Completed Quilt for the Khan Family

Thank you to all who donated to this beautiful project!

Chef for a Day Fundraiser

Chef David Robinson of Bezalel Gables Fine Catering & Events reports that our July 12 fundraiser, wherein he invited people who made a donation to Habitat into his kitchen to share some culinary "secrets" was great fun.

In his words: "It was a terrific group of folks and we had a BLAST! We had 5 student chefs. Everyone who attended was a client or friend of Bezalel Gables! The class was greeted with local peach champagne and smoked cheese, we then toured the kitchen, settled into demo and cooking lunch: Blue Cheese Panna Cotta with Gorgonzola; Seafood Crepes with Shrimp and Caviar; Grass-Fed Local Beef; Sweet Potato Gratin; Roasted Roma Tomatoes; then we had creme brulee and homemade white peach sorbet. We served Hudson-Chatham Riesling and their Merlot with lunch.

"The baking portion of the class after lunch yielded enough for everyone to take home: 2 loaves of banana bread; dark chocolate-chip oatmeal cookies and a 9-inch plum clafouti each."

Mmmmm.....sounds positively yummy! Thanks again to Chef David for donating his time to help Habitat, and to those who took the class.

THANK YOU

House parties are so in keeping with building community to support the efforts of our Women Build. When families get together to host their friends you just know it's going to be successful. Just how successful is always a special treat. On June 1, Kay and Maynard Toll and their son and daughter-in-law Kathryn Huarte and Ian Toll opened their gorgeous home and gardens in East Chatham to raise money for Women Build. If I had a Hammer Cocktail Party, with the efforts of its committee: Sarah Crowell, Christine Cunningham, Hilary Dunn Ferrone, Courtney Hunt, Ann Israel, Megan Kane, Lisa Light Rugen, Courtney McDonnell, Dominique Saint-Louis and Kathleen Triem raised $7,050!! THANK YOU, Toll family and friends.

"Chef for a Day" Fundraiser

Bezalel Gables Fine Catering & Events invites gourmands, would-be chefs or anyone interested in learning a few kitchen secrets from the experts to spend a day cooking with their chefs for a fundraising event to benefit Habitat for Humanity's Women Build.

Bezalel Gables Fine Catering & Events is Columbia County’s premiere party and event planner, specializing in creating customized menus of handcrafted food. Bezalel Gables operates out of a beautifully restored 1873 Victorian home on County Route 9 in Chatham, and creates events on-site or off.

Chef/owner David Robinson started as a passionate home cook and later trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, where he was a High-Impact Leader Scholar and Dean’s List student. He also studied catering at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York City. Chef Robinson has created events for an Oscar-winning actor, two U.S. Senators, a two-time Tony Award winning director, MTV Networks, and Brides Magazine, plus is a columnist for InsideOut Hudson Valley and Culinary Celebrations magazine.

The July 12 fundraiser is limited to 10 participants and runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For a donation of $150, participants will spend the day with Chef Robinson and his sous chef, Kathy Silliman. The chefs will give a hands-on lesson in how to prepare a gourmet lunch, which everyone will then enjoy in Bezalel Gables’ formal dining room.

After lunch, chefs Robinson and Silliman will present another hands-on lesson about dessert making. Participants will prepare delectable desserts to take home, with the day wrapping up at 3 p.m.

Payment should be sent to Columbia County Habitat for Humanity, PO Box 102, Chatham, NY 12037-0102. Please designate “Women Build Chef Fundraiser” on check or include with payment.

Thank You

Many local folks and businesses have donated food (and time) to be sure our volunteers are well fed when they're building and have plenty of ice to keep drinks cold and coffee to keep everyone moving.

We wanted to say "thanks" and give our website visitors a chance to thank them as well!

Verdigris Tea
Bagle Tyme
Chatham Methodist Church
Chatham Churches (Rev. Tommy Jacobs and family)
New Lebanon Women's Club
St. Paul's Youth Group
Mexican Radio
Mary Bradway
Spencertown Store
Rock Solid Church
Ginsberg's
Triform
Perfect Parties, Wanda McGrath
Eda Chapter #459 Order of the Eastern Star
Our Daily Bread
Camphill Allen Street
Chatham Middle School
Carolynn Anklam, Barbara Henry & Maryellen Reidy
The Chocolate Moose
Janet Carey, Florence Mehl & Elaine Greenberg
St James Church
COARC/Key Bank
Berkshire Mountain Spring Water
Stewart's (Fairview & Green, Hudson)
Samascott's (apples)
Lick (ice cream)

Working Girls Fashion Show

Please join us for the Working Girls Fashion Show sponsored by The Second Show and Jason's Upstairs on Friday, June 13 from 8 to 11 p.m. This event will include fabulous desserts donated by various Warren Street restaurants, a fashion show and dancing to DJ CA-JO. Tickets are only $25 and are now available at the Second Show or by calling 828-2990.

