Pages

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Flatirons Habitat for Humanity Bowling Event Aims to Strike Out Poverty Housing



Flatirons Habitat for Humanity will hold its first Bowl-n-Build Event on Sunday, January 16, 2011, to excite and motivate the Broomfield and East Boulder County communities about its local projects for the new year.

The event is from 3 to 5:30 pm at Chippers Lane in Broomfield. All team registrations are sold out but guest tickets (for non-bowlers) are available at $5 per person and can be purchased at the door.

A ticket price includes delicious food from Carrabba’s Italian Grill plus a chance to win fun prizes. The event is sponsored by Carrabba’s Italian Grill and the Millstone Evans Group of Raymond James & Associates. “We are proud to team up with Carrabba’s and Flatirons Habitat for Humanity to help strike out poverty housing. Everyone involved with Habitat works very hard during the week and it will be fun to take a day off to raise money and bowl for a great cause,” Greg Evans, Millstone Evans Group of Raymond James and Associates.

Proceeds from the event will go towards helping Flatirons Habitat continue to build decent affordable homes for low-income families in need of housing and stability. Flatirons Habitat returns to Broomfield after four years and returns to Lafayette after fifteen years with two new housing projects. Thanks to a partnership with the City and County of Broomfield, Flatirons Habitat is rehabilitating two previously foreclosed homes in Broomfield. In addition, construction will start in March on the first four homes of an eight home project in Lafayette’s Coal Creek Village. Volunteers are needed for both projects and can sign up to volunteer on the Flatirons Habitat website (www.flatironshabitat.org) by hitting Volunteer Now.


The community has come forth with support for this new event. In addition to the event sponsors Carrabba’s Italian Grill and the Millstone Evans Group of Raymond James & Associates, many other businesses and groups have come forward as lane sponsors, gift donors and/or in registering a team. Just some of the event partners are Citywide Bank; Donaldson, Chiancio and Goodwin; Composite Technology Development; FISH of Broomfield; Flatirons Crossing Mall; Hunter Douglas; Prime Industry; Restoration Specialists and Sill-Terhar Motors.

About Flatirons Habitat for Humanity:
Flatirons Habitat for Humanity is the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Its goal is to transform lives and communities by building simple, energy-efficient, affordable homes for low-income families living in Boulder Valley and Broomfield communities. The affiliate, founded in 1993, has built 57 homes in Boulder, Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville, Nederland, and Superior, directly impacting 248 individuals. It has also funded 102 homes internationally, in South Africa, Mexico and Guatemala, through its tithe to Habitat for Humanity International.

Habitat believes in a “hand up, not a hand out” philosophy. Habitat homeowners invest 225 hours per adult family member of their own labor — called sweat equity — into building their Habitat home and the homes of others. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at zero profit with a zero percent interest mortgage. The families also receive training in homeownership, financial planning, and home maintenance. In addition, the “Getting Ahead” program offered by the Flatirons affiliate helps break the cycle of poverty by working with families to develop a plan for sustainable change. Graduates are then surrounded by community volunteer mentors trained by Habitat.

Habitat has built more than 350,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1.7 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. The most recent City of Boulder housing needs assessment indicates 10,734 families have unmet housing needs in Boulder. These families are often paying more than 50% of their income on housing expenses, living in overcrowded conditions or living in substandard housing.

Photo by Mike Neville

No comments: