Habitat for Humanity partners with people in your community, and all over the world, to help them build or improve a place they can call home. https://cwhfh.org/
Home is Where the Heart is Gala on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at THE VENUE LIVE! at LIVE! Casino. Our Gala is our yearly event full of incredible prizes, amazing food, and a fun evening to help support Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity's mission of building homes in Westmoreland County.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is the CEOs You Should Know podcast, Val Porter,
and let's say hello to Courtney Gerri, the executive director
of the Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good morning, Hi, Good morning, Val. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Ah, thanks so much for being here. And also Patrick Kaufman,
general manager of Mount Pleasant Window and Remodeling Company.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hi, Val, thanks for having us.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It's great to have you both here.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Now, Courtney, can you tell us a little bit about
your background and have you always worked in the nonprofit sector.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
I have been in the nonprofit sector for quite some time.
I've been with Central West one On Habitat for about
four years now and it's very dear to my heart.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I love the nonprofit world.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Prior to Central West one On Habitat, I was with
the west Onorellan County Chamber of Commerce, which is another nonprofit.
But my background is in communications and public relations, so
it kind of ties into the whole nonprofit world world.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
So you're right at home doing this communication here today.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yes, absolutely so.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
What inspired you to work with Habitat for Humanity specifically?
Speaker 4 (01:10):
It actually came just by chance, To be completely honest
with you, I was working at the Chamber of Commerce
enjoying my position there, and it just so happened that
a friend of mine said, hey, give me your resume.
Central West wall and Habitat's looking for an executive director.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Oh and I said, okay, you know, let's try it.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Sure, And a few months later I was the executive director.
So it was just by chance and how lucky I
am actually to be there four years later.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So I think most people have heard of Habitat for
Humanity but may not know a lot about the organization.
Can you tell us the history of Habitat for Humanity
in Westmoreland County and exactly exactly what you do? People
may not know the extent of what you do.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
So Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity started out in nineteen
ninety three with just a group of folks who liked
the idea and the concept behind the mission of Habitat
for Humanity. So they started the Central Westmoreland Habitat Affiliate
in Westmoreland County and started the board, got the bylaws
(02:24):
and everything set, incorporated it and.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
We've grown today into what we are.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
But basically the idea of Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity
and all Habitat for Humanities is to build homes, hope,
and communities for those who are not able to get
a conventional mortgage and have a house that they can
(02:52):
afford and call their own.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
And this is an organization that late President Jimmy Carter
really made famous. He was very involved in it, right.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Super involved in it.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
That's one of the things that I'd like to stress.
He was very very involved, brought a lot of a
light to the organization. But one of the things a
lot of people don't realize is he did not actually
start the organization. He was very involved in it, had
a lot to do with it, brought a lot of
(03:25):
light to it, brought it out to the world, the community,
the United States, but he was not the founder of it.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
But he was very very involved.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
And we saw a lot of news footage of him
actually out there hammering nails.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Absolutely, he built so many homes all across the United
States and was so involved. He and his wife actually
building homes for other people, for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
And volunteers are a key part of Habitat for Humanity.
Can you talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
The volunteers are huge, That's how we keep the ricing
down on these homes. When we go to sell them
at the end, when they're done being being built. The
volunteers do so much work and there's such an integral,
integral part of the process. They're building the homes, they're
putting the windows in, they're putting the walls in, the drywall,
the painting, the landscaping. So it helps us not have
(04:21):
to pay subcontractors to do that work.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Now for people like me who are not skilled in
that sort of thing, would there be a job for
somebody like me. I'm great at cleanup. Hey, you can
come and do clean up.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
But absolutely we take any type of volunteer, anyone a
volunteer who knows how to install you know, a dry wall,
who knows how to install plumbing, down to the volunteer
who comes up and just says, listen, I just want
to help, but I don't even know how to hold
(04:57):
a hammer.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, come on down. We will take you.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
We will show you how to hold a hammer, We'll
show you how to use a screw gun. We will
take all kinds of volunteers. We will help you. We
will teach you so that you can learn and help
us help other people.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Now, is there an age limit for your volunteers, like
if it's it's you know, teenagers or they have to
have an adult with them anything.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
We have all kinds of projects that all ages can do.
