Joe Mattison -- the leader of the Monday Volunteer Group -- is humble about the work and time the group devotes to the Habitat Spartanburg ReStore.
"We work hard -- we do whatever needs to be done, but we enjoy each other's company, too," Joe said. "We all see it as a way to give back to the ministry -- and to Spartanburg -- and we have these bonds now with one another."
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Phil Abers, a longtime Habitat Spartanburg volunteer, is also a member of the Spartanburg Men's Garden Club and Trees Coalition. Mr. Abers shared his expertise with Habitat homeowners and others during a recent workshop.
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Chiquette Johnson vividly remembers the fear that gripped her four years ago when her son was born with a lifelong, debilitating disease. Chiquette’s son was born with a congenital genetic disorder and is wheelchair bound. “I remember the first time I held him, I had this feeling of joy and pride, of course, but I also worried that I wouldn’t be able to care for him where we lived,” said Chiquette, describing her small, duplex that wasn’t handicap accessible.
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“I’m amazed and thankful that something I love doing so much is helping someone else catch a break.”
These words pierced my ears as Charlene Lyle, a faifthful volunteer and Board Members, said them at a recent meeting. As I listened to these words, my heart skipped a beat.
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Tenisha Parks remembers the moment she let go of fear and turned her family’s future over to God. “If you want something different, you have to do something different,” Rev. Walter Belton told his congregation late last year. As she sat in the pew, the single mother of two boys, ages 11 and 14, clung to those words.
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I read with great interest a column by Diana Olick, Real Estate Editor for CNBC the other day.
Her thesis is that due to home builders favoring larger and higher priced homes, overall home ownership is becoming available only to wealthier citizens. She reports that sales of homes priced under $100,000 fell 13% in January 2018 versus January 2017, and home sales between $100,000 and $250,000 fell another 2%. Apparently, there are plenty of homes on the market over $250,000 but not nearly enough available in the affordable price range for most buyers.
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The unique component of working for or with a nonprofit group is that it doesn't take long to realize the work is never really done.
You never really get to the finish line, although we establish in our mission statements that we will work -- work so hard -- until our goals are achieved.
Our job is to "keep on keeping on" until we're no longer needed. In our case, we will work until every person in Spartanburg County has access to safe, modest, affordable housing.
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The story of Elmer and Ana Servando and their two daughters is one of faith, perseverance and true grit. Elmer and Ana Servando were born in El Salvador, but met when they were in school in California. After they married and had two children, Amy and Natalie, they decided to move to South Carolina to be closer to family and to escape high living costs in California.
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