2019

Autumn
Newsletter

Board of Directors

Mr. Rich Kulbacki

President

Mr. Dennis Mialki

Vice Present

Mr. Scott Dillon

Treasurer
225 Freeport Street, New Kensington, PA 15068 Phone: 724-594-1051 Website: www.habitatav.org
Dr. Diana Biordi
Secretary
Habitat, Siemens, & Valley HS team Finishing Touches on Habitat’s Dr. Katherine
to build Veterans of Valley Memorial Natrona Home Build Counihan
Board Member
This fall efforts commenced to build the
Mrs. Jamie Dillon
“Veterans of Valley” memorial at Valley High Board Memeber
School. Engaging the student body along with
Mrs. Carol Harris
various public and private partners, including President Emeritus
but not limited to Siemens International, Valley Dr. W. James Legge
News Dispatch, and Remake Pittsburgh President Emeritus

Learning, efforts were designed and crafted for Mr. Gerry Vaerewyck
a "living memorial" for the Valley High School Board Member

alumni student body who served in the U.S.
military armed forces. The "living memorial"
serves not only as a tribute to the alumni
student body who served in our nation’s
military, but also as an interactively outdoor
classroom for both the current student body
and residents of the community. The outdoor
classroom will be designed as an ongoing
speaker series that will engage students into
conversation to further understand the rich
history of the Valley while also opening
dialogue emphasizing the importance of
leadership in our shared community.
Ultimately, this project effort is designed to
honor, educate, and mentor future generations
in leadership development with outcomes and
long term impacts focused on strengthening the
social fabric of the community. (cont. pg. 3)
Mrs. Karen Snair
Board Member
Led by Habitat’s construction lead, Chris
Ms. Lorraine
Andring, volunteers from across the Wolosencuk
region dedicated countless hours to Board Member
make a house a home for Ofelia Torres Dr. John Tamiggi
and her two children. Ofelia, the Habitat Executive Director
Home recipient, hails from New York
City, and came to the region in hopes of
establishing roots so that her children
can achieve academic success.
Executive Director, John Tamiggi stated
“We are driven to create hope and
opportunity for those in need, and we’re
truly blessed with the outpouring of
support.” Anchor funding by Alvarez &
Marsal, a consulting firm from New York
City, vanguard the initial development
volunteer support that was followed by
various groups including but not limited
to the Calandra Group, Dallas Masonic
Lodge, University of Pittsburgh, Vere
Inc., East Union Church, and WestShore
Home. (cont. pg 2)
Natrona Home(cont. from pg. 1)
This summer,
WestShore
Home
dedicated
over eight
volunteer
professionals
and provided
all the
windows,
exterior doors, and bath for the new
home. Additionally, groups like
Molyneux Floor tile, Zaleski’s Aluminum
Siding, Lowes, PPG, and several other
local business provided in-kind support
for the home build. “This home is over
125 years old, so while it had good
bones, there was a lot of updates
necessary, and the passionate hearts of
our local small business community truly
made such efforts possible.” stated John
Tamiggi.
This home build completed Habitat’s 25th
in the Valley, and it will soon enter 25
years of service in the Allegheny Valley.
Stay tuned for some big plans for future
2020 home builds!
Age of Aquarius Benefit Concert
Join us on Saturday, October 26th at 7pm at
Leo’s Sports Page in New Kensington for “Age of
Aquarius” benefit concert, where four local
bands will play hits from the 60’s and 70’s, with
a portion of the proceeds benefiting your local
Habitat. Tickets are just $10 and can be
purchased at the Habitat ReStore in New
Kensington.
Home Construction Training
Workshops
Our home construction training
workshops are open for all! This past
summer, work was completed to house
an approximately 600+ sq. ft training
facility which will engage various groups
to learn the ins and outs of home
construction. The home construction
workshop already host various
vulnerable groups, including addiction
recovery, at-risk youth, and single
mothers. All of the training is provided
to the participants at no cost, and they
have the opportunity to learn various
skill sets in home repair. Below is a
snapshot of the curriculum developed
for our addiction recovery fall.
The organization is currently developing
curriculum for upcoming spring and
summer 2020 cohorts. If you have a
group that is interested in receiving
training, please email
info@habitatav.org for more details.
Habitat for Humanity Fun Fact
