New Orleans Habitat - Operation Home Delivery Blog

Musicians' Village Practice-A-Thon!

Musicians' Village

Practice-A-Thon

coming in

 March, 2008

Dear Music Teachers,

 During the month of March, music students across the country are invited to take part in a nationwide Practice-a-Thon with all proceeds going to the New Orleans Habitat for Humanity Musicians’ Village. The people and musicians of New Orleans still need our help to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Raising money to build the Musicians’ Village in New Orleans is a wonderful way for us to support the musicians and families from New Orleans who have lost so much. The Musicians’ Village was conceived by Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. and consists of Habitat constructed homes for qualifying musicians and other low-income families. Its centerpiece will be the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, dedicated to the education and music development of homeowners and others who live nearby.

 This program started in March 2006 in N. Merrick, NY and has been a huge success! Almost $50,000.00 has been raised to help hard working families in need of housing attain the dream of homeownership. Participating students document their daily practice on the “Practice-a-thon calendar” and sponsors pledge an amount of their choice per minute the student practices during the month of March.

 We are hopeful that by offering this opportunity nation-wide, we can raise a significant amount and make a profound difference in the lives of the musicians in New Orleans. You can find the student packet with a sample parent letter and a student participation certificate from Habitat below:

Download musicians_village_practiceathon_information_and_forms_pack.pdf

Download noahh_certificate_of_appreciation.pdf

 May you find this a wonderful opportunity to strengthen students’ practice habits while supporting New Orleans Habitat Musicians’ Village in its efforts to raise money for building new, affordable homes and to benefit the construction of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.

 

Music teachers who participate will need to copy and hand out the Student Packets, collect the pledge money and mail it directly to

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

c/o Gina Stilp, NOAHH, P.O. Box 15052

New Orleans, LA 70175

 Please contact me at the email address below if you have any questions and thank you in advance for any help you can offer. Feel free to pass this information along to other music teachers. The more music teachers we can reach, the more we will be able to contribute to the lives of musicians in New Orleans.

Sincerely,

Peggy Rakas
Program Coordinator, “Musicians’ Village Practice-a-Thon”
N. Merrick Schools
1057 Merrick Ave.
North Merrick, NY 11566
rakas1@aol.com

 

Tickets to Katrina Relief Classic on Sale Now

Tickets are on sale now for the Katrina Relief Basketball Classic game between the 10th-ranked LSU women’s basketball team and Louisiana Tech.

The game, slated for 2 p.m. CST on Dec. 30,2006, will be played in the New Orleans Arena.

Tickets prices are $7, $5 and $3 for reserved seats in the arena and can be purchased from Ticketmaster by calling (504) 522-5555 or 761-8400 locally in Baton Rouge or by visiting this link

All proceeds from the game go the LSU Operation Rebound to benefit the Friends of New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD) and the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity.

For more information about the event visit LSU Operation Rebound .

NOLA FEST to benefit Habitat for Humanity

NOLA.COM is proud to host the second annual NOLA Fest at Fat Harry's 4330 St Charles Avenue. The event will feature a perfomance by Soul Rebels Brass Band and other perfomances. The party of the year will be held on Saturday November 18th from 7:30pm.

Show up for the party and contribute to revitalization of our great city

All proceeds from the event will be donated to New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity(NOAHH) and the ongoing projects by NOAHH.

For more information call New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity(NOAHH) at 504-861-2077

For map of Fat Harry's Click Here

ETHIX MEDIA TO DONATE 100% OF SALES FROM HOMEFREE SERVICE TO NOAHH

Donation Coincides with National Association of Realtors (NAR) Annual Conference in New Orleans

Ethix Media, LLC will contribute to the rebirth of New Orleans by donating 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of its Homefree service that come in from November 8th through November 15th to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) This donation is in timing with the National Association of Realtor’s (NAR) 2006 REALTORS® Conference & Expo, where thousands of realtors will gather at the first major convention to select New Orleans as their venue since Hurricane Katrina. At the NAR Conference and Expo, Ethix Media will showcase its flagship offering, Homefree, an online personalized toolbox that helps homeowners make maintenance decisions in just minutes a month.

