Jefferson County Habitat for Humanity ReStore opens
Jefferson County Habitat for Humanity’s new “ReStore” opened for business in Fort Atkinson Saturday, March 6.
The store, which accepts donations and sells new and “gently used” building materials, furniture and similar items, is next to St. Vincent DePaul at 1525 Summit Ave., on Fort’s south side.
Volunteers working at the store on its opening day were (pictured left to right): Karen Daniel, Jack Walden, Larry Narkis and Kim Schroedl.
The store is open Saturdays from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm for donations and sales. If you want to donate items or arrange for pickup or delivery, call the Habitat office at (920) 397-7362, or call the store at (920) 568-9345 and leave a message.
NEW HABITAT FAMILY FOUND
The Jefferson County Wisconsin Habitat for Humanity (JCWHFH) Helps Military Family Find a Place of Their Own
Fort Atkinson, WI (date) – Jefferson County Wisconsin is pleased to announce that Joe and Briana Fendt, and their 4-month-old child, Olivia, have been selected as the recipient of the Habitat home currently under construction in Jefferson.
Joe, 25, a native of Watertown, currently serves in the National Guard and serves as a specialist in Intelligence Analysis. He’ll be deployed to the Middle East for his first tour of duty in June of this year.
Briana, 26, originally from Janesville, is a recent nursing school graduate, but she’s unsure as to what she’d like to specialize in. While Joe’s overseas, she has chosen stay home with their daughter until he returns.
Joe and Brianna have expressed that they extremely thankful and honored that Jefferson County Habitat for Humanity has chosen them for the Jefferson home. Briana adds that they’re very blessed to have someone watching over them and they are thankful that there are people who are willing to help others as with the Habitat organization and volunteers.
Joe concurred, “We are thankful for Habitat for Humanity’s existence and very fortunate to be selected. Words cannot express our appreciation.”
Construction began on the home in October, which is a little out of the ordinary for Habitat projects. Typically, the family is chosen before construction begins, but the Habitat affiliate ran into a few road bumps this year. The first two families chosen for the Jefferson home needed to back out of the program for various reasons, which resulted in a long search for a family. The affiliate decided to move forward, regardless.
“We knew that God had a family and that it was just a matter of time before we found out who they were”, stated Executive Director, Lauren Cravens. “Sometimes His timing is not ours, and in this case, we can see why.”
Cravens adds that the Fendt Family is perfect for this home. It also makes the JCWHFH proud that we are helping a military family. “It’s nice to know that Brianna and the baby will be in a safe, new home when Joe leaves, and that Joe will come home to a safe, relaxing environment when he returns.”
As with all Habitat for Humanity families, the Fendt’s will purchase their home from Habitat with a 20-year, 0% interest loan which the Jefferson County affiliate will provide for them. The couple is also expected to complete hundreds of hours of “sweat equity hours”, which are hours spent helping to build their home alongside volunteers. This is a little challenging for Joe, as he is also required to attend military training at Fort McCoy and other places during this time. It hasn’t deterred his spirits and his willingness to work on the home; however. He is happy to be at the worksite, and the couple has already won the hearts of the volunteers due to their spirit of thankfulness and appreciation.
Families are selected according to their need for decent shelter, their ability to pay back the loan, and their willingness to partner with the organization. Each Habitat affiliate is required to raise its own funding within their service area, as their projects are not funded through Habitat for Humanity International.
JCWHFH along with the Fendt Family would like to thank all the individuals, groups and contractors who have already contributed time, effort and resources toward the Jefferson home. As with all non-profit organizations in today’s economy, volunteers and contributions are always needed, and very much appreciated. Those who do not want to work at the construction site can help provide food to hungry volunteers. There is also a need for volunteers to help at the ReStore, which is located at 1525 Summit Drive, Unit 2, in Fort Atkinson (next to St. Vincent De Paul’s). For those who would like to volunteer or donate to the Jefferson County Habitat affiliate, please contact the office at 920-397-7362, jchabitat@charterinternet.com, or http://www.habitatjeffco.org/.