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PAST NEWS
Another
4 ENERGY STAR Homes Built in 2008
By building ENERGY STAR qualified
homes, RVHFH is doing its part to help protect the environment
while offering consumers new homes that are more comfortable and
save money on utility bills.
This is equivalent to:
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Eliminating the emissions from 1.96
vehicles
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Saving 11,856 lbs of coal
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Planting 3.24 acres of trees
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Saving homeowners $1,788 on their
utility bills
ENERGY STAR thanked RVHFH for the important
contribution that your organization has made to energy-efficient
construction and environmental protection.
Anne LaPlante - WINNER OF THE BERMUDA
CRUISE RAFFLE!
Winning
ticket was drawn April 26th at this year's Spring Dinner Dance
"Moonlight Flamenco". Anne
and Ed LaPlante of Skillman are the lucky winners
of the Raffle Prize and will enjoy a 5-night Royal Caribbean
Explorer of the Seas
cruise for two to the beautiful, sunny, pink sand shores of
Bermuda.
Photo (l-r):
Lisa Fielding, Community Relations Manager
with lucky winner Anne LaPlante

25th
Anniversary Somerset
County
2007 Annual Planning & Land Development Awards
In the past 25
years Somerset County has recognized projects that have served
as examples of outstanding and innovative developments and
planning efforts. It is hoped that these projects will inspired
citizens, developers, governmental leaders and planners to
promote sound land development and planning for years to come.
Raritan Valley Habitat for
Humanity (RVHFH) is proud to have received the 2007 award
for the Residential Category for the Bernardsville Habitat for
Humanity Homes.
Supported by many individual,
corporate and community volunteers, RVHFH built four modest,
affordable homes in a Bernardsville neighborhood consisting of a
mix of residential and commercial buildings. Each home is 1,178
square feet in size. RVHFH faced several constraints at this
challenging site including its location on a busy thoroughfare
and a steep-slope covering roughly half of the property.
The houses are situated at the
front of the property in conformance with the existing line of
the neighborhood. A common driveway creates a small
neighborhood appearance for the homes with an easement across
the front of the shared parking providing adequate off-street
parking for the homeowners and a play area for the children.
Each two-story house sits over a garage. To not only enhance
the appearance of the homes but also provide additional living
space for the families, a wooden staircase leads to a second
floor front porch extending across the entire attached
structure. Decorative block retaining walls to the side and
rear of the house create several terraces providing useable side
and backyard space. Completing the yard is an attractive garden
landscape along the 200 foot frontage on Mine Brook Road
established by homeowners working in partnership with the Master
Gardeners of Somerset and Hunterdon counties. This project
illustrates how housing can be built which is both attractive
and affordable.
Site design was by Bill Hollows
of Murphy and Hollows Associates. The architect of the project
was Mark Andrews of Beer & Coleman Architects and Associates.
RVHFH thanks them for their time and commitment to this
outstanding project.
NHHS Technology Service Club
Donates Mac Minis
to 2 RVHFH Homeowners
Turning their gaming nights into
fundraising opportunities, students at North Hunterdon High
School recently purchased two Apple Mac Mini computers and
donated them to new Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity
homeowners.
Jeff Dlouhy, former president of the NHHS Technology Service
Club, explained that the club, which built a PC for an RVHFH
family in 2004, held the gaming nights quarterly, which allowed
them to raise the funds needed to purchase the computers.
It went very smoothly, Mr. Dlouhy said. It was a pleasure to
work with RVHFH and I hope the families are doing well and
enjoying their new computers.
Working with faculty advisor Richard Bergacs, director of
technology at North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School
District, and RVHFH volunteer Linda Bradway, Mr. Dlouhy and the
club delivered the computers in June.
They are a great group of young people with great initiative,
Mr. Bergacs said, referring to members of the NHHS Technology
Service Club.
Mr. Dlouhy added that he hopes the club can donate more
computers to other new RVHFH homeowners.

