2021

Spring
Newsletter

Board of Directors

Mr. Dennis Mialki

President

Diana Biordi, Ph.D.

Vice Present

Mr. Rich Kulbacki

Treasurer
225 Freeport Street, New Kensington, PA 15068 Phone: 724-594-1051 Website: www.habitatav.org
Ms. Kathy Clark
Board Member
To New Beginnings We at Habitat pride ourselves on our Dr. Katherine
Counihan
mission to provide decent and affordable
Board Member
housing to residents of our communities, we
Mrs. Jamie Dillon
believe that our talents and resources should
Board Memeber
be shared to support our not-for-profit
Mrs. Carol Harris
community neighborhood organizations and President Emeritus
churches. St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic
Rev. W. James Legge
Catholic Church called and needed help President Emeritus
securing the church, our Habitat crew was
Mr. Gerry Vaerewyck
Making plans for the Master Bedroom there to help lead the way. Known in the Board Member
community for its dedication to the Catholic
As the Covid-19 pandemic redefined our way of faith and Pop Up Pirohi (Pierogi), St Mrs. Karen Snair
Board Member
living and working, it also hindered our ability to Vladimir’s has long been a staple in the
build and create opportunities for our diverse community and continues to work to ensure Ms. Lorraine
Wolosencuk
community. Beginning in January, we began our it meets the needs of its congregation. Led Board Member
newest home renovation project in the
by our construction lead Chris Andring, we Ms. Julie Martin
community of Tarentum. Working to abide by all
were able to help the church install high- Board Member
CDC safety guidelines in the wake of the pandemic
has been a challenge on various fronts, but our level technology to help secure the church Mrs. Karen Snair
teams have done a wonderful job to ensure and keep its congregation safe. Board Member

appropriate safety protocol and social distancing. As the pandemic restrictions are lifted, we Ms. Kristin O’Sullivan
Board Member
will continue our efforts into the summer as
Now, we have embarked on what will be our 25th John Tamiggi, Ph.D.
we support various improvements including Executive Director
home build in the region, and we are delighted to
Food Distribution Center at Saint Mary the
say that this house will soon become a home for
Assumption. If you are interested in further
Ms. Lauren Brewer and her family. Lauren said she
helping us support such build efforts and
is so excited to have a safe home with a yard and
desire to host a local volunteer group, please
quiet street for her kids to play. Her father, David,
contact our office at 724.594.1051.
who is a retired engineer, has lent his expertise to
the construction and volunteer crew to assist with
the build process. “We are delighted to see our
volunteer crews back in full force helping grow
and support our communities” states Executive
Director John Tamiggi. Such efforts will continue
into the summer months and will utilize the
passionate hearts of our community along
Lending a Helping Hand to our Neighbors
with Lauren and family to soon make this
Habitat Construction Lead Chris Andring & Fr. Yaroslav
house a home. Koval
Habitat for Humanity Updates:
Meet two of our local volunteers!
Jim & Sue Bires are residents of the Lower Burrell
area and have been steadfast Habitat volunteers
for almost a decade. Jim and Sue grew up in the
region and settled together in Lower Burrell.
After retirement, the couple both decided they
wanted to serve and volunteer at Habitat for
Humanity to help create opportunities for future
families. Recently, we sat down with Jim and Sue
wanted to hear their story!
What first brought you to Habitat?
Jim: My wife and I first met while working at
Westinghouse, we married and ultimately settled
in Lower Burrell. I spent 44 years and my wife
spent almost 30 years with the company, and once
we retired, we knew we wanted to spent our days
volunteering and we were both fond of the work
at Habitat.
How long have you volunteered at Habitat?
Sue: We have been on Habitat builds for over 6
years; our first house build was in Lower Burrell.
What are some of your most memorable
volunteer days here at Habitat?
Sue: I loved the opportunity to be part of the key
ceremony on our fist home build in Lower Burrell
and to see the twin boys’ face light up when they
had a backyard of their own to play and enjoy.
That was really special!
Jim: I enjoyed the opportunity to build the inclusive
playground at Pivik Elementary School in Plum. It
was so great to be part of team of over 200
volunteers and help coordinate tasks with others
to complete something so special for the kids.
Being this interview is taking place on the build
site, how are things going?
Sue: Slowly but surely. This is our 4th build so we
have become accustomed to patience and the
process!
Jim & Sue pictured together (front and center) along with
their granddaughter on the Animal Protectors build project
Critical Repairs for AV Homeowners
A safe, decent and healthy home has been the
first line of defense for families around the globe
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the
work of Habitat for Humanity, more than 5.9
million people have accessed better housing in
the last year, according to the global nonprofit’s
fiscal year 2020 annual report released today.
Here in the Allegheny Valley, we understand how
hard some of our most disadvantaged
communities have been hit during the pandemic,
have worked with local leadership to develop
inroad strategies to best support recovery efforts.
While our crews made efforts to address some
critical repairs locally in the area over the autumn
and winter months, pandemic restrictions created
some difficulties with access. Yet, our crews still
were able to have some impact on some of the
most vulnerable populations. As the pandemic
restrictions lessen, we are working with the St.
Vincent de Paul Society to assemble larger
volunteer groups during the summer months to
provide critical repairs to those most in need. We
look forward to being in full force building and
serving our neighbors.
Happy to help our Vets! We give thanks to home repair participant -
Susan of Natrona Heights!
Did you know???
Among the U.S. first families who have built with
Habitat: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and their
children; Gerald Ford; Bill and Hillary Clinton and
daughter Chelsea; George W. and Laura Bush; and
Barack and Michelle Obama.
2

The Cost of Doing Business
As we craft this newsletter, the cost of
lumber has increased by 375% since May
of 2020. Other commodities have seen a
major increase including the price of steel
which has created inflationary prices, most
especially in home construction. While
these rapid and skyrocketing price
increases have had an effect on all
demographics, once again the
marginalized communities face the most
crushing financial blows.
A recent report by Forbes Magazine
reported that as commodity prices rapidly
rise, cost of living increases from income
channels including wages, social security,
and disability are slow and often times
stagnant in efforts to keep pace. These
instances create further hardships for
marginalized populations, as they further
squeeze budgets and, with often limited
reserve savings, members of marginalized
communities are often forced to utilize
high interest quick cash loans, rental
centers, or more often than not, left to go
without.
While the Habitat for Humanity ReStore
model is designed to generate revenue to
assist its mission to build decent and
affordable housing, its impact on
consumers with tight budgets has never
been more noticeable. Deals and
discounts on gently used home furnishings
and appliances go a long way to help
stretch a family’s budget, and often can
help prevent one from going without some
basic necessities. ReStore Manager Bryan
Heyl commented that “In today’s Covid
economy the ReStore has become a
necessary place to access and buy quality
merchandise, as it helps families furnish
their homes and live within their means.”
We welcome all members of the
community to come check out our
ReStore- to shop, volunteer, or donate
between the hours of 10am to 4pm
Tuesday-Saturday.
25 Years of Hope & Change
This past year, Allegheny Valley Habitat for
Humanity celebrated its 25th anniversary serving
the community. Unfortunately, the COVID-19
pandemic thwarted any opportunity for public
celebrations, but that didn’t stop us from
reflecting on our success while looking forward to
the next 25 years. We are so blessed to say our
rich history depicts thousands upon thousands of
passionate volunteers serving and building
together to create a better tomorrow. These
efforts have spawned 25 homes for families,
hundreds of home repair projects, multiple
community park enhancements, and various other
community revitalization builds.
Our founding members set forth a vision to create
a more equitable community with access to
decent and affordable housing. Over the years, we
have been so very blessed to work and serve in
efforts to carry out this mission. Our efforts now
are placed on assessments to better understand
how our diverse communities grow and interact,
and we are excited to continually evolve into new
heights and achievements, all made possible by
each and every passionate heart that serves.
New Kensington Area Little Free Library Project
Ever see our little free lending
library while visiting our ReStore
site? Thanks to the amazing
efforts of Jim & Pat Bayne we
are fortunate to host an onsite
lending library that provides
access to free reading materials
for our neighbors. In a nutshell, a little free
lending library helps one contribute to your local
community. As not only are little free libraries an
efficient way to clear out one’s old books, but it
also has the added benefit of providing books to
other readers who may not have easy access to
reading materials. So next time you finish up that
New York Times Best Seller, informative
biography, or captivating mystery, please consider
helping restock the little lending library!
(Located in the back corner of our side parking lot)
3
 We need your help! Below are just a few of most recent donations that
To serve and build our communities is a have come into the ReStore shop in New Kensington.
Come visit and find some treasure and help support
continual process. That being said, we are
the mission of Habitat for Humanity. During the
always seeking to diversify our board of month of May, all U.S. Veterans receive 20% off their
directors and task force committees to entire purchase!
strengthen and augment our efforts in the
community. Currently, the organization is HABITAT RESTORE NEW KENSINGTON
seeking passionate hearts who are interested
potentially serving at a board level capacity, and
desires to build an advocacy committee focused
on equitable housing opportunities throughout Community Partners
the Allegheny Valley. If you are interested, Special thanks to the following groups who have dedicated
resources to support our collective community endeavors!
please forward your resume via email to
john@habitatav.org. LeGrande
PPG PAINTS
SHERWIN WILLIAMS
VERE INC.
POLYCONCEPTS OF NORTH AMERICA
LOWES PGH MILLS
MOLYNEUX TILE & FLOORING
CARDELLO ELECTRIC
Busy Beaver of New Kensington
Donut Connection of New Kensington
Little Caesars Pizza of New Kensington
Natrona Heights & PGH Mills Walmart
Northwest Savinigs

Interested in volunteering?

Come volunteer with us! Whether on the

construction home build sites or at our
ReStore, we love volunteers that assist us in
the achievement of our mission! Come join
us today! Visit www.habitatav.org for more
details!

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