Usually the youngest that we take is probably around twelve
on the build sites.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
You know, there's.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
Certain things that certain age groups are and aren't allowed
to do, like power tools is a big one. Sure,
you know, we can't have little ones running around with
power tools, mail guns, or nail guns exactly. You never
know what's going to happen with a nail gun. But
we can definitely take all ages on the on the
build sites.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Patrick, what made you want to get involved with Central
Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity? Why is it important to you?
Speaker 3 (05:58):
I think it's a It's a great organization, what they
stand for, what they represent, and it aligns with our
with our industry. Courtney had a lot to do with that,
just we're very passionate about giving back to the community
and we were looking for a real partner to work
(06:18):
with and kind of concentrate. I believe that we found
that with Central Westmoreland Habitat.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Now, is this something that you might serve as a
project manager for a build for You're more more on
site volunteering and donating materials or things like that.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
We have donated some time, We've encouraged others to come
down and donate and moving forward on additional projects, we
like to help more on the roofine side and the
products and services that we offer. Sure to work with
our manufacturers. Our company is fully behind to help in
any which way we can on Habitat's next build.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
That's great, Courtney.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Can you share a specific story about how Central Westmoreland
Habitat for Humanity has impacted someone's life? Can you think
of an incident where you were just so overwhelmed by
the reaction of the family.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
And I'm sure they're all very appreciative. They are all
very appreciative. And you know, I get a lot of
times I will be asked, why do you do this job?
You know, it's so crazy. You're always running around doing
this and doing that. And I always tell people, if
(07:31):
you ever have the chance to come to our closing
key ceremony, when we actually hand over a key to
our partner family, you'll understand why I do this job.
It's because when I hand that house key over to
the partner family, you can see the weight lifted off
(07:56):
of that family, and each each scenario is different for
each family, right. I can give you numerous stories about
different families and how special and what it means to
them to get into this house and own a house
of their own. You know, we have the single mother
(08:16):
who was living, you know, paying rent that was over
one thousand dollars and just couldn't afford it, you know,
and was you know, shocked that she was going to
be able to actually afford her own home and own
a home for her and her child. And the hard
(08:37):
work she put in working on that home and what
it meant to her to work on her own home
and have that at the end of the day, and
the hard work that she put in. And then you know,
I could tell you another story about another family who's
a single mom with three kids who was just living
(08:59):
and bouncing for apartment to apartment to apartment because she
had landlords who just would not care for the helme
and she was living in apartments that were run down
and there was mold everywhere and the kids were getting
sick from it. And just the weight lifted off to
her to know that she was going into a new
house that none of her kids were going to be
(09:20):
getting sick from safe and they were safe, and this
was going to build on their security, and she knew
her kids were going to be safe. So there's so
many different stories of these families and the safety and
the security they feel and the weight that's lifted off
of them when I hand them that key. So it's
just honestly the best feeling in the world. And all
(09:42):
of these stories are unique and of themselves to each family.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
I'm sure it's impactful for you, absolutely, So on the
flip side, that's the recipients. What can you think of
in an instance where an organization came and they left
just so moved by what they were able to do.
It's got to be really fulfilling for those those volunteers
who come on site to help.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
It is fulfilling for the volunteers because a lot of
times what the volunteers don't realize is they actually get
to work with the.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Partner family who's going into the house. Oh that's good.
So it really is.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
So when they come out to the house and have
a build day with us, the family who's moving into
the home, they have to put so many hours of
work into the home. Okay, that's part of their requirements.
