Women Build Project Recap

So you ask, "What's happened to Women Build?" Well, we've been busy finishing up the house ensuring it is picture perfect for the Khan family. And, indeed it is now ready for furniture and curtains. Much like many construction jobs, this house took longer than we expected. What was to be a 23 day build in fact took more days than we had planned. But all for the better. Never once would we not want to ensure the highest quality of building that we all expect.

We learned many things from our first ever Women Build in Columbia County. We always knew that when women put their minds and hands together nothing can stop them. Fundraising for some was thought to be a challenge, but we learned that it is quite doable. We definitely learned that the Columbia, Berkshire and Greene counties were extraordinarily generous; and that women enjoy working together. Many new friendships were started through Women Build.

Our Steering Committee of 31 women from throughout the county raised $84,000 since it initiated the planning of this project in November of 2007 through a variety of events like a Chinese Banquet, brunch at the Blue Plate, Garden Luncheon at Columbia Golf and Country club, fashion show in Hudson organized by Second Show, (a Cinco de Mayo night organized with TSL, and a cooking class at Bezalel Gables Fine Catering & Events in20Chatham. And, we received many, many financial donations to help surpass the goal we had orignial set. In fact we received over 550 donations!!!!!!!

Columbia County Habitat for Humanity will celebrate the completion of two new houses with a dedication ceremony on Sunday, October 26 at 2 p.m., at the Mill Street, Hudson, site where the homes were built. We will dedicate our Women Build House to the Khan family and our Traditional Build House to the Coons family.

Everyone is is invited to the dedication, which will feature a fall harvest theme, to wish the families well. Refreshments will be served and local dignitaries will attend including the Mayor of Hudson, Rich Scalera and our Congresswoman, Kirsten Gillibrand.

The local affiliate of the international non-profit Habitat for Humanity completed an unprecedented effort of building two homes at the same time, thanks to the assistance of hundreds of volunteers from all over Columbia County who worked on the sites and provided food for the workers.

Debra Gestwicki, executive director of the Columbia County Habitat, proposed the Women Build and the idea of constructing two homes at once, not knowing what the reaction would be. “I was very impressed with the Women Build from the first meeting of the Steering Committee to the last day of the build. It was a nice surprise to find out how many skilled women there are in Columbia County, not only in the construction end of it, but also in the design work for our advertising, fund raising, and our amenities commit tee,” she said. “They outdid themselves when it came to getting food for our volunteers. The Traditional Build also benefited from these ladies’ efforts. I’ve worked for Habitat for a long time now, and I have never had the luxury of having an amenities committee. I think we all felt spoiled. The local food businesses and churches were extremely generous, and I am sure I am not the only one who gained weight this season!"

Looking forward to moving into their new homes are Mussarraf Khan and his wife, Naznin, their children, Sifath and Neshath, and Naznin’s mother, Anuara Bezum. Mussarraf and Naznin came to America 10 years ago. They hoped, like many before them, to find opportunities here that were unavailable to them in Bangladesh. Both hold factory jobs and the children attend public school. The family enjoys fishing in the Hudson River or Lake Taghkanic. Naznin takes pride in their garden and Neshath likes playing with her dolls. Sifath enjoys remote control cars and riding his scooter. The couple and other family members put in hundreds of hours of sweat equity on their Women Build home, with Naznin frequently wearing a wide smile as she worked.

Stacy Coons, a young mother of three, also spent many hours working on her new home with the help of family members, friends and strangers who quickly became friends. Coons was born and raised in Hudson. She works with the developmentally disabled at the John L. Edwards Elementary School and is also employed at the Big Lots store on Fairview Ave. The family has been living with her parents since she and the children’s father, James Servider, separated two years ago. Coons’ daughters, Antanette and Gianna Servider, and son, James Servider, look forward to each having their own bedroom. Antanette plans to leave her room’s walls white because that will make a good background for hanging pictures and other things. Gianna will paint hers pink and James thinks camouflage is the way to go. Coons expects that the family’s new living arrangement will help them draw closer. Coons sincerely appreciates the work of all the volunteers. She found especially humbling the fact that staff and teachers from John L. Edwards School pitched in to provide sweat equity. The children’s father also volunteered sweat equity.

