This past Sunday, June 13th, Wilkes Habitat for Humanity held the dedication service for our 21st home. Congratulations to the Jones family on their purchase. Many people attended, including representatives of the Wilkes Quilters Guild, who generously donate homemade quilts to each new Wilkes Habitat family.

This home was made possible through the efforts of so many individuals and groups. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the faculty and staff of the Wilkes County Schools, whose 2008 fundraising campaign raised the majority of the sponsorship funds for this project. Construction on this home was started by teacher Michael Johnson and his students at the CTE Magnet School’s construction program, and completed by Habitat volunteers after being moved from Cherry Street to Beaver Dam Lane. This was a great project for both the students and for Wilkes Habitat, and we are grateful for the partnership.

We are also thankful to the many individuals and churches that made donations to help fund this project. We are blessed by you support, and we are committed to acting as good stewards of our donor’s resources, which is why 100% of the money donated to Wilkes Habitat goes to home construction.

This was also the first Wilkes Habitat home to receive funding from ReStore sales. Thank you to all of the staff, volunteers, donors, and customers who have helped make the ReStore a success. It’s hard to believe the store isn’t even 2 years old yet. Thanks again to everyone who made the dream of home ownership come true for one more family here in Wilkes!

We are pleased to announce that Diane Johnston has been hired as Wilkes Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore Manager. Our customers, donors, and volunteers should all recognize Diane – she has been with the ReStore since it opened in August 2008, serving as Asst. Manager and then as Interim Manager during the hiring process. We are excited to welcome her in this new role, and are grateful for her excellent service to Wilkes Habitat.

The last several days have produced some of the strongest sales the ReStore has seen since our Grand Opening celebration in August 2008, and that is thanks entirely to the wonderful support the store has received from this community. We would like to thank our many shoppers and especially our donors – you are the reason the store succeeds, and we owe each of you a debt of gratitude for these successful sales days. Without our donors, we don’t exist.

So thanks to all of you for making a difference and helping Wilkes Habitat achieve our goal of eliminating substandard housing here in Wilkes.

The Wilkes Habitat for Humanity ReStore would like to announce the “Spring Cleaning 2010 in 2010 Challenge.” The beautiful weather has arrived here in North Carolina, and the time for spring cleaning is upon us. It’s also the time of year when Wilkes Habitat for Humanity is getting ready to start our latest construction projects to help Wilkes County families purchase safe, decent, affordable homes.

Because the ReStore is the primary fundraising arm of Wilkes Habitat for Humanity, your donations of furniture, appliances, housewares, building materials, and other home improvement items help us build more homes in partnership with these deserving families. So as you work to clear out some of that clutter in your home this spring, help us build new Habitat homes by donating those unwanted items to the ReStore.

Our goal in this challenge is to receive 2010 donated items in the spring of 2010. We hope you’ll join us in our efforts, and want to thank the many generous donors who have supported our Habitat ReStore since it opened in August 2008. You have all made a huge difference already, and we are grateful to all of you for continuing to do so.

Wilkes Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore will be closed Saturday, April 3rd in observance of the Good Friday & Easter Holidays.

The store will remain open for business Friday, April 2nd, though the administrative offices will be closed.

Happy Easter!