And nine times out of ten, when a business or
a company comes to build with us and volunteer, the
family's there. So they're working side by side with that
(10:44):
family and they're learning of their background, they're learning of
their story, they're learning why they are part of the
Habitat project, why they're a partner family. So they're learning
about this family and what they've gone through, what their
struggles have been, and why they're there getting this home,
and so they're part of their story now. So to
(11:07):
see a company become part of this family story and
part of their home, it's truly amazing. And you'll find
when they're taking breaks, you know, or we go on
lunch and you know, we're sitting around, it's the company
sitting with the partner family and learning more about them
(11:30):
and what can we do to help you?
Speaker 2 (11:32):
What else do you need?
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Do you need more? What can we give to you?
Do you need plates? Do you need utensils? Do you
need furniture for your house? What do you have this?
Do you have that? What can we do to help
you more? So it truly is an experience that touches
not only the partner family, but the volunteers who are
there to help as well.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
What would you say is the most challenging part of
your position.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
I think the most challenging part is honestly finding the
funding to continue to build all of these homes on
a regular basis, because there's so many homes that need
to be built. There's so many families out there that
need homes, and it's hard to be able to build
(12:23):
these homes one after another after another after another. I
have a stack of applicants on my desk of at
least forty to fifty and you just got to keep
finding the funding to build the homes.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
And people can certainly volunteer, which we've talked about, But
what about donations you mentioned you know businesses who volunteer saying, hey,
do you need plates or whatever. If you know a
couple lives separately and they decide to get married and
now they have a whole house full of stuff, can
they donate those sort of items.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Absolutely. So we have at Central westball and Habitat. We
have a Habitat restore that's located in Greensburg that we
take in donations from businesses, people who may be cleaning
out their house, spring cleaning, cleaning out the garage of
(13:23):
donations of house goods, furnitures, different types of business items,
building materials, and then we sell those items at our
restore at a discounted rate for the general public.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Okay, so anybody can come in and.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Anyone can come in and purchase these items. All of
the monies that we make at the restore are then
funneled into the building of the homes.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
And people can make financial donations to your organization as well.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Absolutely yes, And where can they do that.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
They can do that right at restore or they can
do that on our website. We have a donation button
there on our website which is www dot CWHFH dot
org and they can always send a donation in the
mail to us.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
We talked a little bit off air. Would you like
to talk about your gala coming up?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
We do.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
We have a huge gala that we hold every year.
It is our biggest fundraiser and.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
It's called Fun.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
It's a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Our gala is called Our Home Is Where the Heart
Is Gala. We are holding it this year on March
twenty ninth. It is at the venue Live at Live
Casino in Greensburg and it is just an exciting, fun
night for a way for all of our supporters to
(14:54):
get together and enjoy the evening and support our cause
to build more homes and what's county. The evening is
full of dancing and prizes and games and raffles and
just a lot of hospitality and fun for everyone to
(15:14):
enjoy a really really nice evening out.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
And if people want to get tickets for that, they
can also do that on your website.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
On our website.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Absolutely that there's a link right on our website a
page that they can go to and just get the
tickets on our website there, and there's sponsorships available if
businesses were wanting to sponsor as well.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Now, if somebody listening is in need of your services,
or if there's a group, a civic group, a business
who wants to volunteer, can they get in touch with
you through the website? Is that how they would do that?
Speaker 4 (15:45):
Yeah, they could go straight to our website. All of
our information is listed on our website for volunteers, our
application for anyone who would like to consider putting an
application for a home. My information is listed there for
a way to get into contact with me. If anyone
has questions about the application, or about volunteering or anything
(16:06):
along those lines.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Is there anything else in particular that maybe we haven't
covered that you would want to convey to our listeners.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Well, I just want to talk a little bit about
our partnership with Mount Pleasant Window and Remodeling, because it
has been an excellent partnership and we are very, very
grateful for that partnership. They truly do care about the
community and their customers, but they do have We did
start a program with them, which is the Community Buyback Program,
(16:39):
which has been going really really great for us and
for them. Whereas and Patrick, you can chime in here
if I'm getting this wrong on the business side of things.