Coldwell Banker Sponsors Bernardsville House
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New Jersey &
Rockland County has fulfilled their Signature Sponsorship
agreement with a check for $50,000, presented on a sunny
November day on the Habitat work site. As Coldwell Banker
associates from the Clinton office hammered away in the
background, Nick Fears, Chief Financial Officer and
Vice-President of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, and
Edlyn Richelderfer of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage presented
the check to Habitat Executive Director Pam Ely. It was all
a part of Coldwell Banker's commitment to sponsor the future
Robinson home at 149 Mine Brook Road.
As part of their home sponsorship, CBRB provided total
funding of $70,000. In addition, the company scheduled work
crews from many of their brokerage offices across Somerset
and Hunterdon counties. Nick, who also serves as chairman
of Coldwell Banker Cares, the companys philanthropic arm,
said, The house looks great! We are delighted to have this
opportunity to sponsor the Robinson home and help another
family achieve the dream of homeownership.
Thank you,
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage! We appreciate your
commitment to helping more families become homeowners, and
we look forward to working you to complete this new home.
Cub Scouts recreate
famous painting to support Bernardsville build
 |
| Pictured from left to
right: Alex Rundella, Colin Kirst, Jake Cawley, Andrew
Lynch, Jimmy Cawley, Connor Kirst and Kyle Verduin. |
The Bernardsville Pack 150 Cub Scouts have
found a creative way to raise funds for the Habitat homes being
built in Bernardsville. Working with the Hands On Art Studio in
Chester, Cub Scouts from Pack 150 have recreated David Hockeys
2000 painting, Going Up Garrowby Hill. The project, a large
wall mosaic, was framed by Helricks in Dover, and is currently
being exhibited at Le Reve Gallery, located at 24 Main Street in
Chester. A silent auction of the painting is being held through
October 29th, when the highest bidder will be announced. All
proceeds from the auction will benefit the Habitat for Humanity
project in Bernardsville.
Le Reve Gallery is located at 24 Main Street, (entrance on Perry
Street), Chester, 908-879-8055. Please visit the gallery and
support this worthy cause!
The Pack 150 Cub Scouts will also be bringing refreshments to
the worksite on October 21st and to the Bernardsville house dedication
ceremony next spring. All this activity is part of the Habitat
Home Helpers program, a great way for kids aged 14 and under to
support Habitat. See
Habitat Home
Helpers for more information.
Temperatures Soar at Bernardsville Site
Dedication: July 29th
Humidity and high temperatures failed to dampen the excitement and
emotion of the dedication of the two Bernardsville duplex sites on
Sat., July 29. About 50 people including the four families whose
houses are being built turned out for the dedication.
This is about a lot more than
nails, said Dick Carr, president of Raritan Valley Habitat for
Humanity. We all are sharing gifts of faith and the
comfort of hope for the future. When we get together to partner with
these families, its an act of love. Lee Honecker, a
Bernardsville councilman, echoed Mr. Carr. Habitat means a little
bit more than housing, he said. It means community." "Habitat
fosters community by bringing residents together to help others
become part of the community, he said. On behalf of the
mayor, borough council and residents, to our soon-to-be new
residents, may you live long, happy and prosperous lives in our
borough.
Chuck Coombs, co-chair of RVHFHs family support committee
introduced each family the Broughtons, the Davises, the Jameses
and the Robinsons.
Its a dream come true, said
Jessica Broughton, who will live in one of the homes with her sons
Cameron, 11, and Sean, 4, and daughter Tyler, 7. Im very
grateful, she added. And Im overwhelmed with the excitement and
emotion and everyone who is part of the project.
Representing the church partnership, Rev. Patti Weikart from Basking
Ridge Presbyterian Church said hundreds of people had made "vital"
contributions to bring the project to the point where construction
is underway.
The two duplexes are expected to be completed in Spring of 2007.
Ortho-McNeil
Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Our Newest House Partner!
We are delighted to announce a major
contribution from Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical,
a division of Johnson & Johnson. Ortho-McNeil has signed
on as a House Partner for the home at 41 Hancock in
Lambertville. This partnership includes a cash donation of
$35,000. In addition, employees from Ortho-McNeil will
also have the opportunity to work on site to help complete
construction of this home.
Thanks to Ortho-McNeil, the home at
41 Hancock is now fully funded.
Thank you from all of us at Habitat!!!
***Are looking to get
your company involved in Habitat for Humanity?
Please take a look at our
Business Partnerships section of the website.
New Jersey Builders Association
Sponsors a
Lambertville Home
The New Jersey Builders Association has signed on as the Signature
Sponsor of Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanitys first Women Build
home in Lambertville. The NJBA will be providing a total of $80,000
in cash and in-kind donations. Mary Caporaso, past president of
the NJBA and chair of the Women Build effort, is spearheading this
project.
The NJBA sponsorship includes a $30,000
cash donation from the Foundation for Housing, the philanthropic
arm of the NJBA. The Foundation for Housing works to assist
people of modest income in obtaining the American dream---a home
of their own. By sponsoring a Habitat home, the NJBA will
help another low-income family to fulfill their dream.
Several women members of the NJBA are
playing a key role in orchestrating the Women Build effort,
including Mary Caporaso, Mary Anderson, Barbara Chiusano, and
others. These women are hard at work soliciting the support of
their contractors for the Women Build project.
From all of us at Habitat, and from the
families in need of affordable housing in New Jersey----a big
THANK YOU to the NJBA for your support!!!
United Way Supports RVHFH's First WOMEN BUILD
The United Way Womens Initiative recently awarded RVHFH a grant of
$2,000 to support Women Build 2005, our affiliates first Women
Build program. The grant will be used to bring 24 Senior Girl Scouts
onto the construction site this fall to help build a Habitat home.
The girls will be trained and guided by members of the adult Women
Build team. Senior Girl Scout Kelsey Newborn (second from right) and
Habitat volunteer Kathy Tanaka will be organizing this event, which
is scheduled to take place in early November.
Recognition
Raritan Valley
Habitat (RVHFH) has received a recognition certificate from
Habitat for Humanity International. The tithe program is the
means by which the local chapter contributes to the
international mission of Habitat through a tithe that is
designated for a partner location. RVHFH contributes 10% of
donations that are not specific to local projects. These funds
provide simple, decent housing in El Salvador.


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