Click here to download a poster designed by Elizabeth DiPalma.

Hudson Restaurants Help Women Build

It’s amazing what happens when a committed, caring and fun restaurant owner wants to do something for her community. Meet Alana Hauptmann, owner of Red Dot on Warren Street, Hudson and her husband, artist, Perry Cooney. Alana is a big fan of Women Build and she has designed and built a replica of our house to serve as a “bank.” Happy diners are more than happy to put money in the “bank” to support Women Build and to learn about Habitat.
Red Dot Restaurant & Bar
321 Warren Street Hudson, NY 12534 518-828-3657
Bistro
Wednesday-Saturday 5-10pm; Sunday 5-9pm
Saturday & Sunday Brunch 11-3pm

And even more special is that Alana has encouraged other restaurants on Warren Street to join in and place the banks for their patrons to also contribute to Women Build - plus there is also a sign up for more information and volunteering!!!!

So join us and support those restaurants which are supporting us: Le Gamin, Spotty Dog and Ca'Mea.

What a Great Garden and Home Luncheon!

The Columbia Golf and Country Club was host to a fabulous Garden and Home Luncheon with garden writer Suzy Bales (at left, accepting a Women Build hat and T-shirt as thanks) on Sunday May 18th. Suzy’s down-to-earth (pun intended) approach and “permissive” style of gardening seemed to captivate all 100 or so guests at a benefit for our Women Build. Her presentation, including fabulous slides of her gardens, and her knowledge of gardening seemed to inspire both the novice and expert gardener alike. She was warm, funny and so appropriate for celebrating spring and Women Build. Suzy signed her book “The Down-to-earth Gardener” for many of the guests who were delighted that their contributions supported Women Build. Prior to a fabulous buffet lunch, a Women Build DVD got us all teary with the expectation of what Women Build is going to be doing in Hudson starting May 27th

In the spirit of gardening and beauty, the table center pieces were donated by Germantown and Greenport Garden Clubs.

As always, Women Build organized an active benefit with so many ways to support the project… in addition to our speaker and book signing there was a sensational raffle of gorgeous artwork by four esteemed local women artists: a landscape painting by Gail Giles; abstract painting by Anna Cinquemani, a photograph by Patricia Nolan and a divine one -of –a- kind wall hanging by Melissa Sarris. Melissa (in photo with Habitat Board President Diana Coughlin), a Women Build steering committee member, organized these beautiful raffle items for the home, asking her fellow artists to donate their beautiful works.

And, there was a silent auction with 15 garden items for everyone’s taste and pocketbook including a gift certificate for 3 yards of any PureGold Compost Product, delivered, to Woodstock Bamboo Wind Chimes. Our thanks go to Katy Nichols who single-handedly organized this wonderful auction, engaging local businesses to donate a variety of items and gift certificates to please all gardeners.

Having fun, building community and talking about the forthcoming Build and raising almost $8,000 was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Our thanks to co-chairs: Vicki Simons and Diana Coughlin and to all the steering committee members who helped make this happen. Our special thanks, as always, to our technology guru, Laurie Quinn… who insured that Suzy’s slide show was possible

Our many thanks to:
Columbia Golf and Country Club staff and the club caterer Rob Lagonia.
And our very special thanks to our local vendors:
Maple Lane Nursery *Samascott’s Market * Pi Restaurant * The Berry Farm * The Handcrafters* Classic Country * Michael Devine Home and Garden* A Delicate Balance * Gibson Girl * The Sycamore Garden Center and Nursery * Great Finds
Byron Clough * Crazy Daisy * Mario’s Home Center

LOCAL WOMEN BUILDING HOUSE TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONWIDE HABITAT INITIATIVE

Laying bricks, pounding nails, and raising walls at a construction site is no longer the exclusive territory of men. Today, a construction crew of women volunteers were manning the tools and building materials at the site of a local family’s new Habitat for Humanity house in recognition of Habitat’s National Women build Week, May 4 – 10.

“Actually, men weren’t excluded” explains Debra Gestwicki, Executive Director, Columbia County Habitat for Humanity. “But we’re focusing on women this week, staffing the majority of today’s volunteer crew with women from our area. Naznin Khan, who will be the Habitat partner homeowner for this particular house, was out here building as well.”

click here to read the press release

The Quilt Project

The Women Build is proud to announce its latest fundraising effort, a project with a long "herstory" among women - quilting. Quilter extraordinaire Melissa Sarris, a Women Build Steering Committee member, will design and craft a signature quilt. Signature quilts have been, historically, a way women expressed themselves personally and politically. After the Civil War, women took the hobby of quilt making and used it as a way of becoming socially active. They created quilts with signatures on them to support a cause. Women also raised funds by selling spaces on the quilts and raffling the quilts, donating the money to the chosen cause.