But for them, it's when they're out at their customers
and they're replacing windows at their customers' locations, those old
(17:00):
windows and some doors, if they're in pretty good condition,
they are donating all of those used windows and doors
to our restore. Oh that's great, it is fantastic, and
those can be used at our restore to be resold.
(17:21):
And then the customers who are donating those windows whose
homes they're being taken out of, they are able to
get a letter from us for a tax right off,
so the customers are getting that tax right off from
us for that donation.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
So it's been a really really nice program. It's really
helped us out at our restore. We've had a lot
of people who've come in specifically saying do you have
any windows, do you have any new doors, any doors
that we can look at. So it's really really been
a benefit to us and we're very grateful for that
partnership with Mount Pleasant Windows Remodeling.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
And what's the location the address of your restore in
case people want to go and make a donation or
buy items?
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Oh, yeah, absolutely, the address is two one two Outlet
Way in Greensburg.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Great Courtney, Patrick, thank you both for joining us here today.
Courtney Gary Gary, executive director of the Central Westmoreland Habitat
for Humanity and Patrick Kaufman, general manager of Mount Pleasant
Window and Remodeling. What's your website address? Once more?
Speaker 4 (18:31):
It is www dot c w HFH dot org.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Perfect. Thank you once again for being here. This has
been the CEO you should know podcasts showcasing businesses that
are driving our regional economy. Part of iHeartMedia's commitment to
the communities. We serve. Thank you for listening,
This is the CEOs You Should Know podcast, Val Porter,
and let's say hello to Courtney Gerri, the executive director
of the Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good morning, Hi, Good morning, Val. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Ah, thanks so much for being here. And also Patrick Kaufman,
general manager of Mount Pleasant Window and Remodeling Company.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hi, Val, thanks for having us.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It's great to have you both here.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Now, Courtney, can you tell us a little bit about
your background and have you always worked in the nonprofit sector.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
I have been in the nonprofit sector for quite some time.
I've been with Central West one On Habitat for about
four years now and it's very dear to my heart.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I love the nonprofit world.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Prior to Central West one On Habitat, I was with
the west Onorellan County Chamber of Commerce, which is another nonprofit.
But my background is in communications and public relations, so
it kind of ties into the whole nonprofit world world.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
So you're right at home doing this communication here today.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yes, absolutely so.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
What inspired you to work with Habitat for Humanity specifically?
Speaker 4 (01:10):
It actually came just by chance, To be completely honest
with you, I was working at the Chamber of Commerce
enjoying my position there, and it just so happened that
a friend of mine said, hey, give me your resume.
Central West wall and Habitat's looking for an executive director.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Oh and I said, okay, you know, let's try it.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Sure, And a few months later I was the executive director.
So it was just by chance and how lucky I
am actually to be there four years later.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So I think most people have heard of Habitat for
Humanity but may not know a lot about the organization.
Can you tell us the history of Habitat for Humanity
in Westmoreland County and exactly exactly what you do? People
may not know the extent of what you do.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
So Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity started out in nineteen
ninety three with just a group of folks who liked
the idea and the concept behind the mission of Habitat
for Humanity. So they started the Central Westmoreland Habitat Affiliate
in Westmoreland County and started the board, got the bylaws
(02:24):
and everything set, incorporated it and.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
We've grown today into what we are.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
But basically the idea of Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity
and all Habitat for Humanities is to build homes, hope,
and communities for those who are not able to get
a conventional mortgage and have a house that they can
(02:52):
afford and call their own.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
And this is an organization that late President Jimmy Carter
really made famous. He was very involved in it, right.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Super involved in it.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
That's one of the things that I'd like to stress.
He was very very involved, brought a lot of a
light to the organization. But one of the things a
lot of people don't realize is he did not actually
start the organization. He was very involved in it, had
a lot to do with it, brought a lot of
(03:25):
light to it, brought it out to the world, the community,
the United States, but he was not the founder of it.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
But he was very very involved.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
And we saw a lot of news footage of him
actually out there hammering nails.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Absolutely, he built so many homes all across the United
States and was so involved. He and his wife actually
building homes for other people, for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
And volunteers are a key part of Habitat for Humanity.
