Let’s go to Macedonia! (virtually, of course!!)
Morris Habitat for Humanity is hosting a virtual Habitat Global Village Trip luncheon to Veles, Macedonia, on Friday, May 29, from noon to 1:30 p.m. You will be in your own home, participating in a Zoom conference on your computer, and eating food prepped by you.
We’ll spend an hour exploring Macedonian culture, food, drink and people, while learning about the families there who need safe housing.
“She Nailed It!” features an exciting ladies-only nail hammering competition, where you will compete to see who can hammer home the cause!
When: The entire month of May 2020
Where: The comfort of your own home! Post your video to your Facebook account and tag Morris Habitat for Humanity.
Who: Women of ALL ages
Closed from Sunday, March 15, until further notice
In an effort to protect our staff, volunteers, donors, customers and the families we seek to serve, we have taken unprecedented steps to close the offices, the ReStore and all volunteer construction. Our first priority is always to support the health and safety of our people — and to take a calm and informed approach to address this challenging situation.
With this in mind, effective Sunday, March 15, 2020, Morris Habitat has taken the following actions –
To schedule a ReStore donation pick-up or ReStore donation drop-off, please visit the ReStore Donate web page for forms to fill out and for guidelines describing what we accept. You can also email the ReStore staff at restore.donations@morrishabitat.org. If you have further questions about donations, please dial 973.891.1934 extension 210 and leave a message for our staff.
For all other inquiries, please email our general mailbox at info@morrishabitat.org or leave a message at 973.891.1934. All calls and emails will be returned within 24 hours.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and we will re-open as soon as it is safe to do so.
This disruption to our workflow will most certainly affect our fundraising. The families we seek to serve are already vulnerable; many of them in positions at the forefront of the crisis — health care workers, civil servants, service sector employees; those to whom a missed paycheck can mean catastrophe. If you intended to volunteer, to visit the ReStore, or to donate – please show your support with a donation to keep us building a better place as we face down this pandemic.
Thank you for your continued support in staying safe and healthy during this challenging time. We will make it through this crisis, and it will make us stronger.
Blair Schleicher Wilson, Chief Executive Officer
Morris Habitat partnered with the Interfaith Food Pantry to hold a virtual food drive in April 2020 for families in need of assistance and raised 2,534 pounds of food—exceeding our goal of 2,000 pounds.
With business closings, layoffs and furloughs, family food insecurity is increasing every day. Morris Habitat for Humanity has been helping families with affordable homeownership for 35 years, and we have turned our immediate attention to helping those who need food now. Currently, the need is unprecedented.
The Interfaith Food Pantry is a non-denominational, non-profit organization helping families make ends meet by supplementing their monthly groceries.
Morris Habitat lost a dear friend in late March with the passing of Donald H. Kuhn.
“Don was our own Renaissance man, a mentor, supporter and friend,” said Morris Habitat CEO Blair Schleicher Wilson. “He was someone we could always count on for advice and guidance.”
Don’s commitment to Morris Habitat for Humanity started in 1999 when he worked on a home under construction. Bitten by the Habitat “bug,” he built for several years, joined the Board of Directors in 2002 and served as president of the Board of Directors in 2006.
Morris Habitat is blessed to have many thousands of volunteers help us each year. And we certainly could not exist without their time and talent. However, every now and then a person comes through our doors just when we need him or her. Sometimes we call them an angel, but with Don Kuhn, we called him our Renaissance Man.
Don Kuhn came to Morris Habitat at a critical juncture in our history—a time when we were asking ourselves how we could exponentially grow our homebuilding program to serve the urgent demand for safe, decent and affordable homes in a county with high land values, lots of zoning regulations and strict environmental laws.
It was a challenge not for the faint of heart, and it was Don, The Renaissance Man, a multi-talented, multi-faceted person who helped to position our affiliate to be able to make that leap from building one house a year to the 10 to 15 homes a year we are currently building.
Don led the board transition to a governance body; hired the current CEO in 2004; spearheaded the founding of our ReStore in 2007; raised thousands of dollars for our affiliate by painting artist-quality works; with his wife, Teeny, baked “Cake Boss” type wedding cakes; and, to keep fit, swam regularly at the YMCA. All the while being a great dad and a wonderful husband to his cherished wife, Teeny. And that is just the short list of his activities we know about.