Homefree simplifies home maintenance for busy homeowners. It features a personalized home maintenance schedule that triggers helpful reminders homeowners need to make smart decisions about the upkeep of their homes. The service also includes expert advice on all aspects of home maintenance. With Homefree, homeowners need only glance at the dashboard on their personalized site to keep on top of home maintenance issues. Subscribers can regulate everything from seasonal home care to routine maintenance checks.

“This donation was an easy decision for us,” said Tom Blondi, CEO of Ethix Media. “We wanted to do something to help rebuild a community that has lost so much - and Habitat for Humanity is the natural conduit to making this happen.” In addition to purchases made at the Expo, 100% of sales from online subscriptions nationwide from November 8 – 15 will be included in the donation.

On November 10 – 13, thousands of realtors will celebrate “NARdi Gras” at the largest annual Conference & Expo dedicated to the real estate industry. The NAR conference is a natural audience for Homefree, which is channeled through real estate professionals who can offer gift subscriptions to extend their client relationships and aid in year-round marketing efforts.

To learn more about Homefree, the flagship product of Ethix Media, or to purchase your annual subscription today, please visit homefree website

About Ethix Media, LLC
Ethix Media was founded in 2004 by Jack Cleeves and Lawrence W. Smith, PhD, to empower homeowners to make intelligent choices about their homes through an array of products and services. Centered on alleviating the stresses of homeownership, its premier service, Homefree, is an online, personalized toolbox that provides an at-a-glance view of a home’s maintenance status. For Web-savvy homeowners overwhelmed by the stresses of home management, Homefree’s resources and preventive upkeep schedules help save time, money and worry. Homefree organizes home details into a dashboard view, so maintenance decision making can be streamlined to take just minutes per month. For more information, please visit please visit homefree website or call 1-888-TO-ETHIX.

EXOFFICIO MAKES IT “IRRESISTIBLE” TO SUPPORT MUSICIAN’S VILLAGE PROJECT

Outdoor and travel apparel maker, ExOfficio , continues to support Hurricane Katrina relief efforts on a number of fronts throughout the remainder of 2006 and 2007. At the upcoming Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City this January, ExOfficio will be selling their highly popular “Irresistible” scarves for $10 (regular MSRP is $24). Proceeds will go to the New Orleans area Habitat for Humanity in support of their tremendous Musician’s Village project.

The Musician’s Village project, conceived by Connick and Marsalis, will consist of 81 Habitat-constructed homes for displaced New Orleans musicians. Its centerpiece will be the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, dedicated to the education and development of homeowners and others who will live nearby. In addition to the homes in the tract, plans call for building at least 150 other homes in the surrounding neighborhood.

About ExOfficio
Since 1987, Seattle-based ExOfficio has created adventure clothing with state-of-the-art technical features and performance benefits that focus on one goal – enhanced comfort. ExOfficio President, Rick Hemmerling, was nominated in Travel + Leisure’s April 2006 issue as one of the top travel innovators worldwide working to make travel better. ExOfficio is distributed through specialty outdoor, fly-fishing, travel and luggage stores across the United States and throughout the world. Products are also sold via ExOfficio retail store locations and online. ExOfficio supports World Concern, Northwest Medical Teams, the African Wildlife Foundation and the Conservation Alliance annually with financial, in kind and human resource support. For more information, click here

About New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity
New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH), an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. NOAHH builds new houses in partnership with sponsors, volunteers, communities, and homeowner families to eliminate poverty housing in the New Orleans area while serving as a catalyst to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Since its inception in 1983, NOAHH has built over 100 new homes for low-income families in need of adequate shelter. In the coming years, NOAHH plans to build 1,500 homes in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines parishes. To Donate to musicians village click here

Robin's ride for women

One person can make a difference, and one person with friends can change the world.

