New Orleans Habitat - Operation Home Delivery Blog

Sci High Plants Trees in Musicians' Village

Students from the New Orleans Charter Science and Math High School, sometimes called SciHigh, volunteered Saturday to plant trees in Musicians’ Village. Their previous visit’s trees have been faithfully tended by Musicians’ Village homeowner Keng Harvey, and when he called asking for more, the students were happy to oblige. About 20 students were on hand to transfer the trees, willingly spending their Saturdays to help out. The program is driven by students who volunteer their free time to plant the trees in their school yard and donate them to local groups. This is the second batch of trees donated to Musicians’ Village.

NOAHH Included in "Top 50 for 50+"

NOAHH is pleased to announce our inclusion in the Office of the Lt. Governor and Encore Louisiana’s “Top 50 for 50+” initiative. The list, announced Tuesday, December 15, at the New Orleans Museum of Art, is a guide to organizations and opportunities for people aged 50 or older in Louisiana, voted on by people aged 50 or older in Louisiana. NOAHH won in the “Best Volunteer Opportunities” category along with four other groups. Over 2700 votes were cast between October 1 and November 15.

The list is split into many categories, from work to recreation, and is designed to entice people 50 and up to move to or stay in Louisiana by showing all the state has to offer. Also announced were the inaugural Encore Awards, a grant program to promote models for attracting and accommodating people 50 and above.  The Encore Awards are part of Encore Louisiana, run by the Lt. Governor’s Office.  

Phi Beta Sigma Spends Day Helping NOAHH Build

On Saturday, local Phi Beta Sigma brothers including members of the Graduate chapter, Theta Beta Sigma, undergraduate brothers from the collegiate universities, as well as young men of middle school to high school age that are active in Phi Beta Sigma’s youth development group, the Sigma Beta Club, built with NOAHH for the Jones Family, whose home they sponsored, in the Upper Ninth Ward.  Many of the participants are natives of the Ninth Ward and were significantly affected by Hurricane Katrina. 

            “As a current resident of New Orleans and student at the LSU School of Medicine here in New Orleans, the prospect of sponsoring and supporting the recovery effort as a Fraternity further demonstrates the commitment we share for one of our most fundamental ideals, and is an opportunity I felt was paramount in uniting the local brothers towards a common goal we can all agree on,” stated Jason Ewing, Phi Beta Sigma member.  “Further, the idea behind letting the city know we are participating in this project is to demonstrate to other organizations in the city that it is never too little or too late to contribute time and effort in servicing a community in such need.  Whatever the success of this initial volunteer day may be, I am taking personal responsibility to ensure that our commitment to the rebuilding of our city remains at the forefront of our minds, and future workdays at this Sigma house, and others, will be looked into in the weeks and months to come.”

 

Encore Louisiana Top 50 for 50+

Vote Today!

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) is proud to announce that our organization has been nominated for the Top 50 for 50+ by Encore Louisiana. The Encore Louisiana Top 50 for 50+ lists opportunities for Louisiana residents aged fifty and older, and aims to highlight benefits of post-50 living in Louisiana. One such benefit is the many volunteer opportunities for older residents of Louisiana. 

NOAHH is excited to be nominated as one of the top twenty organizations in the “Best Volunteer Opportunities,” and we need your help to win! Louisiana residents aged fifty and older can go online to http://www.EncoreLouisiana.com between today and November 15th to vote for "Habitat Louisiana," and our volunteer opportunities. Please take a moment to lend your support to NOAHH as we continue our efforts to advocate affordable housing throughout the state. 

 

Executive Director Jim Pate Shares His Thoughts on the President's Visit

From NOAHH Executive Director Jim Pate,

"The White House graciously invited me to the Town Hall meeting today with President Obama and I thought I would share some observations.

The Town Hall meeting with President Obama was wonderful. Just before the President's entrance, Shamarr Allen (Musicians' Village resident) played the National Anthem beautifully (on his trumpet); it was graceful and soaring - and then, to the delight of the crowd, he did a true New Orleans jazz riff on the final descending arpaggio! 

The President made a solid and inspiring speech that addressed some national issues (such as health care) and several direct comments concerning New Orleans-specific issues. He took about six questions and addressed them fluently, but with appropriate cautionary comments (for example, on a question about energy efficiency, he wove together dependence on foreign oil, the development of green technologies [with an aside about considering nuclear energy] and global climate change, then used those comments as a tie to local matters such as rising sea levels and fiercer hurricanes, riffing then, onto levee protection, coastal rebuilding and rebuilding the wetlands). 

All in all, he appeared highly knowledgeable, he appeared to present cogent plans and he was suitably cautious about how contentious many issues were and about how long many of these solutions will take. His give-and-take with questioners and the audience was often humorous, sometimes self-deprecating and always cogent.  As an aside, as the President went through the pro forma dignitary introductions, Governor Jindal was somewhat booed (and the President rose to his defense fairly eloquently), Senator Landrieu drew stong applause (as did, to a lesser extent, Lt. Gov. Landrieu and various U.S. Representatives - including Cao). Mayor Nagin got about half-and-half boos and applause. The President's Cabinet members in attendance (Napolitano, Duncan and Donovan) were applauded warmly. There were two or three standing ovations during his talk and, of course, at the end. I thought it was an excellent meeting."

Below is a photo of Jim Pate and President (then Senator) Obama in 2006:

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity is in America's Giving Challenge

NOAHH has entered in America's Giving Challenge, which gives us a chance to win $50,000!

Please donate today!

To win, between now and November 7th we have to get the most donations to our cause (every person can donate once per day and have it count as a unique donation). We can also win daily awards of $1,000 and $500 if we can get the most people to donate in any 24-hour period. 