Can you talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
The volunteers are huge, That's how we keep the ricing
down on these homes. When we go to sell them
at the end, when they're done being being built. The
volunteers do so much work and there's such an integral,
integral part of the process. They're building the homes, they're
putting the windows in, they're putting the walls in, the drywall,
the painting, the landscaping. So it helps us not have
(04:21):
to pay subcontractors to do that work.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Now for people like me who are not skilled in
that sort of thing, would there be a job for
somebody like me. I'm great at cleanup. Hey, you can
come and do clean up.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
But absolutely we take any type of volunteer, anyone a
volunteer who knows how to install you know, a dry wall,
who knows how to install plumbing, down to the volunteer
who comes up and just says, listen, I just want
to help, but I don't even know how to hold
(04:57):
a hammer.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, come on down. We will take you.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
We will show you how to hold a hammer, We'll
show you how to use a screw gun. We will
take all kinds of volunteers. We will help you. We
will teach you so that you can learn and help
us help other people.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Now, is there an age limit for your volunteers, like
if it's it's you know, teenagers or they have to
have an adult with them anything.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
We have all kinds of projects that all ages can do.
Usually the youngest that we take is probably around twelve
on the build sites.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
You know, there's.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
Certain things that certain age groups are and aren't allowed
to do, like power tools is a big one. Sure,
you know, we can't have little ones running around with
power tools, mail guns, or nail guns exactly. You never
know what's going to happen with a nail gun. But
we can definitely take all ages on the on the
build sites.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Patrick, what made you want to get involved with Central
Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity? Why is it important to you?
Speaker 3 (05:58):
I think it's a It's a great organization, what they
stand for, what they represent, and it aligns with our
with our industry. Courtney had a lot to do with that,
just we're very passionate about giving back to the community
and we were looking for a real partner to work
(06:18):
with and kind of concentrate. I believe that we found
that with Central Westmoreland Habitat.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Now, is this something that you might serve as a
project manager for a build for You're more more on
site volunteering and donating materials or things like that.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
We have donated some time, We've encouraged others to come
down and donate and moving forward on additional projects, we
like to help more on the roofine side and the
products and services that we offer. Sure to work with
our manufacturers. Our company is fully behind to help in
any which way we can on Habitat's next build.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
That's great, Courtney.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Can you share a specific story about how Central Westmoreland
Habitat for Humanity has impacted someone's life? Can you think
of an incident where you were just so overwhelmed by
the reaction of the family.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
And I'm sure they're all very appreciative. They are all
very appreciative. And you know, I get a lot of
times I will be asked, why do you do this job?
You know, it's so crazy. You're always running around doing
this and doing that. And I always tell people, if
(07:31):
you ever have the chance to come to our closing
key ceremony, when we actually hand over a key to
our partner family, you'll understand why I do this job.
It's because when I hand that house key over to
the partner family, you can see the weight lifted off
(07:56):
of that family, and each each scenario is different for
each family, right. I can give you numerous stories about
different families and how special and what it means to
them to get into this house and own a house
of their own. You know, we have the single mother
(08:16):
who was living, you know, paying rent that was over
one thousand dollars and just couldn't afford it, you know,
and was you know, shocked that she was going to
be able to actually afford her own home and own
a home for her and her child. And the hard
(08:37):
work she put in working on that home and what
it meant to her to work on her own home
and have that at the end of the day, and
the hard work that she put in. And then you know,
I could tell you another story about another family who's
a single mom with three kids who was just living
(08:59):
and bouncing for apartment to apartment to apartment because she
had landlords who just would not care for the helme
and she was living in apartments that were run down
and there was mold everywhere and the kids were getting
sick from it. And just the weight lifted off to
her to know that she was going into a new
house that none of her kids were going to be
(09:20):
getting sick from safe and they were safe, and this
was going to build on their security, and she knew
her kids were going to be safe. So there's so
many different stories of these families and the safety and
the security they feel and the weight that's lifted off
of them when I hand them that key. So it's
just honestly the best feeling in the world. And all
(09:42):
of these stories are unique and of themselves to each family.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
I'm sure it's impactful for you, absolutely, So on the
flip side, that's the recipients. What can you think of
in an instance where an organization came and they left
just so moved by what they were able to do.