Are you curious and desire to volunteer
with Habitat for Humanity?
Well here are just a few notable names of
individuals who have come out to the
home construction build site.
Actor-Susan Sarandon, Musician-Garth
Brooks, NFL Quarterback-John Elway,
United States President-Jimmy Carter 2
(along with four other U.S. presidents)
Strokes of Change
Habitat is pleased to announce, through the
support of the PNC Foundation, year two of our
collaborative efforts between Habitat for
Humanity and addiction recovery center, Lost
Dreams Awakening, successfully launched. During
the summer and early fall, our collaboration once
again engaged those in addiction recovery into
community build projects that help support the
Valley. Additionally, this year, participants
received a two phase instruction as part of the
initiative. Part one introduced and educated the
participants on home construction, and the
second phase provided education on personal
growth and development.
Working in tandem, both Habitat and Lost Dreams
Awakening
were driven to
strengthen the
mind, body, and
spirit of the
participants.
One of the
biggest
struggles often faced by those going through
addiction recovery is the stigma. Strokes of
Change is designed to remove stigma and replace
it with a sense of pride, purpose and connection
to oneself and community.
Upcoming Winter Projects
Think Habitat hibernates during the winter
months? Think again! Driven to address the
diverse challenges that face the Allegheny Valley,
our passionate volunteers are committed to serve
no matter the season. This coming winter,
Allegheny Valley Habitat for Humanity will work
with as part of a faith-based initiative to support
the development of a transitional homeless
shelter. This collaborative effort will drive and
address some of the most vulnerable populations
by providing access to shelter and other critical
resources. We at Habitat are proud to support
such efforts and are driven to holistically
strengthen our communities. Interested in
assisting or leading a group of passionate hearts
into service? Contact us direct via email at
info@habitatav.org or by phone at 724.594.1051.
Veterans of the Valley (cont. from pg. 1)
Anchor funding and building expertise for this
project has been provided by Siemens
International which enabled procurement of the
building materials. Additional funding provided
by Remake Learning will enable students of
Valley High School, who are directly part of
design and build process, be engaged and
exposed to various S.T.E.A.M. activities.
This project also features a U.S. Marine Veteran
Mr. Raymond Duckett, our most recent Habitat
for Humanity homeownership in 2018, and
offered to pay forward the generosity that he
received from the community by providing his
leadership and oversite to the project
development. Mr. Duckett engaged with the
student body during the build process and while
provided mentorship. Valley High School JrROTC
will soon be releasing the inaugural speaker
series prior to the New Year.
We need your help!
To serve and build our communities is a
continual process. That being said, we are
always seeking to diversify our board of
directors and task force committees to
strengthen and augment our efforts in the
community. Currently, the organization is
seeking passionate hearts who are interested
potentially serving at a board level capacity, and
desires to build an advocacy committee focused
on equitable housing opportunities throughout
the Allegheny Valley. If you are interested,
please forward your resume via email to
john@habitatav.org.
3
Fall into the ReStore
Below are just a few of most recent donations that
have come into the ReStore shop in New Kensington.
Come visit and find some treasure and help support
the mission of Habitat for Humanity. During the Community Partners
month of October, all first responders receive 20% Special thanks to the following groups who have dedicated
off their entire purchase! resources to support our collective community endeavors!

WEST SHORE HOMES

LONGWOOD AT OAKMONT
PPG PAINTS
SHERWIN WILLIAMS
VERE INC.
POLYCONCEPTS OF NORTH AMERICA
LOWES PGH MILLS
MOLYNEUX TILE & FLOORING
CARDELLO ELECTRIC
Busy Beaver of New Kensington
Donut Connection of New Kensington
Little Caesars Pizza of New Kensington

HABITAT RESTORE NEW KENSINGTON

Interested in volunteering?

Come volunteer with us! Whether on the

construction home build sites or at our
ReStore, we love volunteers that assist us in
the achievement of our mission! Come join
us today! Visit www.habitatav.org for more
details!

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