Habitat awarded $14,000 for Lifesaving Equipment from Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation
| By Jenny Ballweg | 0 Comments
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is now equipped with new lifesaving equipment, thanks to more than $14,000 from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County and local Firehouse Subs franchisee Scott Anthony gathered to recognize the grant for Six ZOLL Automated External Defibrillators, One Pedi-Padz, Five Pelican Cases, and One Wall Cabinet, valued at $14,286. The medical safety equipment will be at all Habitat Dane locations and will allow the organization to continue to be prepared and equipped to properly handle cardiac emergencies if they arise.
Habitat Dane is grateful that there has not been a specific instance where the absence of an AED has resulted in a life-threatening situation, however, the organization firmly believes in the importance of proactive safety measures. As an organization dedicated to building homes and communities, the well-being of their volunteers, staff, and partner families is paramount. Construction sites inherently carry risks, and medical emergencies can occur unexpectedly. Having AEDs readily available at the worksites and in the ReStores significantly enhances Habitat Dane’s preparedness to respond to cardiac emergencies. Studies show that immediate use of an AED can double or triple survival rates in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. By equipping the sites with AEDs, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation and Habitat Dane are not only investing in the safety of the volunteer team’s but also ensuring the organization is prepared to provide life-saving assistance if the need arises.
To date, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has awarded over $92 million to hometown heroes throughout the U.S.
ABOUT FIREHOUSE SUBS PUBLIC SAFETY FOUNDATION
In 2005, the Firehouse Subs founders established the 501(c)(3), non-profit Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. The charity provides lifesaving equipment, prevention education, scholarships and continued education, and disaster relief for first responders and public safety organizations, as well as support for military veterans. Since inception, the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has awarded more than $92 million to hometown heroes in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Support for Canadian first responders is provided through the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation of Canada.
The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation is honored to be listed as a four-star nonprofit organization, the highest designation, by Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator is the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. Grant allocations are made possible thanks to the overwhelming support of Firehouse Subs restaurants and generous donors. More than 70% of the funds raised for the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation come from the generosity of Firehouse Subs guests and the restaurant brand. Please consider supporting a Firehouse Subs restaurant near you!
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County takes donations in many forms, including items for Habitat ReStore.
“Rather than get rid of these things, you can give them a second life, another home somewhere else in Dane County, so yes if you have things that are getting old, you can feel free to reach out and see if it would be a good fit for our ReStore,” said Gabriella Gerhardt, Vice President of Development for Habitat for Humanity of Dane County.
Gerhardt also says that Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to give back to support their missions.
See the full store at at 
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County announced it received a $47,500 grant from Lowe’s to help repair a home in Madison.
The funding will support Habitat for Humanity of Dane County’s efforts to make homes safer and healthier and create stronger communities. With the support of the grant, the Habitat Home Repair program was able to work with Frank, a valued Madison senior. Frank reached out to Habitat to tackle several essential repairs needed to renew his homeowner’s insurance. Our licensed subcontractor expertly handled lead abatement, removing the old, flaking siding. Then, with the hard work of Habitat volunteers, new vinyl siding was installed, and the trim received a fresh coat of paint.
“We were thrilled to complete this stunning transformation for and would like to thank Lowes for providing funding to support this work to make it easier and safer for Frank to remain in his home,” said Hilary Parker, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County CEO. “Frank can now enjoy a safer and more comfortable home!”
The funding from Lowe’s is part of a two-year, $6 million donation to Habitat for Humanity International to support home repair and preservation efforts in owner-occupied homes. This year, funding will enable 110 local Habitat affiliates to complete 295 projects and impact nearly 700 families across the U.S. Since 2003, Lowe’s and Habitat have worked together to help more than 18,000 people build or improve a place to call home.
Habitat for Humanity and the 
Interested in learning more about Habitat homeownership, home repair, financial literacy, ReStore, and volunteer opportunities?
📻Habitat’s Vice President of Community Services Paul Sukenik and Vice President of Communications Jenny Ballweg were on WORT FM (89.9 FM) to give you the inside scoop!
A special thank you to our host, Youa, for having us on-air! 🎙️
“The House That Angels Built” – the moniker used by 
Volunteers from AprilAire donned hard hats to frame an entire Habitat for Humanity of Dane County home on April 9.
The build took place from 9 a.m. to noon at AprilAire’s Sun Prairie Innovation Center, 1763 N. Bristol Street.
Employees who volunteered their time took turns working in three different shifts and were treated to coffee, sandwiches and snacks while hammering away.
AprilAire CEO Dale Philippi stated that the company had been looking for a way to partner with Habitat due to the shared mission of creating healthy homes.
“Our commitment to local families stems from our company value of being ‘good neighbors’ making a difference in the communities where we live and work,” Philippi said.
By the end of the afternoon, volunteers stood all of the completed framing up before moving the materials to the home’s permanent location. Habitat representatives took time to thank them all for their time and effort.
“We really couldn’t do it without you all here. Thank you for the first timers and thank you to the returners for being here again. This is helping families build strength, self-reliance and stability through home ownership,” Gabriella Gerhardt, Habitat of Dane County’s Vice President of Development said.
Read more in the 
We love seeing the creative things Habitat ReStore shoppers can do! Check out this 
With your help and support, the UW-Madison student chapter of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County raised a record-breaking $42,400 (including a $20,000 matching grant from State Farm Insurance) during it’s Souper Bowl event on Saturday, Feb. 3 — the highest ever in it’s history! All funds raised will go wards the Habitat UW-Madison Campus Chapter’s student-funded home in Madison’s Owl Creek neighborhood. This home will be the 23rd home the chapter has built since starting Souper Bowl in 1995.
A Madison tradition since 1995, this community soup feast is the largest fundraiser for the UW-Madison student chapter of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County!
The Souper Bowl is an afternoon of family-friendly fun and philanthropy. For $25, attendees will receive a take-home ceramic bowl, warm soup, salad, and bread. While families of four can join the festivities for $50 and receive four hearty meals and two take-home ceramic bowls. The event offers live entertainment, from celebrity soup servers to acapella performances, and an appearance by beloved Bucky Badger.
A heartfelt thank you to event sponsor 
Savor the spirt of giving at Souper Bowl XXVIII on Saturday, Feb. 3 from Noon – 6 p.m. at Madison West High School
A Madison tradition since 1995, this community soup feast is the largest fundraiser for the UW-Madison student chapter of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County!
The Souper Bowl is an afternoon of family-friendly fun and philanthropy. For $25, attendees will receive a take-home ceramic bowl, warm soup, salad, and bread. While families of four can join the festivities for $50 and receive four hearty meals and two take-home ceramic bowls. The event offers live entertainment, from celebrity soup servers to acapella performances, and an appearance by beloved Bucky Badger.
From its humble beginnings with 50 attendees in 1995, Souper Bowl has grown into an annual tradition, serving more than 1,000 attendees and raising over $20,000 in one day. Join us for the 28th Annual Souper Bowl to enjoy delicious food and be part of the UW-Madison student chapter’s efforts to build affordable homes for our neighbors in Dane County.
A heartfelt thank you to event sponsor 
Affordable housing doesn’t take snow days amid cold winter months and that’s why Habitat for Humanity of Dane Co. is asking you to bundle up and lend a hand.
