Our Women Build campaign, Power Women Power Tools, is getting some buzz online and off. Thanks to CTV News Vancouver and anchor Norma Reid (who's also a Women Build ambassador!) for the piece on November 18 part of the 11:30PM edition. And a kind thank you to all the media personalities who came to support our launch event. Here are a few articles in print and online to share:

Vancouver Observer

bcliving.ca

notable.ca 

Darpan Magazine

Vancouver Courier

CBC Radio's The Early Edition (starts at 2:39-)

Photobooth images from the event are on our Facebook page.

Women Build is powered by P&G.

...Continued from Part II

During the Phase 1 build, the organization was noticing businesses becoming much more risk adverse and funds were drying up.  Gloria had seen the value of the ReStore with other affiliations and promised her reluctant Board that she could set up the store without tapping into any of HFHGV current funds or volunteer resources. 

With the Boards approval, Gloria set up a new committee, went to BCIT for assistance in developing a 3-year business plan, and started a location search.  In 2002, the same year as the completion of Phase 1, HFHGV opened its doors to its first ReStore in Burnaby. In the first year, the hope was for the ReStore to break even, but by year-end the business netted $300,000. 

Feeling confident that the organization was in a solid position with a building plan, funding channels and community resources, in 2004, Gloria Levi, Board Chair, stepped down from the organization due to health issues.  HFHGV hired an Executive Director, Anneke Rees, to lead the organization.  Under the new leadership, the organization completed Phase 2 (2004), Phase 3 (2006), Phase 4 (2008), Phase 5 (2011), and opened the second ReStore in Vancouver in 2006.  Tim Wake took over in 2011 as CEO and closed on the Cordova project with Westbank and Vancity before passing the reins over to Tim Clark in 2012, the current CEO of HFHGV.  2013 was a pinnacle year with the opening of the third ReStore in North Vancouver and the completion of the final phase, Phase 6, of Government Street.

In total, 27 families with 43 children call 8745 Government Street home.  

At the dedication celebration for Phase 6, Gloria Levi was awarded the first Honourary Life Membership Award. She is without a doubt the soul of our affiliation.  Her passion, energy and vision made it possible for HFHGV to celebrate incredible accomplishments over the years.  She provided a strong foundation for us to build on, year after year.

Today, the organization continues to foster relationships with influential community partners and individual volunteers to evolve and grow our build site and ReStore operations.  HFHGV has expansion plans for ReStores to open in all the major markets in the lower mainland, with even bigger aspirations for our builds.  As we carry out our mission to end the cycle of poverty and advocate for affordable homeownership, HFHGV’s efforts are focused on building more homes, faster, for low-income hard-working families.

Gloria Levi and four of the 11 original executive members made for a fresh start for Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver (HFHGV) in 1997. Gloria quickly found available crown land owned by the Ministry of Transportation and Highways and set off to Victoria to position HFHGV as a buyer. 

Eventually the Ministry offered HFHGV a choice of land options. An acre lot on Government Street, the largest of the options, was selected. Since the land was to be used only for affordable housing, it was sold for 25 per cent of the 1998 market value and a $175,000 mortgage was set up through BC Housing with HFHGV paying as they could.

Gloria continued to rely on her personal network to build the HFHGV Board. She found ten leaders to run ten committees including: construction, family support, family search, procurement, religious institution liaison, corporate volunteers, individual volunteers, marketing and promotions, union labour relations, and fund development. 

Gloria found the right people for the right roles. Building connections from the organization to influential community members meant grants were coming in from a number of socially responsible companies while educational support, such as schooling on how to approach companies for funding was helping to improve those fundraising efforts.  What started as five-person group transformed into a powerful, connected organization of 150 volunteers.

The accomplishment in the first year was incredible.Gloria and the team raised $350,000; $125,000 came from the Bentall Group of Companies alone. “I was relentless. I ate, breathed, and lived Habitat,” said Gloria.

Having the land in place and a stable organizational structure, the next step was to get the land rezoned for multi-unit development. With a number of unexpected challenges, the rezoning process with the City of Burnaby was finally complete a year and a half later, three times longer than expected. Issues with a high water table, environmental concerns surrounding the Red Tail Hawk, new rain screening regulations, parking space discrepancies and the high cost of property taxes consumed and delayed the Habitat build.

The challenges were overshadowed by the excitement of the build plans. At the time of its inception in 1999, the Government Street build, a 27-townhome community, was the largest single Habitat for Humanity Build ever undertaken in Canada. Other affiliates across Canada had constructed more houses, but this was the first to include such a large number of homes on one site. 

In 2000 construction started on the raw land installing electricity, sewers, gas and water. In spring of 2002, the first four Habitat homes were complete and HFHGV was welcoming the first four Habitat families home.

To be continued...

The words home and family are synonymous with Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver (HFHGV); both important and invaluable to the growth of our community, our people and our organization.  

In celebration of Family Day and the growth of HFHGV, we're sharing the story of our humbled beginnings.  The determination and passion of one has blossomed into a family of over 400 volunteers, staff and Habitat families.   Hundreds more have shown their support by hosting fundraisers, working on our build sites, donating materials and visiting our ReStores, all with the common goal to help build safe and decent homes.      

Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver was founded in 1995, but it wasn’t until 1997 when Gloria Levi, a Gerontologist, immersed herself in the organization that the reality of building affordable Habitat homes for low-income, hard-working families was put into motion.

In May of 1997 Gloria lost her daughter-in-law to breast cancer.  Grief stricken for months, Gloria eventually heard about a Habitat for Humanity Blitz build in Newfoundland.  Needing something to distract and re-energize, she set out to learn more.  The build was already full, but Gloria called Habitat for Humanity Canada and they managed to include her amongst their 300 volunteers for the July build.

Volunteers came from around the world including Mexico, Texas and Jamaica, all at their own expense.  Gloria met others with similar stories; one woman recently lost her daughter and her church helped raise the funds to cover her expenses.  Another woman, recently divorced, needed to reconnect with others.  A common thread of the volunteers was to find a sense of purpose through helping others.

On site Gloria managed the dining room facilities, ensuring the space was set up and equipped for the volunteer’s meal breaks.  The team worked very long days, from early morning to late evening.  The objective was to complete seven homes in five days.  A tall order, but Gloria’s memories brought a smile to her face as she reflected, “On day three the electrical was put in and all seven homes had light. It was an exciting moment when they were all lite up.  Everyone was so determined. People were so happy - negativity could not interfere with our success.  The build really brought out the best in all of us.”

With a new sense of purpose, Gloria returned to Vancouver and joined Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver with the promise to do what the organization hadn’t been able to do yet, get land to build.  “I came back inspired to be involved. Habitat has a niche approach.  It’s not a vehicle for welfare, it’s for the working poor, people working for a living in need of a ‘hand up.’”

To be continued... here.