Now, what kind of a lady hops on a Harley and leaves her home, job, family, friends and cats to go ride across the country on a motorcycle telling women not to be afraid? Well, this type of a woman. One who is willing to fight past her fears, take control and follow a dream that she has had since she was a child. One who thinks this is worth talking about to as many women as she can reach.

Robin is a specialty coffee and tea industry professional who left her most recent job to devote herself fulltime to helping others. She has been in the publishing side of the industry since 1994 as a graphic designer, art director, director of operations and an associate publisher. For the last three years she covered the sales territory for the Western half of the U.S. for Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, "the international voice of the tea and coffee industries since 1901".

Last summer, Robin rode 20,226 miles to help sponsor New Orleans area Habitat for humanity women build . Robin is dedicating this ride to all of the women who have already – have not yet – and who will soon - take control of their lives so that they can follow their dreams. Robin rode solo approximately 20,226 miles around the continental United States and parts of Canada on her bright red Harley Davidson. Robin left from Harley-Davidson of Seattle in Lynnwood, WA on June 10th, 2006. The ride lasted approximately three months.

Robin plans for an auction with wonderful items from companies all across the country.The auction will take place on November 16th, 2006

"I would like to give back. Because everyone deserves health care and a home to live in, I would like to donate part of the proceeds of my ride to Grounds for Health and part to New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity's Women Build program .Both of these organizations are deserving and touch women and their families. We can make a difference - that says it all!”

Don’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of this extraordinary adventure! Companies and/or individuals interested in sponsorship or pledge opportunities may email Robin or pledge sponsorship .

Please sponsor or plege now!

LADY TIGERS’ OPERATION REBOUND PAIRS WITH LOCAL NEW ORLEANS CHARITIES FOR THE KATRINA RELIEF BASKETBALL CLASSIC

LSU's women's basketball program will host the Katrina Relief Basketball Classic in the New Orleans Arena as part of "LSU Operation Rebound" with all the proceeds going to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity and the Friends of New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD).

"In the first year of LSU Operation Rebound, we selected two charities that would have a direct impact on families,” LSU Head Coach Pokey Chatman said. “The New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity allows us to assist in building homes for families while Friends of NORD allows us to build parks for them to play in."

"LSU Operation Rebound" is the brainchild of Chatman, a native of the New Orleans area, and was created to help rebuild Southeast Louisiana.

LSU will face Louisiana Tech in New Orleans Arena on Dec. 30, 2006, as the center point of a weekend of events to benefit "LSU Operation Rebound."

"LSU Operation Rebound provides more than just a basketball game,” Chatman added. “It has various fund-raising arms from an auction, to a banquet and including the Pokey Chatman Century Club. We have already received a great amount of support from individuals and corporations who want to assists us. Above all, I can't emphasize enough that 100 percent of all the proceeds from the various events will go to Katrina relief."

In addition to the game, a banquet and auction will be held in New Orleans during the Katrina Relief Basketball Classic weekend.

Along with the funds raised by the game, banquet and auction, the Pokey Chatman Foundation has created the Pokey Chatman Century Club, an organization of 100 people each contributing $1,000 to join.

The Lady Tigers program, along with the LSU Athletics Department, the Tiger Athletic Foundation, LSU Sports Properties and the Fast Break Club, has set a goal to raise at least $150,000 for the two charities.

“Friends of NORD is extremely proud to be a beneficiary of LSU Operation Rebound,” said Nancy Broadhurst, the executive director of Friends of NORD. “Pokey Chatman’s teams are known for great teamwork on the court and we can certainly now see that this extends off the court as well. We’d like to thank the Lady Tigers basketball program and pledge our support together as we help rebuild the wonderful city of New Orleans and its playgrounds.”

Friends of NORD was founded in 1994 as a non-profit corporation created to increase community involvement by providing volunteer services and interest in recreational activities and to raise funds for special projects and improvements for the New Orleans Recreation Department.