The non-profit housing organization is recruiting ‘Winter Warriors’ to help with housing construction.
“We cannot do what we do without volunteers, there’s something special about being able to serve others on a crew like this,” started Habitat CEO Hilary Parker. “You have a special bond with the people you build with or work in the ReStore with. It gives our volunteers a sense of purpose that otherwise they’d have trouble finding, I see it everyday and it’s truly beautiful.”
Habitat for Humanity’s team says during the winter months of Dec. through March volunteer staff drops roughly in half compared to summer months marked June through September.
Learn more on 
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is delighted to announce Fitchburg resident Gabriella Gerhardt has joined its team as vice president of development. Her work will further strengthen the strong community ties Habitat for Humanity has in Dane County and embody the organization’s mission of bringing people together through affordable and long-lasting housing solutions.
Gerhardt comes to Habitat with more than seven years of experience in nonprofit development, playing vital roles at both the Morgridge Institute for Research and the Madison Children’s Museum. She loves learning what donors are passionate about and helping them make the world a better place.
For Gerhardt, building and growing community connections is a big part of her life. She currently serves as an alder on the Fitchburg City Council where she is a strong advocate for affordable housing and housing availability.
Serving on Habitat’s leadership team, Gerhardt will use her time, talent, and unique expertise to partner with individuals and organizations throughout Dane County. She will connect donors’ philanthropic goals with Habitat’s mission, which includes a long history of helping families achieve strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Additionally, she’ll be directly involved in scaling up Habitat’s homebuilding, home repair, and financial capability training programs.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Gabriella to the Habitat family,” Habitat CEO Hilary Parker said. “She is truly committed to helping Dane County families gain access to affordable housing.”
In addition, Habitat is thrilled to have a Guinness World Record holder on staff for the first time ever! Gerhardt holds the largest collection of four-leaf clovers with 118,791. She appears on page 53 of the 2022 Guinness World Records book for finding 451 four-leaf clovers in one hour.
Organizations interested in working with Gerhardt on employee engagement or partnership opportunities can contact her at 
Thank you to the 
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is deeply saddened by the passing of former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, who was a champion and strong voice for affordable, decent housing for all. For more than three decades, she and President Jimmy Carter donated their time and leadership to Habitat each year to build and improve homes around the world. She died peacefully on Sunday at her home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96, with family by her side.
After leaving the White House, the Carters planned for meaningful ways to continue their commitment to social justice and basic human rights. Their first volunteer experience with Habitat for Humanity was in March 1984 near their home in Americus, Georgia, where Habitat for Humanity was founded.
Later that same year, the Carters joined Habitat volunteers in New York City’s Lower East Side to renovate an abandoned building in partnership with families in need of affordable housing. That marked Habitat for Humanity’s first Jimmy Carter Work Project, which was later renamed to the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
Since then, President and Mrs. Carter have worked more than 104,000 volunteers across the U.S. and in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,390 Habitat homes. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has served more than 46 million people around the world.
In 2016, Habitat named President and Mrs. Carter as the inaugural Habitat Humanitarians for their extraordinary dedication to service in alignment with Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
For photos and videos of President and Mrs. Carter volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, visit 
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County announced that its board of directors has chosen Hilary Parker as the organization’s next chief executive officer. Parker will succeed Habitat’s current CEO Valerie Renk on Nov. 1, 2023.
Parker currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for solar design and installation company OnSite Energy in Bozeman, Mont., leading a team of 27 direct reports. With an excellent track record as a compassionate and dynamic leader at both for-profit and non-profit organizations, Parker brings financial and fundraising know-how paired with a true desire to serve her community. She has performed substantial volunteer work for Forward Montana, Compassion Project, and Pride House, as well as serving as a mutual aid organizer in Bozeman.
“Hilary is passionate about the affordable housing crisis, and we are delighted to welcome her to the Habitat family as our new CEO after an extensive national search process,” said Habitat for Humanity of Dane County Board Chair Josh Reiter. “We are thrilled to see what Habitat can achieve under Hilary’s leadership and look forward to continue scaling up Habitat’s homebuilding, home repair, and financial capability training programs throughout Dane County.”
Renk will retire after serving Habitat for Humanity of Dane County for 11 years.
“We are grateful to longtime CEO Valerie Renk for her dedication to Habitat’s mission,” Reiter added. “Due to Valerie’s incredible leadership, Habitat is well positioned for future success.”
Parker is looking forward to returning to Dane County, where she spent nearly a decade prior to moving to Bozeman.
“I am truly committed to helping Dane County families gain access to affordable housing and look forward to creating a meaningful impact throughout the community,” Parker said.
Parker received a bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and has completed continuing education in diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice as well as organizational development and fundraising. She earned Emmy and Telly awards for a corporate reputation short film she conceptualized, wrote, and produced, but is most proud of her work as a committed mentor to a handful of young professional women. 
At Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, advancing efforts to address the large number of factors that contribute to, and result from, housing insecurity is critical to creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
That’s why Habitat ReStore launched Dane County’s first-ever furniture bank in November of 2021. Like a food bank, but for furniture, the Habitat ReStore Furniture Bank provides local families in transitional housing with the furniture they need to turn their often-empty dwellings into happy homes with all of the essentials to make families feel safe and comfortable. This especially helps families affected by poverty, domestic violence, homelessness, resettlement in the US, and disasters get the fresh start and hand up they need to build a successful life for their families.
With infrastructure and expertise in donation screening, handling, and transportation, Habitat ReStore is uniquely positioned to meet this need, while working alongside strong Dane County partners who have the resources to work directly with our friends and neighbors in transitional housing and refer those who need assistance.
By collaborating with nonprofit community partners including the 
Several community members joined Habitat for Humanity of Dane County and Findorff for a dedication and open house for Nabil and Hayet and their three children at their new home.
The family has helped build the home in Sun Prairie’s Town Hall Crossing neighborhood.
Nabil works as a high school custodian and Hayet is currently a stay-at-home mom. They are excited to have space for the family to grow up after being unable to find an affordable three-bedroom apartment that fit into their budget.
“We live an apartment with two bedrooms,” Hayet said, adding the family dreamed of building a house with enough rooms, a garage, kitchen, basement and space for the kids to play.
“My kids are growing up and need a proper home to continue their studies better,” Hayet said.
Sponsors include, home sponsor – 
More than 85 volunteers from Findorff and Exact Sciences will roll up their sleeves to frame an entire Habitat home on Wednesday, July 19. Starting at 10 a.m., the parking lot of Exact Sciences’ Madison headquarters at 1 Exact Lane will transform into a Habitat for Humanity of Dane County construction site.
Findorff and Exact Sciences volunteers will build all of the interior and exterior walls for the three-bedroom, one-bathroom home, which will eventually be located in Oregon. The future homeowner, Adjele Neglokpe, will be onsite working alongside the volunteers building her home.
Adjele, who lives with her eight-year-old son Uriel, and mother Essivi, is most looking forward to providing her son with the stability that homeownership brings. “I am so happy that we will be stable and will not have to move again, and that we are safe,” Adjele said.
Being in such a warm community, like Oregon, is also a huge point of excitement for the family. “I can’t wait to see my son building friendships and playing with kids in the neighborhood. My mom and I are excited to have a garden and have our family over for get-togethers,” Adjele said.
Before the day is done, all of the walls will be stood up just as they will be once they’re moved to their permanent location.
