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Here's the latest information regarding Youth United events and opportunities:

2005 Annual YU Letter: Appeal from the Youth United Leaders, HFH Millstone Basin Affiliate

In the last three years, our Habitat for Humanity affiliate has developed an exciting initiative that invites youth ages 5-15 who have worked together with other youth in the central New Jersey area. As in Habitat affiliates who have fostered this effort across the US, this program is called Youth United (YU) -- its motto is “Raise Awareness, Raise Funds, Raise the Roof.” YU creates many opportunities for youth to eliminate poverty housing existing within our local area. Participating in this program trains us as leaders and provides useful life lessons about “giving back” and growing worthwhile relationships and friendships.

In order to reach our ambitious goals, our YU teams have each established their own plans and activities to raise funds while learning leadership skills. Ongoing YU activities have focused us on raising the $58,000 needed for the construction of a new Habitat home. In this annual letter, we invite you to help us in our efforts to attain our goals:

• To raise the remaining $38,000 for the cost of the home on Evan Avenue in East Windsor, New Jersey.
• To use the funds for the construction projects taking place in 2006.

We have raised $21,403 since the winter of 2003. Individuals and families have participated in car washes, pancake breakfasts, bike raffles, and basketball hoop-shooting contests. Our school and church groups have held festivals and sold birdhouses, T-shirts and Habitat pins. Our YU school leaders have also written and been awarded grants totaling $5,000. Along with individual groups, our other sponsor donations include those from Friendly’s Restaurant (10% of proceeds from one evening), McCafferty’s (1% of all tallied grocery receipts), Wegmans (gift certificate for our summer volunteer celebration) and Home Depot (building materials).

We invite you to visit our web page to learn more about our YU values, goals and successes: http://www.habitatmba.org/YouthUnited.htm.

Any effort to help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for taking your time to read this letter.

Sincerely,

The Habitat for Humanity Youth United Team

HABITAT's OPERATION HOME DELIVERY (OHD)

We will work through the adult board on our decisions about OHD to help build home structures to be sent south for Hurricane Katrina victims. We've been asked by the Northeast affiliate to explain the phases of OHD for youth:

• Encourage youth to work within each affiliate's efforts
• "First responders" are still at work to establish needs through September
• Pilot OHD build work will occur in Mississippi during October
• Local school and individual HFH OHD fund raising donations from YU teams can go to our treasurer. Please make checks payable to Habitat for Humanity International (note Katrina donation) and send to: Millstone Basin Affiliate, Habitat for Humanity, P.O. Box 178, Cranbury, NJ 08512. We will tally our affiliate contributions and forward those directly to HFHI. Here are donations ideas and amounts:
  • $10 a floor joist
  • $20 a 50-lb box of nails
  • $25 a roof truss
  • $40 5 gallons of paint
  • $50 an interior door
  • $75 8 sheets of wallboard
  • $100 3 boxes of flooring materials
  • $250 50 bundles of roof shingles

OHD pre-build work may be available in our affiliate, if we find warehouse space and adult build expertise. YU teams will be informed about this summer's "Collegiate Challenge" youth builds in the south.

THINK ABOUT HOW TO RAISE AWARENESS AND RAISE FUNDS

We need to begin planning for both our next house in East Windsor and also special funds for Katrina OHD efforts. We can help with this right away! As your time allows, let me know what you or your group would like to do. Here's the link to the youth newsletter on the national Habitat site: https://www.habitat.org/ccyp/newsletter/Katrina_recovery_efforts.aspx

Again, welcome to South Brunswick High, Princeton High and Hopewell Valley, who are joining our West Windsor clubs and Hightstown youth local efforts! We start the year with 30+ youth - a good and busy year is ahead for you to share ideas and meet new people. We appreciate your leadership and dedication! Let's continue to be engaged with each other at least once a month through emails and the board meetings.

Kelly Spors
Habitat for Humanity Millstone Basin Area
Youth United Adult Coordinator
609-443-8744
youthunited@habitatmba.org

Want to learn more about becoming involved with Youth United? Click here to email Kelly Spors, our director of Youth United programs, for more information or to see how you can become involved with Youth United. Maybe you can help start a Youth United chapter in your school!

How is the "Youth United" house coming? Our Youth United chapter raised funds for and worked on Project # 6, Deon Lewis's home. Click here to learn about the project.

Last Updated: July 12, 2006