The great thing about this Challenge is that it doesn't matter how much you give, but instead how much you do to encourage friends and family to get involved in our cause. We all need to come together and start promoting the cause if we want to win. Everyone can help NOAHH eliminate poverty housing in the New Orleans area!

Each of us has tons of friends on Facebook who we can ask to donate to our cause. But let's think big too—can you put our cause in your email signature, can you throw a party and get people to donate through the cause when they enter, can you organize other people to go out and fundraise from all of their friends? As you reach out to your friends be sure to tell them why this cause matters to you. The possibilities are endless so feel free to get creative, spread the word--and the link, and win this to help NOAHH's mission to help working families own homes.

We can do it! But it's going to take all of us. Check out the Giving Challenge, then visit our cause to see how we're doing so far and get involved. 

Donate right now by clicking here!

Let's win $50,000 for our cause!

Gap Inc. and NOAHH Begin New Home in St. Roch Neighborhood

The Fisher family raised the walls on their new home today at 1640 Music Street in St. Roch and began to realize their dream of homeownership with the help of Gap, Inc.  

“I never thought I’d have the opportunity to own a home,” stated Thyra Fisher, Partner Family.  “I’m blessed to have my family and now a home.”

On hand at the event was Tom Wyatt of Old Navy, representing Gap Inc.

Gap Inc. is a leading international specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Piperlime brand names.  Following Hurricane Katrina, Gap Inc. and its employees actively participated in helping the city and citizens of New Orleans recover and rebuild. As part of the recovery, Gap Inc. committed more than $2 million to support disaster relief efforts and double-matched employee contributions.  Old Navy also organized “Field Trip 4 Fun” for nearly 15,000 kids in 10 cities impacted by the hurricane, providing $100 worth of new clothes for each child.  More than 500 employees volunteered thousands of hours to host 65 separate “Field Trip 4 Fun” events in Old Navy stores.  Gap Inc. is proud to support the New Orleans community.

 

MiLB Joins NOAHH on Site

NOAHH, Minor League Baseball (MiLB) staff members, MiLB club representatives and others worked together building in the Upper Ninth Ward on Tuesday, September 29^th.  The workday began with the presentation of a check to support New Orleans Habitat’s building efforts.   The participants were in New Orleans for the annual Minor League Baseball Promotional Seminar, which begins Wednesday at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside.

“We are extremely excited to be in New Orleans again for a Minor League Baseball event,” stated John Cook, Senior Vice President, Business Operations, Minor League Baseball.  “Above that, we are pleased that the Minor League Baseball family has embraced the opportunity to give back to the community and work with such a strong organization as New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. The representatives from Habitat have been a pleasure to work with and we commend them on their service.”

MiLB volunteers spread out and tackled building projects at four different sites – framing, roofing, siding, painting, and any other constructions tasks to get the job done.  “We depend on volunteers to help us achieve our mission of building low-income housing,” stated Jim Pate, executive director of New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity.  “The support of Minor League Baseball not only putting in sweat for us but also supporting us financially is tremendous and helps us remember all the support we have.  We applaud their support.”

Representatives from the Burlington Bees, Cedar Rapids Kernels, Clearwater Threshers, Clinton LumberKings, Corpus Christi Hooks, Greenville Drive, Lake Elsinore Storm, Lowell Spinners, Mandalay Baseball, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Rome Braves, and, of course, the New Orleans Zephyrs were in attendance. 

eBay Makes Every Dollar Count!

This summer, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity was a featured organization in the eBay Giving Works Give At Checkout program, which was part of an American celebration campaign around July 4th.  Give At Checkout is an option that allows buyers to add $1 to their purchase when they complete a transaction on eBay.  More than $11,000 was donated by eBay users to New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity in just one week!!

As part of the promotion, eBay promised to match every dollar donated through the Give At Checkout program, up to $10,000. We are thrilled to announce that NOAHH received the entire $10,000 match from eBay! 

Give At Checkout is an excellent example of how corporations and customers are working together to make change in their communities.  NOAHH is thankful for the support of each and every person who helped make this a successful fundraising effort.  We would like to send a huge thank you to eBay for launching this innovative and effective charitable program. 

Receiving a donation of $21,000 will help NOAHH continue its mission to provide affordable homeownership to New Orleans families.  Donations and volunteers enable NOAHH to build safe, decent homes with low-income families who purchase the homes through zero interest financing.  With over 300 new homes constructed since 2005, NOAHH is the largest homebuilder in the New Orleans area.  The support of our generous partners, both individual and corporate, has helped change the lives of hundreds of hardworking families!

Thank you for supporting New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity through the Give At Checkout Program!!

NOAHH and Delaware North Dedicate Home Together

Delaware North dedicated its second NOAHH home this week on Wednesday, September 30, for Theresa Parker and her family, children Marcus and Mya. As a special event, after the dedication ceremony, Delaware North Master Chef Roland Henin prepared a meal for the Parker family in their new home. 

The home, on Ferry Place, is just one part of a major revitalization of a corner of New Orleans that was severely blighted before NOAHH began building there. Now, over a dozen homes are built or under construction on the block. 

Delaware North Companies, a global leader in hospitality and one of the largest privately held companies in North America, has built its second NOAHH home in a continued effort to repair and rebuild the community post-Katrina. 

Delaware North operates at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, where its representatives bore witness to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They responded to the crisis by establishing Delaware North Companies KARE (Katrina Associate Relief Effort), a foundation designed to assist Delaware North employees with their immediate needs, including shelter, food and clothing. Donations poured in from associates, partners, suppliers and even customers. The money raised was donated to local non-profits and used to help locals in need, including the homes sponsored with NOAHH!