Habitat for Humanity seeks fundraising boost

Published 8:23 am Friday, June 6, 2008

Dwindling funds haven’t stuttered plans for a local house build by Habitat for Humanity Mower/Freeborn County, though the organization hopes to boost fundraising revenues through a raffle this summer with two prizes that include a queen-size quilt and outdoor play house.

“We’re real short on funds this year, as are most non-profits,” said program coordinator Hugh Alverson, who estimated about a $50,000 shortage in fundraising from last year.

Alverson said the one house they’ll build this year is one short of what they typically do, though — weather permitting — he expects the 1,600 square-foot house, to be constructed on Ninth Street Northeast, to be finished by October or November.

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“We’re waiting for it to dry out so they can dig the hole for the foundation,” he said, adding that their ground-breaking took place Sunday with the family.

Jill VanderWeerd and her family are the recipients this year, having applied and been approved by committee last August, according to Habitat for Humanity spokesperson Bruce Richardson.

Richardson said the family met income guidelines — less than 50 percent but more than 25 percent of the median income in Mower County — and promised the mandatory “sweat equity,” which can apply toward work on the house or for another non-profit organization.

The three-bedroom home, to be built at 607 Ninth St. N.E., will fill land donated by local real estate agents Mary and Ted Stuhr, who offered the lot after a house fire destroyed their rental there.

Alverson said varieties of organizations provide materials and labor free of cost annually.

“It’s all volunteer,” he said. “We do get some breaks on some building materials.”

The estimated cost of the house will be $65,000 to $70,000, which the VanderWeerd family will pay off over 30 years free of interest.

Habitat for Humanity also received a queen-size quilt from Keepsake Quilters, which sewed 30 blocks of fabric donned with houses for the effort.

According to member Anne Schulz, of Austin, the group has also designed and made quilts for deployed soldiers and other local efforts.

“They’ve been doing that for a long time, so this isn’t the first one,” she said. She and members presented the quilt to organizational leaders Thursday at St. John’s Lutheran Church.

It will be one of two prizes available for the raffle, scheduled for drawing Oct. 3. Richardson said the organization also built a life-sized play house, which is displayed near K-Mart on 18th Avenue Northwest, from leftover materials at the Habitat for Humanity’s Seventh Street Northeast site.

Tickets are available for one dollar, and will be sold at corporate stores such as the soon-to-open Wal-Mart and Hy-Vee.

“We’ll just try to be where people are, and try to draw attention to the raffle,” Alverson said, adding that last year, they raised about $3,000. Participants will have their choice of the prize, he said.

Other fundraisers include a golf tournament, scheduled for July 24, and bowling tournament, set for June 21, in Albert Lea. Richardson said all proceeds will go toward Habitat for Humanity.

Since its inception in 1991, Habitat for Humanity has built 23 homes in Austin, Albert Lea, Adams and LeRoy, according to its Web site. Richardson said typically the organization strives to build two homes annually, though eliminated the second in 2008 because of funding shortages.