NOVEMBER 5, 2021 |
Manatee Habitat Happenings |
Giving Tuesday Around The WorldStarted in 2012 Giving Tuesday has gown to be a worldwide event raising over a billion dollars last year. The initiative was the brainchild of Henry Timms at the 92nd Street Y in New York. For its first eight years, GivingTuesday was housed in Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact, which is an an incubator for ideas until they grow to a point where they can stand on their own.“GivingTuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to use their individual power of generosity to remain connected and support their communities. It’s a day when everyone comes together to give back in all forms-acts of kindness, gifts of voice, time, talent or treasure.” LUCKILY Manatee Habitat has been presented with a $5,000 matching challenge from the Realtor Association of Sarasota Manatee. This means YOUR donation is doubled up to $5,000! We believe everyone deserves an affordable safe place to live! Would you like to be a part of changing lives for the better? You can volunteer, donate to the Restore or give your financial support and you will be helping families change their lives for the better. |
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT |
James McCann Construction Acquisition ManagerMeet James McCann, the guy who knows where everything is in the warehouse, who makes sure the volunteers have the correct building materials for the day, and who views Manatee Habitat not only as his job, but as his hobby too! James has been with Manatee Habitat for over 10 years, having started as a volunteer helping his daughter with her volunteer hours. Getting to know James on the volunteer job sites, we quickly realized he would be an invaluable member of our staff, and he has been with Manatee Habitat ever since. Oh, and by the way, his daughter completed the program and is the happy owner of a Manatee Habitat home in Hope Landing. James may look like a big tough guy but just ask Trixie or Tucker, his two senior rescue cats. They will set you straight, that he is the kindest, most gentle guy you will ever meet. Even though the two cats think they come first, James’s three grandchildren are his sunshine and there is nothing he wouldn’t do for them. From electronic vending machine repair, to facilities manager, to our Construction Acquisition Manager, James’s experience will serve him well when he lives out his bucket list wish of someday traveling for a year. And, you can bet, that there will be a few days at Disney with his grandchildren included in that wish list year! |
Choosing the Most Efficient Home AppliancesFall is one of the best times of a year to get deals on appliances as next year’s models start to show up in retail stores. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading a washing machine, clothes dryer, dishwasher, range, refrigerator, air conditioner or water heater now’s the time to take advantage of sales on previous year’s models. In addition to initial product cost, consider two other factors: the appliance’s efficiency and its carbon emissions. When buying appliances, there are two rating systems you can rely on to evaluate efficiency: ENERGY STAR designation and the CEE ratings. Both systems rank appliances on water and energy efficiency but take slightly different approaches.ENERGY STAR appliances can save you 30% on energy bills compared to an average appliance. To save even more, look for the “Most Efficient” category, which includes products that are up to 44% more efficient than standard products. CEE is a consortium of U.S. and Canadian utilities who set standards that encourage manufacturers to develop super-efficient appliances. The CEE rating system has standards for a wide variety of household systems and appliances. The Tier 1 ranking is equivalent to basic ENERGY STAR rated appliances. Ratings climb to Tier 2, 3 and Advanced Tier, each of which is more efficient than the previous one. You can search the on-line CEE library to find out how various models compare on CEE ratings and both energy and water use.Magazines like Consumer Reports and on-line web sites will provide comparisons of several manufactures on the same type of products that can be very helpful in deciding what product to purchase. The recommendation would be to purchase the appliance with the highest rating that can be afforded to help lower the operating cost over the life of the product. Many of your homes have been built to very high standards of energy efficiencies and continuing to purchase highly energy efficient products will continue to help lower the operating costs of your home on a monthly basis. |
Together, We Build Home.For Brittany and her three daughters, a Habitat Home made everything better. From living in one bedroom with a single queen bed for all four to sharing a three-bedroom house with a no-interest mortgage, Brittany’s hard work has paid off: her children are happier and doing much better in school, she’s working on her Bachelor’s degree, and she was promoted at work. Read her full story here. As we head into the season of giving, we hope you’ll make a gift to support Manatee Habitat’s work. Your donations do so much more than build homes. They allow us to help future and current Homeowners as well as assist veterans, seniors, and disabled individuals who need critical home repairs. We also promote programs to build better communities. And right now, your gift by December 31 will help us meet a $48,000 challenge from a group of generous Manatee Habitat supporters. PLUS, we have a special opportunity this year. Thanks to the generosity of The Lewis and Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic Trust, you can double your online gift up to $500!The Five Best Ways to Support Manatee Habitat1. DOUBLE YOUR GIFT of up to $500 through December 31 by giving at FlanzerTrust.org. Make sure you select Manatee County Habitat for Humanity to receive your donation.2. Donate from your IRA: Direct the holder of your IRA to send it to Manatee Habitat, and you will pay no income tax on the gift. Contact Emily Lane (see below) for details.3. Donate cars, boats, stock and even real estate:contact Emily Lane (see below) for information. For cars, you may visit this link.4. Join our Manatee Habitat Builders to make a bigger impact through monthly giving. Just select monthly giving when you donate online here.5. Become a Manatee Habitat HopeBuilder with an annual donation of $1,000 or more ($84 per month). Click here to donate.Questions? Call Emily Lane, (941) 748-9100 ext. 109 or email elane@ManateeHabitat.org. |
Our Next Mission Celebrates VeteransHave plans for Veterans Day? Well why not join all of us at Our Next Mission’s annual fundraiser “A Celebration of Service” which will be held at the IMG Golf Club! You can still get tickets; but do NOT delay! Just click on the flyer below and you will be magically transported to their web site. |