum cans for recycling. Each load of aluminum represented funding for our construction projects and a step toward a grant from Novelis and Habitat for Humanity International.

In September, we held our annual customer appreciation day at the ReStore. The ReStore is where gently used furniture, appliances and surplus building supplies find new life with people looking for affordable prices on home goods. We celebrated the people who support our mission with a fun cookout and a variety of raffle prizes.

This fall, we are excited to put the finishing touches on House 24 and hold a dedication ceremony. Tasheena and her son are so excited to move into the place that she has worked so hard to build in partnership with our volunteers. We will also have a booth at the Effingham County Fair to raise awareness of our work in the community.

2024 has been a strong year but we are looking toward the future. You can be a part of our future by volunteering for construction projects or working a shift at the ReStore, pledging a monetary gift that alleviates our construction expenses, donating furniture or building materials to be sold at the ReStore or applying to be a partner family for one of the next homes we build. Your commitment to supporting attainable housing and homeownership keeps us going as we approach our 30th anniversary.