Why did we call him Renaissance Man? Certainly because his multi-talents helped us to reach our homebuilding goals; however, it’s also because we were inspired by his profound concern for the community, his vigor envious to those half his age, his willingness to help where ever and whenever, and his delightfully optimistic attitude about life—all of which modeled the way for those of us contemplating the retirement lane of life.
Don was such a vital part of Morris Habitat’s success that we established the Donald H. Kuhn Inspiration Award in 2017—given annually at our Hearts & Hammers Gala—to honor volunteers who exemplify his spirit, dedication and compassion.
It is both an honor and a privilege to have known a man who was a role model of note, a man of distinction, our own Renaissance Man—Donald H. Kuhn. Don leaves behind his wife, Teeny, six children, 11 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. We will miss him terribly.
In honor of Don’s passion and commitment to Morris Habitat, we are establishing the Donald H. Kuhn Legacy Fund. For information, please contact Christopher Palazzi, Chief Development Officer, Christopher.palazzi@morrishabitat.org.
On March 23, 2020, Morris Habitat donated over 4,100 respirator (N95) masks to the Morris County Office of Emergency Management. The masks, typically used at our construction sites to protect workers from dust and small particle exposure, are being distributed to those fighting the coronavirus on the front lines.
Click here to view CEO Blair Schleicher Bravo’s interview with WMBC-TV. (Video plays for 3 minutes 4 seconds.)
Business suits and sequined gowns replaced hard hats and work gloves as more than 500 converged on the Meadow Wood Manor on Route 10 on Saturday night to dine, dance, and take their chances on silent auction items at Morris Habitat for Humanity’s 15th annual Hearts & Hammers Gala in Randolph Township.
The course that covers a wide variety of topics including construction, carpentry, architecture, and design allows students to put their knowledge and skills to work here at home in Roxbury and last Saturday members of the SDF program and RHS took part in Morris Habitat for Humanity’s Hearts and Hammers Gala at the Meadow Wood Manor in Randolph. This is Morris Habitat’s largest annual fundraiser with over 500 people in attendance this year, the most yet.
Thanks for coming to our Annual Meeting & Volunteer Recognition Reception on Sunday, January 26, 2020, at the Presbyterian Church Parish House in Morristown. After socializing and light refreshments, we celebrated our accomplishments in 2019, when we and our supporters built, repaired and restored 69 homes. We expect 2020 to be just as busy, exciting and productive, as we look to serve another 80 families. We hope you will join us!
Last year, Morris Habitat helped 60 local families, 12 through homeownership and 48 through Neighborhood Revitalization and Aging in Place home repair projects. We assisted 9 other families through our international home building program. Volunteers made more than 14,000 site visits and provided 86,000 hours of labor. Proceeds from the ReStore, our retail operation that supports our mission, have built 25 homes since 2007. In addition, the ReStore has kept 11,600 tons of usable materials from landfills.
We recognized some of our many invaluable volunteers and partners who have gone above and beyond to ensure our success.
Charles Lee Hamilton Tribute Award:
Selfless Actions Demonstrating Passion and Love
Robert Alimonti
Betty Schmidt
Community Partner Award:
Businesses and Organizations Which Go
Above and Beyond
Reverend Carie Morgan and First Presbyterian Church of Succasunna
Distinguished Partner Award:
Leadership/Ownership in a Certain Area
Christopher Ward
Perseverance Partner Award:
Return through Thick and Thin
Diane Penola
Eddie Vallebuona
Beth Everett Award:
Former Board Member Who Continues to Lead
Richard Basile
Employee of the Year:
Christopher Palazzi – Chief Development Officer
ReStore Pioneer Award:
Extraordinary Commitment to the ReStore’s Success
Wayfair
Volunteer Milestone Awards:
Robert Alimonti
Glenn Brukardt
Stephen Feld
Richard Genese
Jay Grossman
MaryAlice Hanzo
Barbara Kaufman
Bonnie King
Seth Leeb
John Lester
Gordon Lorig
Sean Monaghan
Catherine Natafalusy
Robert Newman
Marjorie Roller
Barry Scollon
Fred Stewart
John Stromberg
Add a touch of Morris Habitat to your home or office decorations! When you donate $20 at the Morris Habitat for Humanity ReStore register, you will receive one of our limited-edition Commemorative Keepsakes. They celebrate 35 years of helping families on their path to homeownership.