Our Quilt Project will help us raise money toward our $70,000 goal, and, when finished, be presented as a gift to the family occupying the Women Build home. The quilt will be a reminder to the family of the caring community that helped them build a home.

Here's how you can participate:

* For a $10 donation, you can sign a strip of colorful fabric, either with your name or a short message; the strips will make up the quilt border.

* For a $25 donation, you can choose a quilt square crafted by local quilters, and again sign your name to it.

* For a $50 donation, you can choose one of the handmade blocks and have a brief saying, the name of your business, etc., embroidered on the square. The squares will make up the center of the quilt.

Quilters who wish to help us make squares, please visit Foofsique, the quilting store on Route 295 in Chatham. They have the instructions and fabric for making the squares (many thanks to Foofsique owners Anne Quinn and Sandy Parker, pictured here with Melissa Sarris preparing the fabric).

To make a donation and sign a piece of the quilt, contact Melissa Sarris at melissa@sarrisquilts.com. You can visit Melissa's website for additional information: www.sarrisquilts.com

Many Hands Make Light Work

It all started back in December when the fifth grade teachers at Chatham Middle School decided to make their annual charitable contribution close to home, this year to Habitat’s Women Build. Momentum continued in February at a hands-on work party at the house of Debby Roth, teacher and Women Build steering committee member. Twenty faculty, staff and administrators, came together to construct footstools and wooden boxes that Home Depot’s Craig Fenoff donated through the efforts of teacher Kate Lynch. While some were hammering to the accompaniment of two-year old Finnegan Lynch’s piano music, others made generous donations. One at a time the women in the group lined up at the computer to volunteer a day’s time to work at the Women Build site.

Supervised by teacher Nancy Barth, the Middle School students painted the teachers’ handiwork with the middle school colors of red and black and then stenciled the boxes and stools with the paw prints of the Chatham panther. The Junior Honor Society joined in and promoted Habitat at the annual What’s Happening at CMS open house, collecting donations from parents and community members. All told, the Chatham Middle School collected $840 and counting! Hands down, this was an amazing act of service on the part of one school!

Habitat and Rotary...a Perfect Partnership

Habitat for Humanity is all about helping people, and so is the service organization called Rotary. If you're reading this blog, you undoubtedly are familiar with Habitat. Rotary is another international organization helping change lives around the world. Rotary has 1.2 million members, with clubs in almost every country. Their motto is "Service Above Self" which Rotarians live by directing projects as simple as buying dictionaries for local students or as wide-ranging as providing healthy drinking water to a community in a developing country. Rotary's biggest accomplishment has been the virtual elimination of polio, thanks to 25 years of ongoing vaccination efforts. Like Habitat, Rotary's aim is to spread peace, goodwill and understanding amongst all peoples of the world.

Here in Columbia County, there are 3 Rotary clubs, all of which welcomed Habitat representatives to come and discuss the Women Build. Thanks to the Philmont, Northern Columbia and Hudson Rotarians for welcoming us, and to the Northern Columbia Club for donating $400 to Women Build.

We hope to see lots of Rotarians on the build sites in Hudson on June 7, our designated Rotary Day at both the Women Build and Traditional Build. Habitat and Rotary...the Perfect Partnership of Helping Hands.

- Taitia Shelow, proud Rotarian and Women Build volunteer

$5,000 from Lowes!!!

The Women Build has been awarded a $5,000.00 certificate from Lowes. Hurray! This is not the Lowes grant we have applied for, but something totally separate. This $5,000.00 is being awarded because we will be doing a Women Build Day during the week of May 4-10. We can use it for building materials, so it is like cash. The project will be to assemble a shed at last year’s Habitat house site. We are currently building the components during our training sessions. We are still waiting to hear about the Lowes $10,000.00 grant.

Debra Gestwicki

Upcoming Event - Blue Plate Brunch

Sunday, March 30 - Blue Plate Brunch 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Blue Plate Restaurant located at 1 Kinderhook Street (Chatham Circle) in Chatham. Cost $35 per person. Reserve a spot by sending check to: Habitat for Humanity of Columbia County, PO Box 102, Chatham, NY 12037; please note that it's for the brunch. Come enjoy a scrumptious brunch with neighbors and the community.

Click here to access the brunch E-vite.

We need $70,000 to purchase materials and pay for any professional labor. Material donations are welcome. Help is needed to get the word out, raise money, and organize volunteers. You can join any time during our 23 days of construction!

Click here to make a donation.
Click here to sign up!