“Both Habitat for Humanity and Exact Sciences are interested in the health of our communities and recognize our responsibilities to make positive impacts,” said Jeremy Hulsey, Director of Project Portfolio Management at Exact Sciences.
“Findorff has been partner of Habitat for Humanity for many years and are thankful for the opportunity to give back in our local community by going beyond. We are proud to be a part of building the Neglokpe’s new forever home,” Said Chad Eschler, Vice President of Business Development at Findorff.
“I want to show my son that hard work pays off when you want something that means a lot to you. This house will mean so much to us. I want to teach him more responsibility and have him understand that good things come when you are patient,” Adjele said.
See the event in action on 
Valerie Renk announced her retirement as Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, marking an end to her 11 years of service. During this time, Renk led the expansion of the affordable homeownership nonprofit with new large-scale housing developments, 160+ homes, a home repair program, and financial capability trainings.
With a background in development, microfinance and agriculture, Renk was named Habitat’s CEO in 2012. During her tenure, she grew the organization from $6 million to $18 million in assets, serving 550+ families through homeownership programs.
Under her leadership, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County:
– Expanded to a 45,000-square-foot central campus, combining the Habitat administrative office, ReStore West location, and two of three warehouses
– Developed a five-year land bank for future building and development
– Built in 11 Dane County communities including Madison, Sun Prairie, Oregon, Stoughton, Fitchburg, Verona, Middleton, Brooklyn, and Mount Horeb.
– Started a Furniture Bank
– Increased mortgage loan capacity to modest means families by more than $1.25 million dollars
– Became the first Habitat in the nation to be approved by the US Treasury for Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) status
– Launched a local Women’s Build Program and emergency COVID mortgage deferral plan, while growing homeownership plans to include repair and financial capability training.
Renk also coped with many challenges throughout her tenure, including a temporary loss of volunteers during the pandemic and the current era of soaring building costs in Dane County.
“Valerie is an inspirational, supportive leader, always out in front driving the affordable housing mission of Habitat forward,” said Habitat Board Chair Josh Reiter. “She’s done an outstanding job bringing together volunteers, donors, local officials, and other supporters together to build stronger communities and empower our partner families to achieve their dream of homeownership.”
The Habitat Board of Directors is currently launching a search for a new CEO, and Renk will be staying on-board until a replacement is found. Habitat COO Steve Hanrahan will also be involved every step of the way, ensuring Habitat is good hands.
“There are so many impacts of homeownership – but I appreciate, most, the sustainable cycle of possibilities and progress that owning a Habitat home creates. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this,” Renk said. “It’s been the highlight of my career to work with Habitat’s tight-knit community of supporters and volunteers – a community just as invested and passionate about helping our neighbors in need and addressing the affordable housing crisis as I am.”
After retirement, Renk will continue to support community development and manage farmland and a wetland conservation bank she co-owns as a part-time consultant. She and her husband, Jeff, live on his family farm near Sun Prairie.
Read more in the 
Meet a donor who is making a big difference right here in Dane County: Eric, Joyce & Rafi Mier
“Joyce, Rafi, and I recently moved to Michigan primarily to be closer to family now that our family is expanding. While we are thrilled to be in Michigan, leaving Madison was not an easy choice for us to make since we loved it there so much. The city was just the right size for us, being large enough to have every amenity you can think of, but small enough to be
easy to get around and have a small-town feel. Even more so, we just loved the people. We’ve found that the people of Wisconsin and Madison are just phenomenal people.
We found a home in Michigan that we really loved that was cheaper than we expected. We also ended up selling our Madison townhome for far more than we expected we would get. Our Catholic faith has instilled in us that the gifts we have we are given to share and that the assets in our name are not meant solely for our own desires, but to be stewarded to those in greater need. The amount we gave sort of fell into place as we had that amount left from the sale of our townhome after paying off our old mortgage and our new down payment. We just felt like that was money that other people absolutely needed more than we did. And then why we chose Habitat was because we felt that it would be fitting to keep that money in the housing industry, especially since we felt like the high sale price of our home could in some small way contribute to making it harder for people who have less resources to be able to break into the market.
Attending a home dedication ceremony in Sun Prairie really solidified to us that we had done God’s will with that money. It was really cool to see all the people coming out and having a celebration and just seeing the joy of the families as they got to experience homeownership. I also was really touched by seeing the joy on the faces of the new homeowners! It was very special to be at the dedication ceremony and see the community Habitat is building up in Sun Prairie. Wishing Habitat continued success in all that you are doing in the Madison area!”
– Eric, Joyce & Rafi Mier
As part of a national effort to build 350 affordable homes for families, Wells Fargo awarded a $30,000 grant to Habitat for Humanity of Dane County to build with future homeowners Mohamed and Mahawa in Madison’s Owl Creek neighborhood. On July 13 and 20, Wells Fargo employees will join Habitat for Humanity of Dane County to help raise the walls on the Habitat home.
At least one in eight Wisconsin households spend over half of their income on housing and the number of Dane County families who are struggling to afford rent is on the rise. For Mohamed and Mahawa’s family, this volunteer effort will help the family find stability and a permanent place to call home.
Funding for this new Habitat home is part of Wells Fargo’s $7.75M donation to Habitat for Humanity International through Wells Fargo Builds program to help more families across the U.S. achieve housing stability.
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County and the City of Madison are joining forces to offer city residents help with home repair projects.
The partnership, aimed at assisting low- to moderate- income homeowners with both funding and labor, will repair and rehabilitate existing homes to help Madison residents keep their homes safe and well-maintained for years to come.
From painting and roof repair to building wheelchair ramps and plumbing, the Habitat Home Repair Program works with families based on income, need, and a willingness to help with the work.
Habitat’s professional construction staff will work alongside volunteers and contractors to complete the needed work. The City of Madison will provide up to $5,000 in funding and Habitat will work to keep project costs manageable for tight budgets and provide affordable loans for funding needed above and beyond the city’s funding.
Potential projects include siding, porches, windows, doors, flooring, stairs and railings, painting, landscaping, roofing, accessibility modifications, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC.
Homeowners must meet income and credit qualifications including demonstrated need, willingness to partner, and ability to repay a low- to no-interest loan. The property must be owned and occupied by the applicants and the annual household income must be less than 80% of the county median income.
To apply, visit 
We are so proud of our new 45,000-square-foot central campus that will serve as Habitat’s administrative office, flexible community and education spaces, expanded ReStore West location, and ReStore warehouse – all under the same roof for the first time ever!
Habitat’s newest homeowner, 11-year-old Sarah, did a cartwheel before cutting the ribbon!
This new space allows us to better address the ever-increasing need for safe and affordable housing more strategically and collaboratively than ever! Habitat purchased the former Odana Antiques Mall in April of 2022. After a year of remodeling the space to accommodate Habitat’s partner families, staff, and volunteers, the Grand Opening took place on June 30.
We’d love to have you come by for a visit to see our entirely remodeled space, Tuesday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Learn more about the ribbon cutting: Read about it in the 
Two more families are now homeowners in Sun Prairie thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Dane County.
Their homes are in Habitat for Humanity’s largest development in the state. When it’s finished, the 62-acre Town Hall Crossing community in Sun Prairie will have 118 single family homes, with 40% of those going to Habitat families.