"To say we are grateful to coach Pokey Chatman, the Lady Tigers, and LSU is a great understatement. LSU Operation Rebound is a moving expression of the commitment, perseverance and creativity that it will take to recover from Hurricane Katrina,” said Jim Pate, the executive director of the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. “We are honored to be a part of LSU Operation Rebound's first season and look forward to working closely with coach Chatman and her team to make this a success. It will take the same skills to win the recovery as it does on the court: leadership, teamwork, individual responsibility, self-sacrifice and hard work. Coach Chatman and the Lady Tigers are examples of all these winning traits."

Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller and has built and rehabilitated more than 200,000 houses, sheltering more than one million people in more than 3,000 communities worldwide.

“Katrina has affected many of us in a very profound way. I don't know anyone that hasn't been touched directly or indirectly by the devastation,” Chatman said. “And while so many great things happened on Monday night, the message must not be that New Orleans is fixed. We are moving in the right direction and LSU Women's Basketball wants to be a part of that process but it is going to a long and dedicated effort by a great many to return New Orleans to its greatness."

Fundraiser for New Orleans Habitat for Humanity

In April of this year Elizabeth Laurence of Rockport and Virginia Walck of Camden, set off to volunteer in the ongoing recovery process from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. They were participating in the rotating crews of workers organized by the local Habitat for Humanity.

The experience has inspired them to raise funds to enable the New Orleans Habitat for Humanity group to obtain land for new homes. The event will be a benefit auction which will take place at Peter Ott’s in Camden.

Here is a copy of the press release:

MEDIA ADVISORY
JUNE 8, 2006
MIDCOAST COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO HOST FUNDRAISER
FOR HURRICANE KATRINA SURVIVORS

CONTACT:Virginia Walck: (207)-233-0546
Elizabeth Laurence: (207)-504-6617

WHAT: A Benefit for the New Orleans Chapter of Habitat for Humanity

WHO: Virginia Walck and Elizabeth Laurence

WHEN: Sunday, June 25, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

WHERE: Peter Ott’s
16 Bayview St.
Camden, ME 04843

WHY: To raise funds for acquiring property for hurricane survivors. Habitat’s goal is to “build safe, decent, affordable housing for low-income families” affected by last years Hurricanes.

Camden resident Virginia Walck and Rockport resident Elizabeth Laurence recently returned from volunteering with New Orleans Habitat for Humanity in St. Bernard Parish. According to St. Bernard Parish Government, none of the 27,000 houses in St. Bernard were habitable following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Few residents had home insurance, and only 10,000 of 67,000 residents have been able to return to their homes.

“It was overwhelming to see the devastation in St. Bernard, even eight months after the hurricanes,” they said. “There were still boats in trees, and cars overturned in people’s yards. But there is very little activity around cleaning up and moving forward because there are relatively little or few financial resources available to this devastated community.”

After seeing first hand the financial support needed to demolish and rebuild houses, Walck and Laurence returned from St. Bernard Parish committed to continue their relief efforts from the midcoast area.

Walck and Laurence teamed up with Keith and Carolyn May, the owners of Peter Ott’s and Elbert Smith, The chef, to host a Benefit Auction for the New Orleans Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The event will include both a silent and live auction, live music by Stefan Lowe, and light fare and beverages. The suggested donation for admission is $20.

“We are thrilled to host this event to raise money and awareness of the needs of Hurricane Katrina survivors,” said Keith May. “Elbert Smith, the Chef at Peter Ott’s, left New Orleans with his family after the storm and relocated to Camden. We hope that our community will come out to this event, have some fun and help us do what we can for some folks in New Orleans that would appreciate the support.”

National Golf Coaches Association Funds and Builds House

College coaches build Habitat home

Former Wave coach Bower lends a hand
Saturday, June 10, 2006
By Brian Allee-Walsh
Staff writer

Penn State women's golf coach Denise St. Pierre typically would be on the recruiting trail this time of year in search of the next Michelle Wie.

