Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Most people know Habitat for Humanity is a charity and volunteer organization that helps build housing for lower income families.  The families that benefit put 250 hours of sweat equity into helping build their homes.  The homes are not given to the families, instead the families also commit to a 20year mortgage, homeowners education classes, a reasonable down payment and some closing costs among other things.  Even with these commitments, the beneficiaries get a good deal on a new home, the pride of home ownership, and the stability that goes along with it.  Click here to to take a virtual tour of one of the Habitat homes.

There is a side of Habitat for Humanity that is not quite as well known yet.  It is the ReStore.  I stopped by the store today to see what it had to offer, and I was very impressed.  The store thrives on donations of new and used building materials and some furniture.  These materials are donated by homeowners that are renovating and from homes that are being “deconstructed.” 

The store is a cavernous warehouse filled with cabinetry, plumbing components including toilets, sinks, and bathtubs, shutters, lighting fixtures, and windows among many other items.  Some of the products obviously needed a little TLC having been previously well used, but the value was definitely there.  Here are a few pictures from my walk through the store. 

After my trip today, I will definitely return.  The prices were very reasonable, and the inventory changes often, as is the case in most stores that do business based on donations.

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Culinary Job Training Program

This is a follow-up to a previous blog entry about the wonderful things that the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle does for our community. 

I had the honor and joy of being a guest today at the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle's Culinary Job Training Program's 50th class graduation.  Not only did I enjoy a delicious lunch and the company of good people, but I also witnessed a life changing moment for the graduates.

                            Graduation guests mingling before the ceremony.

This afternoon nine men and women were honored by their friends, family, and Food Shuttle employees, volunteers, and board members (present and past) for their accomplishments.  Nearly 3 months ago, these nine students came together from different walks of life to prepare for careers in the food service industry.  The class met 5 days per week for 11 weeks to learn how to prepare food, to learn food safety, and to learn how to become good employees.

The classes are taught by a professional chef, a job placement counselor, and a case manager.  We were told that more than these nine men and women started the course, but only these nine completed it.  We could tell by the beaming smiles on their faces that the graduates were proud of themselves.  They have every right to be!

      Today's Culinary Job Training Program graduating class

After graduation, the job placement counselor will work with each one to locate jobs in food service.  According to the fact sheet on the CJTP, "the employment rate for graduated students is 70%!"  Given that today's graduating class was the 50th, the program is obviously successful, well established, and well known.  Many notable restaurants in the Triangle area have hired graduates of this program.

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has a long list of amazing programs that serve our community, and this is just one of them.  For more information, to donate, or to volunteer please visit http://www.foodshuttle.org/.

Explorer Post 50

There’s nothing like seeing a baseball game at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.  The team is good, the food is great, and the atmosphere is always fun!  There is a group that is a part of the excitement during every home game, and judging from their work, you’d never guess they are students.  That’s right!  I said “students.”

According to the Explorer Post 50 page on the Durham Bulls’ website:

Explorer Post 50 is a youth based television broadcasting program that provides students, ages 14-20, with an invaluable opportunity to gain exceptional experience in the field of television broadcasting.

I can personally speak about the experience of being an Explorer.  I was a member of Explorer Post 5 based at WRAL through my junior and senior years in high school, and my freshman year at NCSU.  The Explorer Posts scattered around the area are part of Learning for Life, a larger organization sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America.  In the early 90’s, I actually had a card that said I was a Boy Scout much to the chagrin of my little brother.  All kidding aside, though, these Posts truly are invaluable in so many ways.

At Post 50, the students learn the technical skills needed to produce a live sports broadcast.  In fact, they actually produce the Durham Bulls broadcasts!  Every member has the opportunity to learn how to run a camera, run the audio board, direct, produce, to operate video tape/instant replay, camera control, and graphics.  To learn those positions is to learn nearly everything you need to know to produce a live show.  A kid interested in learning that art could do no better than to join this post, and the word has spread.  Each year the number of members in the Post has grown. 

Explorer Post 50 was founded by Jim Goodmon, CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company, “in the fall of 1998 to provide area youth with a positive and productive way to spend their summer.”  Goodmon is often called a visionary, but I have to wonder if he envisioned the success that the Post is enjoying now.  You can look at the website to see a historical timeline of its achievements.  Obviously, Post 50 has accomplished its goals.

There is one more thing on the website that I find very interesting - the testimonials of the students who have grown into adults and now work in broadcasting on various levels.  Since I was a member of the big sister of the organization, Explorer Post 5, I’d like to add my name to the list of individuals who have benefited from being an Explorer.  The experience helped to mold me into the person that I am today.  Thank you to Mr. Goodmon, Post 5 and Post 50, and all the volunteers who work with the Explorers to create a great learning experience for the students involved.



