Each year a number of Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the north-east region (Massachusetts and New Hampshire – with a large amount of individual participants from surrounding states, and an increasing number of participants from other regions) participate in Habitat for Humanity’s Take A Hike For Humanity.  Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity has always had a strong presence at this event, which is without doubt, the single largest fundraising event for Habitat for Humanity in the area.

Our affiliate is looking for a volunteer willing to act as a liaison between our organization and this year’s Take A Hike For Humanity director, Peter Dobratz.  The Affiliate Coordinator:

- Helps teams organize themselves (much of this is taking place online: teams create their own webpages and can ask for pledges online).

- Help track which teams have raised enough for T-Shirts.

- Help find sponsors.

- Help distribute flyers.

The affiliate has a great deal of experience with this event and many of our participants are regulars who will help make this job easier.  The event is most likely taking place on June 5th of next year.  For more information please contact our office: office@nashuahabitat.org.

* All photos by Jen Romano

Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity President Ed Lopez. Photo by Marie Lopez.

Nashua – Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity has announced newly elected officers on its Board of Directors.  Ed Lopez, of Nashua, who has been serving as the organization’s Public Relations Chairman, has been elected President of the Board of Directors.  Marie Lopez, also of Nashua, has been re-elected Secretary of the Board while Chris Houpis, of Amherst, has been elected Assistant Secretary of the Board.  Vice President Peter Dobratz, of Derry, and Treasurer Karen Files, of Milford, are each in the middle of their first two-year term as officers on said Board. 

Each brings a different set of experiences to the Board’s officer team. 

Chris Houpis, a software executive at Kronos, which is based in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, has served in the Public Relations Committee at Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity.  He has also served in a number of non-profit organizations over the last few years, including service as a past president of the Manchester Queen City Rotary, service as chairman of the Board of Trustees at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, and membership in the Software Association of New Hampshire.  

Marie Lopez is the owner of Marie Lopez Photography and was, until recently, working for Lowell City Hall, in Lowell, Massachusetts.  She served as part of the city’s Management Information Systems Department.  She is currently completing Political Science and Photography studies at the University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Institute of Art.  Currently, she manages the organization’s main office at 63 Temple Street, in Nashua, with Jennifer Breen.  She has also served in the Public Relations Committee. 

Ed Lopez has worked for US Senators Hank Brown and the late John H. Chafee.  In 1998 he was a candidate for Rhode Island Secretary of State and until recently served in the Military Intelligence Branch of the United States Army Reserve’s Individual Mobilization Augmentation Program, at the Joint Analysis Center in Molesworth, England.  He is currently completing a doctorate in Intelligence Studies at Durham University, in England. 

“We are each excited to continue working with Habitat for Humanity in these new capacities – but in our organization we rely on a working Board of Directors – which means that no matter what title we carry, for whatever period of time, we are all equally immersed in a tremendous amount of work.  We face a daunting challenge to raise funds in our current economy – which we need to do in order to help create affordable housing for qualified families, and this is a challenge all members of this Board are wholeheartedly and equally committed to,” said Ed Lopez. 

Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity is preparing to begin a construction project in the spring of 2010.  “At the moment we are preparing to build homes for two families in Milford and we want to urge members of the Greater Nashua community to help us raise the necessary funds, volunteer help, and materials necessary to make this project a great success.  We have at least two more homes to build right after that.  Those families and their friends are contributing as many hours of labor as our other volunteers.  We offer a ‘hand-up, not a hand-out’ so our pursuit for support helps sustain a mission that nurtures the values of hard-work and a team effort within the community,” said Board Secretary Marie Lopez. 

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.  Chris Houpis is a member of Saint Philip Greek Orthodox Church, in Nashua.  Marie and Ed Lopez are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also in Nashua.  Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need. 

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If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call Jennifer Breen at 603-883-0295. For further publicity information email the Public Relations Committee at pr@nashuahabitat.org.

Local Affiliate Seeks the Presence and Support of Local Businesses at Annual Event

Nashua – Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity is seeking local sponsors for the regional “Take A Hike for Humanity” event to be held at Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Massachusetts and Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, New Hampshire on Saturday the 30^th and Sunday the 31^st of May this year.  The Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity is participating in the fundraising event this year.

Sponsorship packages range from $2,500 to $10,000. Sponsorship packages offer businesses, clubs, and individuals an opportunity to gain exposure as outstanding members and supporters of our community and the Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity. Sponsorship arrangements for all budgets and commitment levels have been developed.  “This is a great opportunity for new businesses to gain exposure and for those participating in the event to familiarize themselves with the good will and support of many local businesses, clubs, and individuals” stated event founder and director Ron Dyer.

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.  Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need. 

To sponsor the Hike, please visit www.takeahikeforhumanity.org and www.takeahikeforhumanity.dojiggy.com.  For more details please email takehike@nashabitat.org or ron.dyer@habitatmanchester.org.

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If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Peter Dobratz or Ed Lopez, please call Ed Lopez at 603-883-0295 or email Ed at ed.lopez@nashabitat.org.  To schedule an interview with event coordinator Ron Dyer please call 603-626-3944.

Nashua – Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity is participating in the “Take A Hike for Humanity” event to be held at Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Massachusetts and Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, New Hampshire on Saturday the 30^th and Sunday the 31^st of May this year. 

“One thing we feel will make this year’s event particularly successful is that participants can register online, email friends, relatives, and colleagues and collect pledges through our website” said Peter Dobratz, the organization’s Vice-President and one of the liaisons between “Take a Hike for Humanity” and the Nashua Habitat affiliate. Public Relations Committee Chairman Ed Lopez added: “We are only now launching a campaign to recruit participants and volunteers for the event, but we have noticed substantial activity on the website as a result of ‘word-of-mouth’ alone. To date we have collected pledges from all over New England but also from places as far away as Texas and even the United Kingdom.”

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.  Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.

To participate in the Hike, please visit www.takeahikeforhumanity.org.  You can register as an individual or team at the website and you can specify which affiliate you wish your pledges to be directed to. “We hope people will help steer pledges toward the Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity affiliate – but the most important thing is for people to get out there and support the mission of Habitat for Humanity and to hike with fellow volunteers and their families – this is a great way to meet new people and get involved” said Lopez.

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If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Peter Dobratz or Ed Lopez, please call Ed Lopez at 603-883-0295 or email Ed at ed.lopez@nashabitat.org.  To schedule an interview with event coordinator Ron Dyer please call 603-626-3944.

GREATER NASHUA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE, FACEBOOK PAGE
Easier for Families to Apply for Homes

Nashua – The Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity has launched a new version of its website on www.nashabitat.org; it has also launched a new Facebook page.

“The new website is designed to make volunteer opportunities easier to access and to help increase volunteer presence in our work”, says Vice-President Peter Dobratz.  “The new website allows the organization’s leadership to impart information more quickly and to reach potential volunteers with greater ease.”  The Technology Committee, which Dobratz chairs, was responsible for advancing the website, which also allows families to apply for homes more expeditiously.

Dobratz emphasized that this marks the beginning of an intense campaign in the pursuit of families who seek to own their own home: the Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity is searching for potential homeowners interested in living in the Milford, Nashua, and Wilton areas.

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.  Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.

If you are interested in volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and the organization’s Technology Committee, please contact Peter Dobratz at 603-883-0295 or at peter.dobratz@nashabitat.org.  For more information, visit www.nashabitat.org.

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If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Peter Dobratz, please call Ed Lopez at 603-883-0295 or email Ed at ed.lopez@nashabitat.org.