For over a decade, Flower City Habitat for Humanity (FCHH) has held an annual gift drive for the children of its homeowners and homebuyers. This year’s gift drive will provide toys for 275 children living—or soon to be living—in homes earned through the FCHH homebuyer program.

This year's gift drive was made possible by 10 generous sponsors from the local community, including area organizations such as Excellus Health Plan, Mountain Rise United Church, Caldwell Manufacturing, Allendale Columbia School, and more. 

​Did you know that each Flower City Habitat family contributes at least 300 hours of sweat equity as part of our homebuyer program? Today we had five Habitat families working on the construction sites!

Alongside their family members and our construction team, five Habitat homebuyers participated in the construction of their new homes — directly building their American Dream. After the morning (and working up a good appetite), Amiel’s the Original Submarine provided complimentary sub platters, chips, cookies, and bottled water to everyone on the construction sites to help power them through the afternoon of building. Thank you!

Check out the news stories below to hear from three Habitat families and from our Family Services Manager, Tim Guillemette.

Today we celebrated love in action, on Love Street!

Dozens of members of the Habitat Family: staff, board members, volunteers, donors, faith partners, city & town partners, and more joined together as we celebrated another Habitat home on Love Street. (1 of 8 Habitat homes on Love Street)

When Eudosia first applied for the Habitat homebuyer program, she explained that her preference for Habitat was in large part due to the financial and home maintenance education that is part of our program.

After furthering her own education, including teaching herself to read and write English as a young adult, she is now investing in her future through homeownership. Her goal is for this home to not only provide stability for herself, but also to be an asset to her young adult children.

The Brighton Churches Habitat Coalition has been building homes in partnership with Flower City Habitat for Humanity since 1998, when four Brighton pastors decided among themselves to launch the Coalition.  The faith-based membership has grown considerably over the past 21 years to include ten pastoral communities.

The Bright Coalition now includes: Atonement Lutheran, Baptist Temple, Edgewood Free Methodist, First Baptist, St Damien of Molakai Knights of Columbus, Our Lady of Lourdes-St. Anne Cluster Community, Peace of Christ, Saint Thomas Episcopal, Trinity Reformed, and Twelve Corners Presbyterian.

This year’s home on Love Street is the 7th Habitat home and first rehabilitation project sponsored by the Brighton Coalition, which previously built Habitat homes on Taylor Street (1999-2000), Rauber Street (2002), Love Street (2005), Orange Street (2008-2009), Orchard Street (2011-2012) and Brown Street (2014).  The refurbished home being dedicated today is the second on Love Street sponsored by the Coalition.
 
Now entering a third decade of partnering with Flower City Habitat, the Brighton Churches Habitat Coalition is a prime example of our mission to put God’s love into action by bringing partners together to build homeownership, communities, and hope.

We were also honored to be joined by partners from the City of Rochester, Town of Brighton, and Town of Pittsford; represented by: Dana Miller, Rochester Director of Business Development & Chairman of Rochester Land Bank Corporation; Bill Moehle, Brighton Town Supervisor; and Matthew O'Connor, Pittsford Town Council & Chair of Brighton Church Coalition.

All of these partners coming together - to lift our neighbors and ourselves - is how Habitat builds homes, community, and hope.

Learn how you can help build a home for yourself through our homeownership program or with your neighbor by volunteering or donating today.

We're excited to be partnering with Foodlink Cooking Matters, a national program that works to make sure all kids have the healthy food they need every day.

Thanks to a sponsorship from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, 20 Flower City Habitat families are participating alongside volunteer culinary and nutrition experts, to learn to select nutritious and low-cost ingredients, and prepare them in ways that provide the best nourishment possible to their families.

Learn more at: https://foodlinkny.org/fight_hunger/cooking-matters

Women Build teams joined Illeana and her family to raise the fourth wall of their home on Holworthy Street!

​Today we dedicated two previously-vacant, now completely-rehabilitated houses on Fernwood Avenue and Del Monte Street.

We celebrated the transformation of two empty houses (and neighborhood eyesores), into two wonderful homes filled with families, new memories to be made, and a strengthening neighborhood.

After just a few more finishing touches, and closing on their affordable mortgage, we'll have two of Rochester's newest homeowners!

The rehabilitation of both of these homes was made possible through several partnerships including ESL Federal Credit Union, City of Rochester, NY - Mayor's Office, Rochester Land Bank, and Enterprise Community Partners.

And in just a few short weeks we will be finishing up the next one on Barberry Terrace!

​Before photos credits: Richard Margolis Art + Architectural Photography