Valdosta-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity

Congratulations to GAF - Roofing on their progress! GAF has been working diligently to get their facility built and running! We appreciate their support and are glad to have a supporter of many great organizations in our community!

The Clothes Closet is continuing the $5 bag Sale and will be open Tuesday September 17th from 3:00 – 7:00pm and then on Wednesday, September 18th from 9:00am – 1:00pm. Please help us spread the word!

Also, we now have a page! Find us at Park Avenue Clothes Closet! The page will help us inform the community of what the Clothes Closet ministry is, and what it's for, and to help us promote various items of interest to get more people to come visit us! If you would like to volunteer to be apart of this ministry please sign up on the Church Center App or contact Heather Croft at the Church Office (229-242-3562).

https://parkave.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2489663

What does Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity really do?

We are building our community!

We are Building Stability, Strength, Self-Sustainability and Hope for families through Affordable Housing.

You can support us by Donating, Shopping at our ReStore or Volunteering with our organization! Please call us at 229-245-1330!

Saturday at the Bettie Bazemore Build we were joined by members of Park Avenue Church, Valdosta and Moody AFB, to complete the outside of the build with sod and plants. This house it so beautiful and is one step closer to being ready for the family to move in!

Would you like to join in and help! Sign-up today!
We still have more volunteer time available! Please call us at 229-245-1330 x271 or email [email protected] today!
Park Avenue Church, Valdosta

It is Secondhand September!

We live in a society where if someone doesn’t want something, most people throw it away. Secondhand September is a way to help remind us that what we may not want today, someone else may want tomorrow! This is a time to help remind us that we need to take care of our planet and we can do that easily by considering to donate unwanted items.

Consider donating your unwanted items to our ReStore! We collect new or gently used donated items we receive and sell it in our ReStore to others at a discounted price, who have need or use for them!

Furniture can easily find a new home with us instead of taking up space in a landfill. The same is true with unwanted appliances, tools, home décor, renovation supplies such as sinks, tile, flooring and more!

While helping us to reduce, reuse and recycle – the money earned in our ReStore becomes funding for the affordable homes we build in our community for low income families.

There are items that we are not able to accept, you may find a list at https://www.valdostahabitat.org/ReStore
Our Valdosta-Lowndes County ReStore is open Wednesday – Saturday from 9:00am-1:00pm and located at 2010 East Cypress Street, Valdosta. Stop by to shop our store!
If you are needing help getting donated items to our store, call us at 229-247-8513 to schedule a donation pick-up!

Today is International Day of Charity. We would like to celebrate this day and remind everyone that what Habitat for Humanity does is give a hand up, not a hand out.

Each Family Partner that enters our program puts in their sweat equity hours, education hours and receives a 0% interest mortgage for their homes built through our organization. These homes are not free.

If you would like to help support our organization, there are simple ways that you may help!

Volunteer – Volunteering your time on our build sites helps us create these homes for low-income families in our community. You may join us for the morning hours, all day or as often as you would like! Our construction crew have many different things that can be done on a jobsite. If you do not have the skills of what is being done that day, we are happy to train you! If you are unable to do physical work, there are always other ways to help out on the site. To see what Volunteer opportunities we have available, call us at 229-245-1330, or email [email protected]

Donate – Donating money is always a huge help to our organization. The funds earned from our ReStore sales and any donations, help to fund the costs of building materials for the homes we build. This can be done on our website at https://www.valdostahabitat.org/take-action .
If you do not have money to donate, try donating your gently used items that are no longer wanted in your home. These donated items are sold in our ReStore at discounted prices to help fund the cost of building our Habitat homes in our community. Any questions of acceptable donations are listed on our website at https://www.valdostahabitat.org/ReStore or call our ReStore at 229-247-8513.

Shop – Shop our ReStore often to see the amazing items that are available at discounted prices! We often have brand new items at a fraction of the cost you would find in stores. We also have unique items that you would not find anywhere else. We often have in stock cleaning supplies, furniture, flooring, kitchen sinks, bathroom vanities, name brand lighting for throughout the house, lightbulbs, doors, tools, tool accessories and more!

Our ReStore is located at 2010 East Cypress Street, Valdosta and is open Wednesday – Saturday, 9:00am – 1:00pm.

Visit our website at https://www.valdostahabitat.org/ for more information on Volunteering, Donating, or Information on our ReStore. You are always welcome to call us at 229-245-1330!

This is great information and helps for good planning on maintenance for the heating system on your home.

Now is the perfect time to schedule maintenance for your heating system. HVAC techs are less busy in the fall, making this an excellent time for any necessary updates or repairs. A qualified tech can clean filters, check for leaks and make sure your system is in tip-top shape to keep you cozy this winter.

It is always good to be prepared!

Hurricane season has arrived—be prepared! 🌪️🌀 Stock up on essentials like water, non-perishable food, medications, flashlights, batteries, and important documents. Stay safe, and make sure your loved ones are ready too.

When was the last time you checked your GFCI outlets in your home to ensure they are working correctly?

It is recommended to test your GFCI outlets at least once a month.