JOIN US on OCTOBER 26 at 2:00 PM at our Mill Street site...........reconnect with women and see the result of your hard work!!!!!!!

July 5th Recap

Our July 5th workday was especially productive. We finally got a break in the heat and this makes a difference. We are about 95 percent completed on siding thanks to wonderful efforts of a group from Germantown and Clermont including lots of families- The Gushlaws, Browns, Bagshaws. We also had volunteers who have previously worked this summer from the Columbia Green Board of Realtors. Returning volunteers just pick up where they left off without a beat. When we talk about motivation we all seem to keep re-inspiring each other. For example, Donna Fingar said she has always wanted to do Habitat and its great being able to do this work so close to home. Maria Smirensky said that she's involved because she knows what it feels like to own her home and wants others to have that too! Each woman on the site was totally engaged throughout the day and totally supported by our experienced crew leaders and Mary Banker who supervised all the work while Debra took a few days off.

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Another build day on Mill Street

Saturday, June 21 was a gorgeous day in Hudson. Mill Street was the scene of high energy and the sounds of hammers and nails, putting up roof, siding, windows… It was the 11th working day for Columbia County Habitat's Women build and the 4th Saturday for our traditional build.

What a wonderful day it was to demonstrate community service. For our Women Build, the Emma Willard School students, alumni, and faculty were in full force demonstrating the power of building strong girls and women… how empowering the day was. The group included 11 alumnae who are members of the “Capital District Emmies.” One of the “Emmies” said that the group meets for both social events and community involvement and working on the Women Build project was quite meaningful and will “help us redefine the group in a new direction.” The students wore the Emma Willard tee shirt which reads “Empower a Girl. Transform the World.” How true it is! A faculty member said she enjoyed seeing the girls in action and that for her the best part of the day was meeting and working with the partner family. “We’re not just building a house… we’re building a home.”

Our traditional build had employees from Taconic Farms…..a local partner of Habitat. All were engaged in work throughout the day. According to members of the group, they said they could both contribute their building skills and knowledge and at the same time learn new skills. Plus, one member said he liked the energy of a “whole bunch of people running around and keeping busy… and there’s always someone around to help.”

In addition, we had the special joy of young people participating. Taconic Hills National Honor Society worked on two sheds- they completed a shed for a current Mill Street owner and began a shed for the Khan family. A part of the Honor Society’s mission is to do service work and one member noted that the group found it most meaningful to volunteer close to home. All our young people appeared to be surprised by how hard they worked, but all said they would do it again!

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Fashion Show Videos

"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.

FINALLY! The building has begun.....

WALL RAISING

Yesterday the official kick off of Women Build finally happened, with our first crew of volunteers raising a wall for the cameras, then getting down to some serious work after a brief program. Dignitaries like Hudson Mayor Rick Scalera, Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Art Baer, and NYS Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez joined the Steering Committee in celebrating the success of Women Build. Mayor Scalera said he'd be happy to find Habitat more home sites in the city!

Ms. Cortes-Vazquez (pictured at right) lauded the tremendous community effort that got Women Build off the ground. Our fearless leader, Debra Gestwicki, thanked God for leading her back to Columbia County and for the Women Build's success, then a local Lutheran pastor blessed the site. Co-chairwomen Joyce Lapenn and Joanne DelRossi thanked the many hands that helped in our success and will continue helping throughout the summer build.

Special thanks for the day went to Verdigris Art and Tea and Kim Bach who provided yummy goodies for us to eat; Columbia Tent Rentals for a tent and chairs (thankfully the predicted storms did not materialize); and Stewart's Shops for coffee.

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

Historic Groundbreaking

The first shovels went in the ground at our Mill Street site April 30, as members of our Habitat affiliate Board of Directors and the Women Build Steering Committee gathered for the historic groundbreaking. For the first time since the Columbia County affiliate was formed in 1998, we will be building 2 homes simultaneously. The Register-Star has a photo and article on today's front page, so check it out!

The Women Build officially gets under way on May 27 and the Traditional Build a few days later. Thanks to all your hard work, Women Build now has a waiting list for volunteers! If you know someone who'd still like to volunteer, try steering them to the Traditional Build.

Keep practicing that hammering and see you soon on Mill Street....