This week, St. Pierre, former Tulane women's golf coach Sue Bower and other members of the National Golf Coaches Association are in New Orleans helping a displaced woman and her family put their lives back together.

The organization has raised $60,000 to build a home for Bernadette Coleman, who lost her Uptown house to wind and water from Hurricane Katrina. The 1,200-square foot home in the Musicians Village area of the 9th Ward features two bedrooms and one bath and is part of a rebuilding effort spearheaded by Habitat for Humanity.

The dedication takes place June 17. Coleman, who evacuated to Athens, Ala., hopes to be in the house later this summer with her two children, Gabrielle, 21, and Gregory, 26.

"This proves that it doesn't have to be family to back you up," Coleman said as she and hundreds of volunteer workers went about their business under the mid-day sun. "This tells me how good people can be, and you don't even know them. For me, at my age (50) to start all over again, that is amazing. This is true fellowshipping of people."

The idea came to St. Pierre after the NGCA canceled its 2006 national convention in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. Too many uncertainties forced the organization to convene in January in Tahoe, Nev., where St. Pierre introduced the idea to the membership.

"We felt pretty bad about that because that's probably the one thing that New Orleans needed at that time, for people and tourists to come and support the city," said St. Pierre, the outgoing president of the NGCA. "So I called down to the Habitat in New Orleans, and they said they could use volunteers, and they also could use money.

"They said if we raised $30,000 we could sponsor half a house, if we raised $60,000 we could sponsor a whole house. So I went to our membership and said I think we should sponsor a whole house."

Approximately 30 women's college golf programs have contributed to the cause in a variety of ways, through personal donations, fund-raisers, running marathons, etc. Others have taken a hands-on approach.

"I'd been thinking about some way I could help out besides just sending money," said Duke coach Dan Brooks, who guided the women's golf team to the 2006 NCAA championship. "I saw it on TV, but nothing captures it like being down here.

"It's a good cause, and I just wanted to help out. When Denise and the organization came up with the idea, it was a no-brainer."

Seventeen coaches from the NGCA are in New Orleans this week getting down and dirty, making dreams come true for Coleman. Among them, incoming NGCA president Kelley Hester, women's golf coach at Arkansas, and Arizona women's golf coach Greg Allen, who has landed two members of Tulane's now-defunct women's team, redshirt juniors Alison Walshe and Mary Jacobs.

There is a chance Allen could sign a third golfer off Bower's team. Lili Alvarez said she has narrowed her choices to Northwestern and Arizona.

"It's really been fun to see a different side to these coaches," said Bower, an administrative assistant at Tulane whose program was suspended as part of campus-wide budget cuts from declining enrollment in the wake of Katrina.

Matt Ritter, who is overseeing the construction of Coleman's house, gave his volunteer work force a capital "E" for effort.

"It's become our passion for the week," St. Pierre said. "I've been in this coaching business a long time, and it's so refreshing to hang out with these guys. It's something totally out of our realm. The care that everyone has put into this house for Bernadette and her family, we want it to be right. We're not just here to put in our time and slap it together. We take real pride in what we're doing."

. . . . . . .

Brian Allee-Walsh can be reached at ballee-walsh@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3805.

Chris Brown Signed Xbox 360 For Auction

Here's your chance to get an Xbox 360 autographed by R&B singer Chris Brown.

New Orleans Habitat For Humanity is currently auctioning off a new Xbox 360 game system with a face plate signed by Chris Brown. Brown signed the face plate during his first headlining US tour in March 2006.

Proceeds from the auction go to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild safe, decent and affordable housing. The auction runs through May 21st, and the winning bidder will also receive a tour poster signed by Chris Brown and pictures of Chris signing the Xbox 360.

And that's not all. Xbox 360 and House of Blues are showing their support by matching the total of the auction and donating the funds to New Orleans Habitat For Humanity.

If you are interested in bidding for the Xbox and other items on sale Please visit our E Store