GFCI outlets are usually located on outlets near water – kitchen, bathrooms, and outdoors. They are designed to shut themselves off if they get wet. This can happen on exterior outlets after a strong storm.

Checking GFCI outlets can be a simple as using a night light to plug in and test that each outlet is working. If they are not working – try pressing the reset button. You may need to check the breaker to ensure that they did not shut off more than just the outlet.

If you are unable to get the GFCI plug to reset, or you are having more of an electrical problem, consider contacting a professional electrician.

Check out our AMAZING Executive Director on Georgia CEO!

Michael Bourgoin of Valdosta-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity, Grant Funding Executive Director for Valdosta-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity Michael Bourgoin talks about grant funding for Valdosta-Lowndes Habitat and how this impact the region.

We are Dismissing Myths about Habitat for Humanity!

Myth: Habitat for Humanity can build a home anywhere!

Fact: Habitat for Humanity relies heavily on donated land in order to provide affordable housing. The land that is donated is located throughout our Valdosta-Lowndes County area, and these properties are where we are able to build the affordable homes for our community.

Unfortunately, our land bank is getting LOW!

Habitat is always in need of donated properties. If you have a vacant lot, or a home that is beyond repair and needs to be torn down, please consider donating that land/property to us. This will help our organization to have more properties to support our mission in providing more areas for our family partners to build their affordable homes in safer neighborhoods.

If you have land to donate, have questions about land donation, or know someone who has land and may be interested in donating their land, please call us at 229-245-1330.

Our New ReStore truck, made possible by the Valdosta United Way (GVUW) through the Bruce Williams Legacy Grant, Langdale Ford and SOGA Graphics - has not slowed down since we started it up!

We have been blessed with many donation pick-ups and this truck has made it easier to get the donated items to our ReStore safely and undamaged!

Don't forget to stop by and shop our ReStore located at 2010 East Cypress Street in Valdosta, Open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 9:00am to 1:00pm!

Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity enjoyed meeting and networking with others in the community last night at the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce Business Expo!

We appreciate all who stopped by our booth and if you missed us, stop by our ReStore and take a look around at all the amazing items we have at discounted prices! The sales in our ReStore help us to fund the affordable homes we build in our community!

If you are interested in helping our organization you can Donate, Shop our ReStore or Volunteer on a home build with us! Contact us at 229-245-1330!

We look forward to the next Expo and hope next year is an even BIGGER turnout than last night!

Bazemore Build Progress Update!!!!!!!

Indoors - Flooring and Carpeting have been installed.
Outdoors - Driveway is to be poured, then sod and landscaping can follow.

Would you like to join in and help! Sign-up to volunteer today!
We still have more volunteer time available! Please call us at 229-245-1330 x271 or email [email protected] today!
Park Avenue Church, Valdosta

Come on by our ReStore at 2010 East Cypress Street in Valdosta,
Wednesday through Saturday from 9:00am-1:00pm, to check out our deals!

We have Furniture, Lighting, Cleaning Supplies, Flooring and MORE!!!!!!

Did you know that cleaning your sink and shower drains regularly can help release build up and help to prevent clogs in the future?

Recommendations:

Kitchen Sinks: At least once weekly pouring very hot water down the kitchen sink drain can help prevent build up in pipes. It is recommended to not pour grease down any drains.

Bathroom sink and tub/shower drains: Once a month make sure to remove hair from the sink and tub/shower drains, and then flush with hot water.

Most plumbing experts agree that using harsh chemicals to clear up clogged pipes can damage the environment. Often these harsh cleaners get back into our drinking water system.

If you have a clog consider using other treatments than chemicals or contact a plumbing professional.

This year, Greater Valdosta United Way (GVUW) is making a huge impact by investing $600,000 into our community, thanks to the incredible generosity of Bruce Williams, a local banker and philanthropist who left an endowment to the organization. Through the creation of the Bruce Williams Legacy Grant, GVUW is supporting the projects of 18 partner nonprofits, helping them make essential capital improvements to their operations.

The grant opportunity was split into two phases, each totaling $300,000, with awards granted based on recommendations from a committee of past and current board members and local community leaders.

We are thrilled to share that we were one of the 18 recipients of this prestigious grant! Today, we showcased our new box truck, dedicated to Bruce Williams, through this project.

We are incredibly proud of the positive impact we continue to make in our community, and we are grateful to see Bruce Williams' legacy live on through this meaningful project!

We are Dismissing Myths about Habitat for Humanity!
Myth: Habitat was founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Fact: While Former President and Mrs. Carter are Habitat’s most famous volunteers and longtime supporters, having worked tirelessly for 40 years to help families build houses and to raise awareness of the need for affordable housing, Habitat was founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1976.

Millard Fuller was a self-made millionaire by the age of 29 and he and his wife Linda decided to help those less fortunate and put their efforts into building simple housing for homeowners who would not be able to afford a home through traditional means.

In exchange, future homeowners helped construct the homes and paid for materials. Several years later, in 1976, they created what would later become Habitat for Humanity.

