Habitat for Humanity Choptank is launching plans for its fifth anniversary ‘Raise the Roof’ benefit. The event is slated for Friday, March 5, 2010 at the historic Tidewater Inn in downtown Easton. Funds raised from the evening, including sponsorships and proceeds from the silent and live auction, go directly to the construction of simple, decent and affordable homes in Dorchester and Talbot Counties. The organization currently has three homes under construction and will complete its 50th home this year.
Members of the Raise the Roof benefit committee and the event sponsors along with Board members and construction volunteers recently met at Habitat Choptank’s Milestone on Clay development to tour the property and the homes that past Raise the Roof benefits have made possible. Pat Ingram, Habitat Choptank program manager, was on hand to tell the group about a new family approved for partnership who is beginning the multi-step process toward home ownership. The family, who will buy a future unit at Clay Street, was given the opportunity to walk through one of the already completed duplex homes at the site.
“The daughter, a first grader, walked through with her eyes wide,” Ingram recounted. “In each room, she had a question – will we have our own washer dryer, will I have a bedroom like this? At the end of the tour, the mother told us she would go to the bank the next day to set up a special Habitat bank account to begin the required savings for settlement costs. This is what Habitat is all about.”
“Everyone who attends Raise the Roof will get to enjoy good food and drink and have the opportunity to bid on an exciting array of auction items,” explained benefit committee chairperson Christine DuFour. “Raise the Roof is also a chance to help raise funds to build more homes and help hardworking families improve their lives through home ownership.
Habitat for Humanity of Choptank is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing in Dorchester and Talbot counties. Since its founding in 1992, the organization has worked in partnership with volunteers, churches, community organizations, businesses, and its future homeowners to help more than 45 local working families achieve homeownership. To learn more about Habitat or to attend Raise the Roof, visit www.habitatchoptank.org or call 410-820-6186.