For one of those homeowners, Lecheheb, owning a home is a dream come true.
“It’s a big deal because owning a house, it’s an investment for the future,” Lecheheb said.
Watch the full story on 
Here in Dane County, building and repairing homes requires a year-round, constant effort. As the months get colder, Habitat’s need for hard-working volunteers grows to ensure low- to moderate-income families and have safe, affordable and warm home to call their own.
Please consider signing up between November and March and become a part of our Habitat Winter Warrior crew! Our Wisconsin winters may be cold, but nothing will warm your heart like helping our friends and neighbors in need right here in Dane County.
Join us in adding a few layers, bundling up, and braving the temps to have a powerful community impact like none other!
Learn more on 
We’re proud to partner with the City of Sun Prairie to build 10 affordable single-family residences for low- to-moderate-income families!
Read the full story on 
Thank you to the 
We love seeing 
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County and several partner organizations gathered in Madison Thursday to showcase their work building an affordable house out of insulated concrete forms.
The project marks the first home Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, the Build with Strength Coalition and local supplier partners have built out of the forms. The energy-efficient forms help homeowners cut down on their utility costs while also reducing upfront construction costs.
“It’ll be good for the environment as well as good for our families,” Habitat for Humanity of Dane County CEO Valerie Renk said. “We’ll save energy costs over the 30 years or more life of the house, of course, it’ll also be a quieter home, produced more environmentally sound, but also safe for that homeowner over the life of their home, the energy costs in that home that it will take to heat the home.”
The concrete forms are also noncombustible and make it cheaper to insure homes.
The effort is part of a wider initiative to construct more than 50 concrete homes in 50 states over five years. Since February 2021, 47 homes have been built in 26 states.
Learn more on 
A one-time supermarket in Monona that is famous for its distinctive arched roof was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Historical Society marked the addition of the former Kohl’s Food Store to the nationwide list, describing its design as “an excellent representative of mid-century Contemporary architecture.”
The design was mirrored by other Kohl’s Food Stores in the 1950s and 1960s, the historical society noted, and remains one of the best existing examples in Wisconsin.
The supermarket closed in 1985, two years after the Kohl family sold the chain to A&P. The building, which sits in the 4200 block of Monona Dr., has since been purchased by Habitat for Humanity of Dane Co. It now houses one of the organization’s Habitat ReStores.
Beyond its recognizable glue-laminated arch design, the historical society also highlighted the structure’s asymmetrical façade; prominent, overhanging eave; and open interior floorplan. The building had been designed by Milwaukee-based Rasche, Schroeder, Spransy & Associates.
Learn more at 
Habitat for humanity was at the capitol Thursday to bring awareness to the housing crisis in Madison by piecing together a home for one local family.
“This is gonna be a three bedroom, two bath house, two-story with a full basement and two-car garage,” said Adam Helt-Baldwin, construction director at Habitat for Humanity of Dane County.
These walls are part of Habitat for Humanity’s frame-up event, all for future homeowners Hayet and Nabil.
“We are a family of five persons, two boys, and one girl,” said Hayet, the future homeowner.
With a little sweat equity from the homeowners and sponsors, walls start to take shape.
We’re giving back with some talent. So we’re putting together some walls for a new home in sun prairie for a family,” said Jim Yehle, President & CEO at J.H. Findorff & Son.
In building this house, just a few feet from the capitol, this project is actually constructing a solution to a bigger issue: affordable quality housing.
Dozens of volunteers and sponsors are here swinging hammers because they want to bring awareness to the challenges of homeownership.
“There are groups that have been historically marginalized and underrepresented groups who have not had that access or that pathway or those opportunities to homeownership,” said Alexzandra Shade, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at CUNA Mutual Group.
Hopefully, this frame will soon become their permanent address, and with the rising cost of living, Habitat’s taking care to keep this home economical.
“We make sure the more mortgage is affordable for the long term, so, especially with rising inflation, it’s the best deal in town,” Helt-Baldwin said.
Nabil and Hayet’s home will eventually be moving to its permanent location in Sun Prairie.
Learn more at 
Habitat is on the move and we look forward to welcoming you to our new office in spring 2023! Our soon-to-be “central campus” is currently under renovation on Odana Road. Please bear with us as we give our new space some TLC.
In the meantime, contact us to get in touch with any of our staff at:
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County
PO Box 44189, Madison, WI 53744
Office Phone: 608.255.1549
Fax: 608.255.1823
Email: habitat@habitatdane.org
Office Hours: By appointment only until this spring
Read more about our new 45,000-square-foot space at 6201 Odana Road in the 
Local veterans worked for hours Wednesday, building a house for a local mother.
Ashley Burdick, a mother of three, has been working towards owning a home for years. The veterans, working with Habitat for Humanity, are making her dream come true.
“It’s an opportunity to realize it’s a dream for someone,” volunteer Marcia Anderson said. “Homeownership has gotten out of reach for a lot of people in this country and habitat helps people reach that dream.”
The veterans build the frame of the house outside a Middleton business today, and they will move the frame to its permanent location in Sun Prairie at a later time.
See more on 
Habitat for Humanity Dane County is adding to its sustainability efforts.
The organization unveiled new solar panels at its office on Latham Drive in Madison Thursday.
CEO Valerie Renk says they’re excited for the solar system because it makes them a more sustainable organization.
“We have already in just a couple of months, we’ve been using our new solar panels, we’ve made enough energy that would be equivalent to six months of what a Habitat home would use,” said Renk.
Their next goal is to get some grants to add solar panels for their ReStore on the east side of Madison.
See more on 
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is one of more than 220 Habitat organizations awarded a grant from Wells Fargo as part of its nationwide initiative to help low-to-moderate income families construct and improve homes across the country. “Far too many people across the country are facing housing instability and one of our key priorities is to create housing affordability solutions where everyone can have a safe and affordable place to call home,” said Christina Smith-Wilkie, SBA Business Development Officer for Wells Fargo. “We are proud to support Habitat for Humanity in providing homeownership opportunities for hundreds of families nationwide through Wells Fargo Builds.”
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County will receive $30,000 and use the funding to build two homes for two Habitat families in Stoughton, Wis. including:
– Lidije & Beikim who came to the U.S. as refugees from the war in Kosovo in 1999. They have three children 16-year-old Erald, 11-year-old Erza and four-year-old Ema. Between starting new in the U.S., living on a very tight budget and caring for their oldest son with autism, homeownership seemed like an out-of-reach dream, now made a reality with the help of Wells Fargo.
– Liridona & Nexhmedin also came to the U.S. as refugees from the war in Kosovo. The couple has four daughters, 13-year-old Anduela, 11-year-old Ayrela, 9-year-old Ariana, and three-year-old Ameia.
The grant is part of a $7.75 million donation Wells Fargo is making to Habitat for Humanity International through Wells Fargo Builds, an initiative that provides philanthropic financial support and volunteerism to create sustainable affordable housing. More than 340 homes will be constructed or repaired with Habitat in over 40 states through the initiative this year. Wells Fargo Builds is part of Wells Fargo’s $1 billion philanthropic commitment to create more housing affordability solutions by 2025.
This growing city is well known for its sweet corn festival, an ear-nipping groundhog named Jimmy and Sunday night races around the clay oval of Angell Park Speedway, a tradition here since 1903.
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is also making its mark.