Former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s first interaction with Habitat happened in March 1984 when the couple participated at a build site in Americus, Georgia, the home of Habitat. They enjoyed the experience so much that six months later, the Carters led a Habitat for Humanity work group to New York to serve 19 families in need of safe, affordable housing. The Carters then introduced the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, an annual weeklong building blitz to benefit Habitat partner families.

Since that first work project in 1984, more than 2,000 houses have been built in conjunction with Jimmy Carter Work Project events. Including a neighborhood here in Valdosta Ga in June of 2003.

Would you like to continue the work the Fullers and Former President Carter with his wife Rosalynn put forward and volunteer! Please call us at 229-245-1330 x271 or email [email protected] today!

Today is National Garage Sale Day!!!
Did you have a garage sale and have left over items?

Are you sorting through items that you just don’t have a need for or want anymore?
Donate your gently used items to our Habitat ReStore!

It is a great way to support your community, protect the environment and help others!

Visit https://www.valdostahabitat.org/ReStore for a full list of accepted items.

Call our ReStore at 229-247-8513 to schedule a drop off appointment, or schedule a free pick-up appointment.

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We would like to share a big THANK YOU to CJB Industries for volunteering with us today and spending the morning in our HOT warehouse building ALL of the interior walls for our next home build beginning soon!

We know that it is difficult to take time out of busy work schedules to have team building, and we are very grateful for their support in helping us to build safe, affordable homes for our community!

If you would like to have a team building opportunity, or would like to help us in our mission, sign-up to volunteer today!
Please call us at 229-245-1330 x271 or email [email protected] today!

Check out our Executive Director on WALB News 10!

Read more on Coffee and Conversations with Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity at

Coffee and Conversations with Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity builds and rehabilitates houses with the help of homeowner families.

Tune in to Alicia Lewis on TNC as she interviews Michael Bourgoin, Executive Director of Valdosta-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity today!

Here is helpful information for those with power loss.

We have power outages due to Hurricane Debby. Refrigerator or frozen food may not be safe to eat after a power outage.

Here’s what you need to know!

Today’s Home Maintenance Tip is to Check your Door K***s and Locks.

During the summer it is often a time of increased petty crime, such as car and home break ins. They wiggle door handles and easily enter unlocked cars or homes.

Examine all of your door k***s and window locks. If you find any damage, replace it. If you find any loose k***s or locks, secure them. Often, it is as easy as they just need a few screws tightened that come loose over time.

If you are not able to replace or fix them yourself, look to someone you trust or to a professional locksmith or handyman. There is also information on how to repair these items on the internet.

Maintain your safety by checking these often to ensure they work correctly.

***sAndLocks

We are Dismissing Myths about Habitat for Humanity!

Myth: Habitat for Humanity homes are FREE

Fact: Habitat homes are NOT free. Each Habitat homeowner purchases their home through financing and pays a monthly affordable mortgage.

Habitat homes are built primarily with volunteers and family partner sweat equity, helping to keep the building cost lower and creating affordable mortgages payments for those unable to obtain conventional financing.
Habitat homeowners typically have incomes that are 30%-80% of the median income in the area.
Valdosta-Lowndes County habitat homeowners invest 350 to 550 hours in “sweat equity” – building their own home or other Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat houses, and/or volunteering in our ReStore.
Our homeowners need a hand up, not a handout

For more information on our homeownership program and eligibility or application process, visit our website at https://www.valdostahabitat.org/homeownership or call us at 229-245-1330.
Help us build these homes by volunteering! Call us at 229-245-1330 x271 or email [email protected] today!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

We are thrilled to share that the Valdosta Lowndes Habitat for Humanity's Community Development Service (CDS) full $1.5 million request has been included in the FINAL DRAFT Senate THUD/CJS/Interior bill! This significant milestone was made possible with the support of Senator Warnock, who is committed to advocating for this project as it moves through the legislative process.

This brings us closer to securing essential funding for our FY25 government initiatives to develop land and build affordable housing for families in need over the next 10 years. We’ll keep you updated as Congress prepares to vote on this bill.

Huge thanks to Mr. Adrian Rivers, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock representative for connecting with Angela Ward in making this possible! We would like to honor Theresa Tucker Clark for her hard work with putting the entire grant together.

Also, special thanks to the leaders and community support letters from Lowndes County, GA, Valdosta, A City Without Limits, Greater Valdosta United Way, South Georgia Medical Center, the Harley Langdale Foundation and Senator Russ Goodman

Michael Bourgoin,
Executive Director, Valdosta - Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity.

Tip - Change the direction of your ceiling fans

Did you know that changing the rotation of your ceiling fans is recommended twice a year?

Changing the rotation of your ceiling fans can increase the energy efficiency in your home by putting less strain on your HVAC systems. When running a ceiling fan properly in the winter (clockwise), it can help you save up to 10% on your heating bill. Changing the direction of your fan changes the way the air moves, creating a more effective heated or cooled room.

During the summer you want to rotate your ceiling fan counterclockwise, pushing cool air down. When running a ceiling fan properly in the summer, it can help you save up to 12% on your cooling bill.

How do you change the ceiling fans rotation? This is easily done! Most fans have a switch that will change the rotation, simply move it up or down and watch the rotation to ensure you have the direction that you want. Some fans have remote controls with the option.