Build a Playhouse with Habitat
Habitat for Humanity’s Playhouse Experience is back, and with the teamwork of long-time supporters from Avangrid, we already have our first new playhouse ready to go. The Playhouse Experience partners with a team of volunteers to build and decorate custom spaces for kids going through a life-altering loss in their family. Children who would especially benefit […]
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Homeowner Story | A Happy home for Jasmine’s boys
Jasmine and her sons outside their Habitat home. Photo by Tonya Wright Jasmine was just 10 years old when she lost her mother, a single parent. Following her sudden death, Jasmine and her older brother were separated, and shuttled between Portland-area foster care and group homes, and occasionally experienced homelessness. That’s when she made a […]
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Playground commemoration brings together Denney Gardens community
Call it a bug, a race car or even a lunar lander, the jungle gym in the center of Denney Garden’s new playground is now open to fire up a host of children’s imaginations. On May 6, it was surrounded by Habitat volunteers, donors, and staff for a commemoration to celebrate the playground’s completion — […]
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From homeless to homeowner: Renatta’s Story
Renatta grew up in the Pacific Northwest, bouncing from apartment to apartment with her grandmother. “I’m the oldest of five, but my mother just couldn’t mother, so we were all separated in the foster care system and sent to various relatives,” Renatta said. “Thankfully, my grandmother took me in.” Living with a disability, Renatta’s grandmother […]
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Volunteer Spotlight | Ray shines as a true ReStore treasure
You could say Ray Williamson “saw a sign” a decade ago that led to him becoming one of the Beaverton ReStore’s most dedicated volunteers. Ray and his wife Brenda were driving near their home in Brennan, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula, when Brenda “spotted something shiny in the window” of a Jefferson County Habitat for […]
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Homeowner story | Michele and the gift of a lasting home
Michele always knew she wanted to give her children the stable home she never had growing up. Her dad, who immigrated at age 8 from Mexico, worked from 6 am to 6 pm for almost his entire life to make sure that his family had food, clothes, and a roof over their heads. But that […]
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Construction update | Wet winter makes way for a spring push
Habitat homeowners, volunteers and staff didn’t let wild winter weather — including the most snowfall Portland’s seen since 1943! — slow them down on three of our most active construction sites. Here are the exciting developments happening at each. Foster In this 40-home community in Portland’s Pleasant Valley neighborhood, the first half of all […]
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Volunteer | How Stephanie makes the ReStore rock
By Monicia Warner, Volunteer Storyteller If you walk into the Gresham ReStore on any given Thursday, you’ll notice a line five or six people deep in the jewelry section. New customers might not think anything of it, but seasoned shoppers will recognize it as a sure-fire sign that volunteer Stephanie Payne — the ‘jewelry curator’ […]
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Women Build | Partners, volunteers commemorate Women’s History Month
On the Saturday following International Women’s Day, nearly 30 women stood under sunny skies in the crisp morning air, waiting to learn how to use all kinds of tools, from a simple hammer to an electric table saw. They made small talk while sipping coffee, learning each other’s names from the writing taped to their […]
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Staring Down the Homeownership Gap
Just steps beyond Jackie Jones’ front window are the homes she always longed for. A place of her own, that she could take care of properly, in the Northeast Portland neighborhood she was raised in. She can see them from her rental home’s window, but they might as well be a hundred miles away. It’s […]
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