Over the past 21 years, Habitat has constructed 48 homes in the city but that number is about to double with what will become the largest Habitat development in state history. The organization has invested over $3 million in streets, sewer and water lines and other infrastructure to lay the groundwork for Town Hall Crossing.
Read more in the 
Thank you to everyone who came out to Stoughton last week to break ground with us on eight new twin homes!
Construction will start this summer and all eight homes are expected to be completed by 2023.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible including special guests:
• City of Stoughton, Wisconsin Mayor Tim Swadley
• Wisconsin State Rep. Gary Hebl
• Dane County Executive Joe Parisi
• Supervisor Carl Chenoweth of the Dane County Board of Supervisors.
• Regional Director Tawsif Anam from Senator’s Ron Johnson’s office.
• District Director Dane Varese from Congressman Mark Pocan’s office
• Stoughton City Council member Fred Hundt
• Stoughton Area School District Board of Education members Allison Sorg, Joe Freye & Yolibeth Fitzgibbon
A special thank you to Stoughton resident, Tony Hill, who made the property affordable for Habitat to purchase.
Learn more on 
The organization Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is finishing the last of 12 homes, completing the project with the help of students from the Sun Prairie High School.
For the past four years, a project in the Vandenburg Heights neighborhood has led to a dozen homes being built, providing affordable housing through Habitat for Humanity. Over the past three years, students from the Sun Prairie High School have helped build three homes.
Each year, roughly a dozen students join the project site, learning valuable skills while helping crews complete the homes in the neighborhood.
The real-world opportunity to have a hands-on building experience teaches students how to fix several things around the home, from building a cabinet to fixing the floor trim. It is also a rewarding way to help people who need a home.
See the full Morning Show at 
Habitat Young Professionals of Dane County (HYP) has announced a golf outing that will take place at The Meadows of Six Mile Creek on Saturday, June 5, benefiting Habitat for Humanity.
HYP Vice President and Communications Chair Colleen Peters said the tournament will feature a shotgun start, 18 holes of competition, raffle drawings and prizes to be awarded throughout the day. Lunch has been included in the cost of participation, which for the general public is $100.
“This is the first year that our board will be hosting this golf outing,” Peters said. “We’re really excited about it, because we have a good relationship with The Meadows of Six Mile Creek in Waunakee. And we’re excited to be able to host something where people can gather, be outdoors and still support a great organization.”
Read more in 
A popular community fundraiser is returning with a new social distancing twist. The UW-Madison student chapter of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is hosting its annual ‘
Chris Stanford of News 3 Now/Channel 3000 spent some time on the Habitat build site with the AmeriCorps NCCC North Central Region crew!
As Lauren Spratt puts the finishing touches on a stair railing, it’s one more project wrapping up so a mom and her children will have a new place to live.
Spratt is working on a house on Eliot Ln, which is one of a handful of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County homes that will go to homeowners who apply through the new home program. Habitat relies on volunteers for labor, but they’re seeing about 40% less since the start of the pandemic, forcing Habitat to take on fewer homes, says CEO Valerie Renk.
“It’s been a hard winter for us,” says Renk. “We’re hoping with spring now and more people being vaccinated it’s going to be easier for our worksites,” she says.
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County was honored to be Social Media Breakfast Madison’s nonprofit spotlight this month! We are so appreciative of your support!
For the first time ever, this year’s 
Learn more about Habitat’s upcoming work in Oregon on The Oregon Minute with Emilie Heidemann from the Oregon Observer & Steve Hanrahan from Habitat for Humanity of Dane County!
Habitat currently has 13 homes built in the Oregon/Brooklyn community and with this project we’re proud to add to that number!
This fall, Habitat for Humanity of Wisconsin honored Habitat homeowners who went above and beyond to serve our communities throughout the pandemic.
We were thrilled to nominate Stacey, a Habitat homeowner in Sun Prairie, for this honor for her courage and self-sacrifice.
Stacey has been an essential worker on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 since day one to help keep us safe and our communities strong.
From all of us at Habitat, thank you for your service Stacey!
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is honored be part of 
Home has become an important place since COVID-19 hit, as a place to learn, earn and relax.
At Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, they are setting up to give 13 keys out to new homeowners this year, providing them a place of solace, even as the non-profit is facing challenges of its own.
“We are continuing to build with a lean staff, limited volunteers, and stringent safety protocols because affordable housing is more critical than ever before during these tough times,” said Valerie Renk, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County CEO.
Read the full story in 
It’s been 259 days since the coronavirus first hit Dane County.
Since then, local nonprofits like Habitat ReStore of Dane County have continually reinvented how they operate. See the full story on 
A BIG thank you to In Business magazine‘s 40 Under 40 Class of 2019 for volunteering with us on a Habitat Home Repair project in Mount Horeb!
From painting and landscaping to roof repair, the Habitat Home Repair program works with families based on income, need and a willingness to help with the work.
Habitat volunteers complete the needed work and Habitat provides a no-interest loan to cover the cost of materials, keeping costs manageable for tight budgets!
Read more in 
U.S. Treasury Awards $650,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Dane County through CDFI Fund
In October, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund awarded 397 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) across the nation more than $204 million in awards.
Among them, locally, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County was awarded $650,000 to increase lending and investment activity in low-income and economically distressed communities in Dane County. This funding will help Habitat for Humanity push their efficiencies further to serve more families with a sustainable and long-term housing solution through their homebuilding program.
The CDFI Program invests in and builds the capacity of CDFIs to serve low-income families and communities lacking adequate access to affordable financial products and services.
Habitat will use its funding for families that fall between 30 to 60 percent of Dane County’s median household income and that are unable to qualify for most traditional financing. Each family will invest 375 hours of “sweat equity” building their homes alongside volunteers and receive a 30-year mortgage with a below-market interest rate and monthly mortgage payments capped at 30 percent of the family’s gross income. This makes homeownership affordable and sustainable for Dane County residents.
“This funding will provide so much more than walls and a roof – it creates a brighter economic future for modest means families right here in Dane County,” Habitat for Humanity of Dane County CEO Valerie Renk said, “We’ve seen firsthand how homeownership can break the cycle of generational poverty, racial and income barriers like no other.”
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County was the first Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the nation to become a Community Development Financial Institution.
“CDFIs fund economic growth and opportunity in distressed communities. By investing federal dollars alongside private sector capital, the CDFI Fund serves mission-driven financial institutions likes us and injects new sources of capital into neighborhoods that lack access to financing,” said Renk, “Being the first, and still among a small number of Habitat affiliates in the nation to take this initiative, is something we’re very proud of.”
Read the full story at 
Thank you to the Wisconsin State Journal for highlighting how thrift stores are adapting during the pandemic, especially our favorite one — 
Dane County Habitat for Humanity has hundreds of homeowners, but many are now at risk of missing their mortgage payments.
Like many parents, Brooke Espinoza has been focusing a lot on her kids’ education while they’re distance learning. Her nights are spent worrying about making ends meet.
“My husband is working right now, but could he be furloughed tomorrow? Could he be laid off?” Espinoza says.
A big part of her financial worry had been keeping up with the mortgage payments for their Habitat for Humanity home. Her family just received financial assistance because of the pandemic. Dane County Habitat has nearly 300 families like the Espinozas in homes right now that are responsible for paying their own mortgage.