**Just a note for those not aware of the affiliations: CBC owns WRAL, FOX 50, and The Durham Bulls.  Explorer Post 5 is the post at WRAL.  Explorer Post 50 is the post at The Durham Bulls Ball Park, which is connected to FOX 50's building at Diamond View.

Wake County to host volunteer fair this Saturday

Wake County to host volunteer fair this Saturday

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Independent Animal Rescue of Durham part 2

Back in December, I wrote about the Independent Animal Rescue of Durham.  Today I was contacted by a representative with some information important enough to pass on to you, the reader.  This is a great cause and a very cool event.  Please take part if you can!  Check it out...

We're trying to raise $15,000 for the animals in the great human race!  We need runners or walkers to help us raise money and of course we are hoping for donations!  Thanks a bunch!

Independent Animal Rescue (IAR) is participating in the Volunteer Center of Durham’s Great Human Race on March 27, 2010.  Our volunteers are walking together to help raise awareness and money for homeless, abused and abandoned animals in the Triangle and we are hoping for support from animal-loving people like you.  

In 2009, IAR was able to rescue 638 cats and dogs and we helped hundreds more through two very innovative community spay/neuter programs.  Our goal is help even more animals in 2010.

Please help us reach our goal by pledging your sponsorship to help an animal in need: http://www.active.com/donate/ghr2010/rescue

Thank you,

The Volunteers of Independent Animal Rescue

Original Post...
 
I have many friends who are animal lovers like myself.  I am not a dog person or a cat person. I love both.  I may lean toward kitties, but I would never turn my back on a dog in need.  So this blog is a special topic for me and for my friend Tiffany who suggested I write about the Independent Animal Rescue of Durham. 

I have to admit that I had never heard of IAR until Tiffany told me that is where she and her sister adopted their cats.  So I looked up IAR’s website, http://www.animalrescue.net/homepage and was pleasantly surprised at what I found.  Independent Animal Rescue of Durham is an organization 100% run by volunteers.  That means every penny raised goes to the programs IAR runs.  Those programs include a foster program, a community spay/neuter program, the Coalition to Unchain Dogs, a feral cat program, and a dog behavioral training program.  You can read in detail about these programs on the website. (http://www.animalrescue.net/programs)

The one that I want to focus on is the program that takes a lot of love to run: the foster program.  According to IAR’s website:

IAR rescues animals that are found as strays or originate from the local shelters that are in danger of euthanasia. We place these animals in loving foster homes and pay for all vet care and animal supplies. Once the animals are ready for adoption, we screen potential adopters and create a match so that the animal will be adopted into a loving forever home.

You can imagine the costs associated with this program.  IAR covers the costs for vet care and food and can also pay for other supplies needed for the pets such as bedding, toys, etc.  Often the foster parents will help reduce IAR’s costs by providing those items themselves.  The foster parents will care for the animals until they are adopted, which could take several months.  Some foster parents have gotten pretty creative in developing interest in their foster pets.  For example, Tiffany told me

We found out about IAR through UstreamTV, which was featuring a rescue kitten cam. We would watch all the time. IAR has a few foster moms that put up cams online live, and you can watch them play and sleep all day.  One foster mom cam was named Bosley and The Spice Girls.  They were so much fun to watch. And it turns out they were local. Well my sis and I had fun watching the girls so much. IAR then had adoption events at Petsmart in Durham and Stephanie went and visited them a couple of times. Sapphron and Bosley got adopted, but Nutmeg and Ginger had yet to get adopted, so we talked it over and decided we wanted to adopt them.

Tiffany described the adoption process as “pretty easy.”  The application is on the website.  Folks who want to adopt have to go through a screening process to make sure that they will provide good “forever homes” for the animals.  Tiffany also said, “The costs are pretty typical with other organizations and county shelters. They have most of their shots and are spade and micro-chipped, which is included in the cost, and if you get two pets, the price is discounted.” 

The kitties that Tiffany and Stephanie adopted were rescued from a Johnston County animal shelter.  Their names are Nutmeg and Ginger (hence the Spice Girls nickname).  They even had fans from their time on the kitten cam.  “When we first adopted them, some of their fans sent gifts and Petsmart gift certificates for toys for them. It was really nice of them.”  I’m sure those fans will be happy to know what a great home the Spice Girls found.  You can follow their exploits in their new home on Stef’s blog at http://kas3dot0.blogspot.com/.

As with all of my friends when choosing an organization to feature here, I asked Tiffany why she would suggest supporting the Independent Animal Rescue of Durham.  “They open their hearts and time to lost and abandoned animals - even from shelters to prevent from euthanizing animals. I feel they really care, and the foster moms are great to the animals.”

If you would like to learn more about volunteer opportunities with IAR of Durham, you can find all the information you need here: http://www.animalrescue.net/volunteer.