Get ready for Habitat Philadelphia's 2nd Annual Homecoming Gala to honor our Sponsors and Partners Families from the past year! Mark your calendars, and stay tuned for soon-to-come information about this year's exciting auction items, ticket purchasing, and more!

Habitat Philadelphia is looking for volunteers to serve as Family Advocates. What is a Family Advocate? It is someone who partners with Habitat families newly selected for our program to act as a support person and a cheerleader during their time completing sweat equity hours and continuing through at least the first year of homeownership.

The Family Advocate welcomes new families to the program, checks in with them by phone a few times each month, and encourages them to keep up the often difficult task of juggling work and family life with the added step of completing sweat equity hours at the Habitat site! Family Advocates may have the opportunity to serve alongside their partner family on the work site, and also help in celebrating the dedication of the family’s home.

We are also looking for individuals who are fluent in languages other than English to help our affiliate reach out to non-English speakers in the Philadelphia area by joining our Family Services Committee and assisting with outreach at housing fairs and homeowner information sessions.

If you are interested in serving as a Family Advocate or serving on the Family Services Committee, please contact us at family@habitatphiladelphia.org or 215-765-6000 ext. 11.

Employees from US Airways are donning hard hats as they help Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia build an environmentally-friendly home for a family in need. Having contributed $50,000 toward Habitat’s “Green Building Initiative” project, US Airways seeks to promote community volunteerism among its 5,000 Philadelphia employees and lend its corporate support on behalf of low-income families in the region.

“We’re proud to support Habitat for Humanity and give our employees the opportunity to work alongside those in need to make a difference in Philadelphia,” says C. A. Howlett, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs. “In partnering with Habitat, we’ve made a stronger, more meaningful corporate investment that will make a vital impact in Philadelphia.”

The Green Building Initiative project at 42nd and Stiles Streets in Philadelphia is where US Airways will build in partnership with Habitat staff, volunteers, and homeowner families. These homes will be constructed with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) principles to save energy, to lesson environmental impact, and ultimately to make simple, decent, and affordable housing a reality for low-income families in Philadelphia.

Habitat Philadelphia welcomes our three new AmeriCorps members for the 2006-2007 season! Emily Lucas, Michelle Maczka, and James Matesevac will join our construction crew along with returning AmeriCorps members Will Lambrakos and Emily Silver. Kathy White is also remaining for a 2nd year as our Family Services Coordinator, and Jacob Hellman will stay on board through early 2007 as our VISTA Project Planning Volunteer! We are happy to have such experienced, intelligent, and cheerful volunteers investing in Habitat's work during the coming year.