“We found that if they get three months behind (on their payments), they’re never going to catch up,” says Dane County Habitat for Humanity CEO Valerie Renk.
Habitat now has a special fund to keep families afloat financially by covering their May and June mortgage payments. Renk’s bigger worry is what will happen in the next few months. Without volunteers, Habitat’s driving force, construction has slowed. Paid employees can still work, but they’re on pace to finish the fiscal year two homes short of their goal. 20 families are currently waiting for Habitat to build them a home.
“They’ve already told their landlords they’re moving out, they’ve already told their kids they’re going to a new school, you’re going to get your own bedroom,” said Renk.
See the full store on 
Dozens of modest means families will be able to stay on top of their mortgages, thanks to a group of eight financial institutions here in Dane County partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Dane County.
To make homeownership possible for hundreds of families throughout Dane County, Habitat builds and sells homes to qualifying partner families. These homes are coupled with a low- to no-interest mortgage, which makes homeownership affordable.
“At Habitat, to raise money for big items – like large land purchases – we sometimes need to transfer mortgages to other local financial institutions so we’re able to have those funds upfront and are able to invest them into serving more Dane County families,” Habitat for Humanity of Dane County CEO Valerie Renk explained, “The banks we’ve worked with keep the same payment schedules and nothing changes for the Habitat homeowners.”
Last week, as Habitat started to see firsthand how the coronavirus pandemic was financially impacting its partner families, Habitat launched an emergency Family Relief Fund for families in Dane County.
Many Habitat families are working on the front lines of the pandemic – stocking shelves to make sure the public has supplies, preparing and delivering food, working in critical childcare, and even serving in the clinics and hospitals that are working so hard to take care of everyone.
They are doing this while paying increased childcare costs while schools remain closed. Other Habitat families are being adversely affected as their work hours are reduced or cut completely – leaving them with no income at all.
“We started the fund to offer mortgage relief for Habitat homeowners impacted by COVID-19 – giving families room in their budgets to make up for lost income due to the quarantine, healthcare costs, and extra childcare fees,” Renk said, “However, we didn’t know how to make it work for the mortgages that other financial institutions now owned.
“I sent quick emails out asking our partner banks if they would work with us to make this program a success and within a day, 100% responded saying, “Yes, we’re in! We want to help these families,” Renk said. “They didn’t debate any costs or paperwork details, just wanted to start helping families as soon as possible. This has been a great testament to the strong and generous financial community that severs Dane County.”
Habitat participating loan holders – in order of Habitat loan portfolio size – include:
Participants in Operation Fresh Start’s Legacy Program will get some significant hands-on learning experience building a Habitat for Humanity home as part of a new partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Dane County.
The partnership builds on Operation Fresh Start’s existing program which offers on-the-job training and work experience for students ages 16 – 24 while working towards their high school diplomas.
Operation Fresh Start (OFS) participants officially picked up hammers at Habitat’s Fitchburg construction site in mid-December and started on a four-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom home for soon-to-be Habitat homeowners, Mostafa, Rajaa and their three children – 11-year-old Zainab, eight-year-old Ismail, and three-year-old Bilal.
“Habitat for Humanity of Dane County has been a significant, long standing, positive contributor to Dane County’s affordable housing dilemma,” said Brian McMahon, OFS Deputy Director. “It’s through partnerships like this that we can help further address current housing challenges which many of our participants face. OFS is excited to partner with Habitat on building an affordable home for this family.”
Read the full story in the 
Congratulations to Rachel of Middleton, Habitat ReStore’s Project of the Year Winner!
Rachel transformed her basement into an amazing craft room! Way to go on completing a beautiful remodel with such a wide mix of materials! See the before and after photos and learn more about her project:
“I’m a HUGE fan of the Restore! I’m a former pastry chef, now disabled stay-at-home DIYer. This project allowed me to contribute to my family at my own pace, on a budget, all while being eco-conscious. I love the circle of giving that’s going on in this room: society traditionally values only certain types of workers and I’m no longer one of them. But I still have value and can make an impact. I’m a re-imagined, recycled worker using recycled goods!
A big growth for me during this project was to learn how to drive with a trailer! I transported all of the cabinets myself. As a disabled female, I have to work smarter, not harder. I even involved my daughter in some of the renovation. (Girl Power!!)
Almost everything in this room is thrift, secondhand, or from Habitat Restore. I visited five different Restore locations for this project (Madison East and West, and three in Northern WI while on vacation)!
My goal was to make this a safe, organized space that the whole family could enjoy together. A big portion of the room houses my dream crafting and sewing space – now comfortable and efficient.
The flooring was a HUGE win! I found enough flooring for the entire 300 sq. ft. rec room for $100! That allowed us to splurge on installing heated floors. We ran electrical under the floor to the center worktable to prevent tripping on cords.
I created a way to separate the basement from the rest of the house by engineering a pocket door. It’s made from ReStore bi-fold closet doors. I made the stained-glass window above the door, too. There are eight kitchen cabinets and two pantry cabinets, all refinished to match. One cabinet hides a new shoe cubby in our entryway.
I purchased the countertop unfinished from Lumber Liquidators and created a custom stain to match the beautiful floor. Four feet of countertop on the righthand side drops down for access under the stairs. Two Restore spindles hold the countertop up.
In the corner tambour nook, I’m still working on a separate vented workspace for crafts with noxious fumes, using a ReStore light/vent and electrical supplies. Next to it will be a heat-safe tile surface. There are two custom pull-out shelves – one Rev-a-shelf (for $7) that now holds ribbon, and a desk drawer that holds my spools of thread.
My worktable is actually two tables sandwiched together. The space between to two tabletops has storage for rulers, a light box, and a pull-out ironing board. I made custom drawers in one pantry cabinet to hold all of my fabric. A ReStore-Ikea-find coat rack hangs my in-progress garments.
The fireplace was no longer safe to use, so I replaced it with a “candleplace” using all ReStore trim. All materials for the built-in, like the custom bookshelf and Ikea file cabinet, are from the Restore, too.
“The beast” bookshelf cleaned up nicely with a coat of paint and is a great space for the kids’ toys.
Another view of the doorway, with the pocket door closed. The light switch is accessible whether the door is open or closed, thanks to careful planning.
Using random leftover lumber, trim, and flooring, I made a fancy cat litter box cover.
I re-purposed an industrial paper towel dispenser into a trash can by flipping it around. It uses up the otherwise wasted space in the lazy susan corner cabinet.
The cabinet door treatments are the icing on the cake in this project. I used paintable, textured wallpaper to unify my random assortment of ReStore cabinets. A silver antique finish highlights the texture and adds some pizazz to the room. We are SO ready to love our new rec room together!”
Watch the full story at 
This year Habitat for Humanity of Dane County received a $20,000 grant to expand a successful high school program that provides volunteer opportunities to build affordable housing resulting in dual high school/college credit from the Madison Community Foundation.
Habitat is so thrilled to offer school partnership opportunities and turn Habitat build sites into classrooms for students interested in pursuing careers in construction and the trades.
Grants like this are possible because of support from Madison Community Foundation’s Community Impact Funds.
Read the full story in the 
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County welcomed a family home just in time for the holidays on Wednesday, Dec. 18 in Sun Prairie!
Soon-to-be Habitat homeowner, Jean, is a single father with three children: 18-year-old Olga, 16-year-old Sandra, and 12-year-old Isaac. For Jean, attempts to qualify for a traditional mortgage were unsuccessful.
“Finding a place I can call home has been a long and emotional journey,” Jean said, “Over the years, renting apartments has become more expensive and harder to bear. It’s tough to keep up with the expenses of everyday life as a single father.”
The family is excited to put down permanent roots and not have to change school districts. “I consider their education a top priority in my life,” Jean explained, “I graduated from UW-Madison and I work full time as a laboratory technician. Besides school, my oldest plays softball; Sandra plays basketball and Isaac is a soccer player. I am very proud of my kids because they’re humble, respectful and Christian believers.”
The home, sponsored by Blackhawk Church, will mark the 292 Habitat home built in Dane County and the 41 home built in Sun Prairie. An additional eight homes are planned over the course of the next two years in the Vandenburg Heights neighborhood.
During the home building process, Jean spent hundreds of hours on the construction site building his home. Prior to breaking ground, Jean and members of Blackhawk Church built the home frame in their parking lot. The frame was then moved to its permanent location in Sun Prairie.
Hear the full story on 
For 31 years, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County has built and rehabbed homes alongside 281 local families and repaired dozens of homes for existing homeowners through the Habitat Home Repair program. The ultimate goal: a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
While having a safe, decent, and affordable place to live sounds simple, it really isn’t. So many Dane County residents don’t have a strong roof over their head or a safe place to tuck children into bed at night. In fact, one in eight people here live in poverty, including 16 percent of Dane County’s children. Habitat is addressing this through sustainable homeownership.
Habitat’s homebuilding model relies on cash donations, scores of volunteers, and donated materials to keep the cost of constructing homes low. Habitat then sells the homes to carefully selected families who typically fall between 30 to 60 percent of Dane County’s median household income, those who would not be able to qualify for most traditional financing.
Each Habitat family invests 325 to 375 hours of “sweat equity” building their home alongside volunteers, attending 40 hours of coursework to prepare them for homeownership, and paying a 30-year mortgage with below market interest rates. Monthly mortgage payments are capped to no more than 30 percent of the family’s gross income to make it affordable and sustainable for their family. Every mortgage payment contributes to future building projects, making the model sustainable for Habitat.
“We are committed to sustainable homeownership,” Habitat CEO Valerie Renk explains. “To us, that means everything you can see—building a new home or purchasing a distressed home and completing a renovation. We also do so many things that aren’t so visible, like home repairs and maintenance for modest-means Dane County residents who already own their homes.”
Last August, Habitat helped Jean, an elderly homeowner who has lived in her home on Madison’s east side for almost 70 years. At 92, she is healthy, lives by herself, and gets checked on regularly by her niece. Jean’s home and garage needed painting and maintenance. The last time she painted her two-story home, she did it herself. Through the Habitat Home Repair program and with help from volunteers from Madison’s local U.S. Navy recruiting station, Jean was able to get her home painted at a low cost that fit her budget. This was an especially sweet volunteer match, as Jean’s late husband also served in the Navy.
“Habitat Home Repair was designed to preserve homes by providing a low-cost solution to assist struggling homeowners with home improvements,” Valerie explains. “We’re proud to put in wheelchair ramps and fix critical issues to keep homeownership sustainable for everyone, including low-income families, single parents, elderly homeowners, veterans, people with disabilities, and even those facing city code violations or insurance policy cancellations who are struggling to keep their homes on a tight budget.”
In addition to sustainable housing, Habitat is focused on sustainable funding. Seventeen years ago, Habitat launched Habitat ReStore to raise funds for its homebuilding program with the added benefits of helping the environment and providing affordable building materials to the community. Now with two locations—4207 Monona Drive and 5906 Odana Road—the ReStores raised almost $500,000 to help fund Habitat homebuilding during its last fiscal year.
More recently, Habitat became the first Habitat for Humanity in the nation to be recognized as a federally designated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). CDFIs fund economic growth and opportunity in distressed communities. By investing federal dollars alongside private sector capital, the CDFI Fund serves mission-driven financial institutions, which Habitat Dane County is considered, and injects new sources of capital into neighborhoods that lack access to affordable financing.
Currently, Habitat is building at sites in Madison, Fitchburg, and Sun Prairie, and Habitat Home Repair projects are sprinkled throughout Dane County. “As homeowners’ needs evolve in Dane County, we’re always looking to see how we can make our program and funding more sustainable,” Valerie says. “We are committed to building for as many Dane County families as possible and keeping current residents in their homes whether they’re aging in place, facing storm damage, or any of the countless reasons residents may need a hand up, not a handout.”
Read the full store in 
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County hosted a double home dedication in Sun Prairie on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Each soon-to-be Habitat homeowner, Rebecca and Angela, were excited about owning their own homes and putting down roots in the Sun Prairie community.
For Rebecca and her two sons, 11-year-old Damian and eight-year-old Alvin, owning a home was important to have that sense of security, stability and something to call their own.
“I want to keep pushing my family forward, and I believe our next step is owning a home,” Rebecca said, “It is important to teach my children the value of family and having a home through hard work and dedication.”
Soon-to-be homeowner Angela is a dental assistant in Sun Prairie and mom to six-year-old daughter Averie. Angela’s dream is put down roots and have the security that owning a home brings.
“I want so much to give my daughter the life she deserves. I want to give my daughter a home she can grow up in and always know she can come back to, like my parents did for me,” Angela said, “That is why I am fighting so hard to make that dream come true for my daughter and myself.”
The homes, sponsored by TASC (Total Administrative Services Corporation), marked the 290th and 291st Habitat homes build in Dane County and the 39th and 40th homes built in Sun Prairie. An additional nine homes are planned over the course of the next two years in the Vandenburg Heights neighborhood.
During the home building process, Rebecca and Angela spent hundreds of hours on the construction site building their homes. Prior to breaking ground on both homes, staff from TASC built both home frames in the parking lot of Warner Park in partnership with the United Way Seasons of Caring Kick-Off event. The frames were then moved to their permanent locations in Sun Prairie.
Read the full story in Sun Prairie’s 
During the renowned Dane County Farmer’s Market, Habitat volunteers and future Habitat homeowners gathered together outside the most famous building in Wisconsin – the State Capital – and built a home for a family in need!
Learn more about the build and see the full story 
President Carter is known the world over for so many notable and outstanding accomplishments. Starting out as a gradate from the United States Naval Academy, his leadership in civil and human rights led him to be the President of the United States, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Governor of Georgia, and so much more.
“At Habitat, we know President Carter best as a humanitarian who has mobilized thousands of hands and voices to build affordable housing for those in need,” said Valerie Renk, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, “In fact, President Carter is so passionate and closely tied to Habitat, many people believed he founded it.”
For the last 36 years, President and Mrs. Carter built thousands of homes by leading work projects, not just in the United States, but around the world. Together the Carters worked shoulder-to-shoulder with more than 103,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build 4,352 homes.
Madison resident and longtime Habitat volunteer, Dee Wylie, worked alongside President Carter during two of those builds – the 28th and 29th Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Projects – both in Léogâne, Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake that left 1.6 million people homeless.
In 2011 President and Mrs. Carter led 400 volunteers to build 100 houses, and because the need was so great, came back again in 2012 with 600 volunteers. “Prior to the 2011 build, a Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project had never visited the same area twice,” Wylie explained, “After seeing the devastation and working in Haiti, the Carters were inspired to go back again.”
Each trip met in Atlanta, where President and Mrs. Carter welcomed volunteers before all flying together on two airplanes from Atlanta to Port-au-Prince. “Going down, President Carter shook hands and welcomed each and every volunteer as they boarded the airplane and again thanked everyone coming off of the plane when we arrived back in Atlanta,” Wylie said.
Once the group arrived in Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince, they took an 18-mile bus ride to Léogâne. Although the bus ride was short distance, the journey took two hours due to poor road conditions. “Léogâne was the epicenter of the earthquake,” Wylie explained, “Most of the country was still in ruins, but this area was the most devastated. An estimated 400,000 Haitians were living in temporary shelters and struggling to find ways to make a living.”
During the build, volunteers stayed in a secured campsite that had sleeping tents, a shower area, dining tent, and social area, as well as an area for Haitian crafters to sell their creations. Many Haitian families lived in tents and makeshift shelters surrounding the secured build site.
Throughout both trips President and Mrs. Carter were active participants in not only the build each day, but also joined in the campsite activities. “The Carters ate with volunteers and did everything with the rest of the group,” Wylie said, “President Carter was so heartfelt. There was such a super energy around the build site.”
Before beginning work the first day, President Carter shared a Sunday lesson with volunteers. He asked everyone to remember three things:
1. Accommodate changing times but cling to unchanging principles. (A lesson from his boyhood teacher, Miss Julie).
2. Have two loves in life, God and the person standing in front of you at the moment. (A lesson from pastor Eloy Cruz).
3. Never forget that while good works are important, people are saved by a grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. (A lesson from the Book of Ephesians).
“As each home was completed, President Carter personally congratulated every family and gave them each a Haitian Bible,” Wylie explained, “He also took many photos with volunteers and homeowners alike.”
“I will never forget my time building with President Carter,” Wylie said, “There are so many wonderful memories. He was such an inspiration to work with and he helped so many people.” During Wylie’s second trip in 2012, she was also able to reconnect with the homeowners she built with during the previous trip and was even treated to a concert by Garth Brooks on her 65th birthday.
“President Carter is an inspiration for those of us at Habitat, as well as the rest of the world,” said Renk, “He continuously leads by example and shows his endless commitment to basic human rights through everything he does.”
Learn more about Habitat’s proposed development project on Sun Prairie’s east side in 
Students in Sun Prairie gained some significant hands-on learning experience this year building an entire Habitat for Humanity house courtesy of a first-ever partnership between the Sun Prairie Area School District and Habitat for Humanity of Dane County.
Construction on the home, located in Sun Prairie’s Vandenburg Heights at 1108 Chicory Way, started last winter when Sun Prairie High School’s home construction class came on site, with only a poured foundation. The rest of the home was be built entirely by the students with the help of their high school teacher, Justin Zander.
“Sun Prairie Area School District does a great job preparing students,” said Habitat CEO Valerie Renk, “For students interested in the trades, turning a Habitat build site into a classroom is another opportunity to provide hands-on experience and vocational training along with practical application of critical academic skills. Whether they want to pursue a career in construction or just know how to fix things in their own homes, they’re learning real-world homebuilding skills.”
Soon-to-be homeowner, Amber, is excited for her four children — 13-year-old twin daughters Rayeana and Atiyana, six-year-old daughter Ciara, and nine-month-old son Cairon — to have a stable home to grow up in.
“Not only will my children have a home to grow up in, but I will finally have a home,” Amber explained. “We are so fortunate to have this opportunity to come together and partner with Habitat to make this life-long dream into a reality.”
During the home dedication, a neighboring Habitat home at 1122 Chicory Way was also dedicated. That home, sponsored by 
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County dedicated the first three homes of its newest 12-house neighborhood, Tennyson Ridge, on Madison’s northside.
All three families – Chao and KaNhia, Kala, and Khue and Ka – are excited about owning their own homes and living in the northside community.
Chao and KaNhia’s journey to homeownership started in Laos. “During the Vietnam War, we could no longer stay so we relocated to Ban Venai Refugee Camp in Thailand with many other Hmong families,” KaNhia explained, “Living in Ban Venai was one of the saddest times for my family because we weren’t allowed to go outside the refugee camp. In 1996 we came to the United States.”
Once Chao and KaNhia reached the U.S. the family worked hard to build a better life. “Most of my children are already married now and have children of their own,” KaNhia said. “After all of the struggle my family has gone through, we really value each other’s love and support. Though we don’t make enough to have a nice place to live, we have come so far from where we started.”
Kala is a massage therapist and mother of two boys, 14-year-old Jeremiah, and three-year-old Kyrie. “I was raised in Madison by a single mother. My mother worked very hard, sometimes two jobs just to make ends meet. We were always moving from apartment to apartment and changed schools multiple times,” Kala said. “I want to plant roots for my kids by owning a home. I want my kids to always have a place to call home; and a place to come home to.”
“Owning a home has always been a dream that seemed just out of reach,” Kala explained, “Words cannot express how I feel. Beautiful things can happen when people with such big hearts come together and show so much compassion. It makes me see the beauty in the world!”
Khue and Ka married in a refugee camp in Thailand and moved to the U.S. in 2004. They have five children – three boys and two girls.
“All my kids were born here in the U.S. The oldest is 14 and the youngest is three,” Khue said. “We are very proud to be U.S. citizens. Since my family arrived here, we’ve lived in an apartment for the last 14 years. I have always dreamed of owning my own house, for my kids to have their own space, a safe place to live, and have enough space for everyone.”
The homes, sponsored by 
Habitat hosted a one-day Executive Women’s Build this month in Sun Prairie’s Vandenburg Heights neighborhood. Thirty female executives spent the day on the construction site, including future homeowners Amber and Angela, who will both be living in the homes that were worked on during the day.
Amber is a mother to 13-year-old twin daughters, a six-year-old daughter, and a nine-month-old son. Amber first attended a Habitat homeowner informational meeting in 2009 and just recently applied to make her longtime dream of homeownership into a reality.
Angela is a dental assistant and a mother to four-year-old daughter, Averie. Angela has been working very hard to give Averie a home she can grow up in and always know she can come back to.
While Habitat’s mission is to provide homes for hardworking individuals and families of all shapes and sizes, the Executive Women’s Build specifically focuses on building by women and for women, giving them the tools they need to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.
A special thank you to our sponsors, 
More than 50 associates and partners from 
The Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is delighted to announce the appointment of four new board members, who officially joined the organization in February.
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County and 
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County hosted a double home dedication in Fitchburg on Saturday, March 9 at 2 p.m. Both soon-to-be Habitat homeowners, Ryan and Kierstin’s family, and Ana, are excited about owning their own homes and living in the Fitchburg community.
Souper Bowl XXIII will be held at Madison West High School on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 12-6 p.m. The community soup feast has become a Madison tradition since 1995 and is the largest fundraiser for the UW-Madison student chapter of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County. Last year’s event served more than 1,400 attendees over 200 gallons of soup!
Have you seen Wisconsin Urban Wood sold at Habitat ReStore East and West? About a third of the wood cut at The Wood Cycle is sold at Habitat ReStore for hobby woodworkers. Learn the full story behind this beautiful wood in the December issue of 