It's got to be really fulfilling for those those volunteers
who come on site to help.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
It is fulfilling for the volunteers because a lot of
times what the volunteers don't realize is they actually get
to work with the.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Partner family who's going into the house. Oh that's good.
So it really is.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
So when they come out to the house and have
a build day with us, the family who's moving into
the home, they have to put so many hours of
work into the home. Okay, that's part of their requirements.
And nine times out of ten, when a business or
a company comes to build with us and volunteer, the
family's there. So they're working side by side with that
(10:44):
family and they're learning of their background, they're learning of
their story, they're learning why they are part of the
Habitat project, why they're a partner family. So they're learning
about this family and what they've gone through, what their
struggles have been, and why they're there getting this home,
and so they're part of their story now. So to
(11:07):
see a company become part of this family story and
part of their home, it's truly amazing. And you'll find
when they're taking breaks, you know, or we go on
lunch and you know, we're sitting around, it's the company
sitting with the partner family and learning more about them
(11:30):
and what can we do to help you?
Speaker 2 (11:32):
What else do you need?
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Do you need more? What can we give to you?
Do you need plates? Do you need utensils? Do you
need furniture for your house? What do you have this?
Do you have that? What can we do to help
you more? So it truly is an experience that touches
not only the partner family, but the volunteers who are
there to help as well.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
What would you say is the most challenging part of
your position.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
I think the most challenging part is honestly finding the
funding to continue to build all of these homes on
a regular basis, because there's so many homes that need
to be built. There's so many families out there that
need homes, and it's hard to be able to build
(12:23):
these homes one after another after another after another. I
have a stack of applicants on my desk of at
least forty to fifty and you just got to keep
finding the funding to build the homes.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
And people can certainly volunteer, which we've talked about, But
what about donations you mentioned you know businesses who volunteer saying, hey,
do you need plates or whatever. If you know a
couple lives separately and they decide to get married and
now they have a whole house full of stuff, can
they donate those sort of items.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Absolutely. So we have at Central westball and Habitat. We
have a Habitat restore that's located in Greensburg that we
take in donations from businesses, people who may be cleaning
out their house, spring cleaning, cleaning out the garage of
(13:23):
donations of house goods, furnitures, different types of business items,
building materials, and then we sell those items at our
restore at a discounted rate for the general public.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Okay, so anybody can come in and.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Anyone can come in and purchase these items. All of
the monies that we make at the restore are then
funneled into the building of the homes.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
And people can make financial donations to your organization as well.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Absolutely yes, And where can they do that.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
They can do that right at restore or they can
do that on our website. We have a donation button
there on our website which is www dot CWHFH dot
org and they can always send a donation in the
mail to us.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
We talked a little bit off air. Would you like
to talk about your gala coming up?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
We do.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
We have a huge gala that we hold every year.
It is our biggest fundraiser and.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
It's called Fun.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
It's a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Our gala is called Our Home Is Where the Heart
Is Gala. We are holding it this year on March
twenty ninth. It is at the venue Live at Live
Casino in Greensburg and it is just an exciting, fun
night for a way for all of our supporters to
(14:54):
get together and enjoy the evening and support our cause
to build more homes and what's county. The evening is
full of dancing and prizes and games and raffles and
just a lot of hospitality and fun for everyone to
(15:14):
enjoy a really really nice evening out.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
And if people want to get tickets for that, they
can also do that on your website.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
On our website.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Absolutely that there's a link right on our website a
page that they can go to and just get the
tickets on our website there, and there's sponsorships available if
businesses were wanting to sponsor as well.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Now, if somebody listening is in need of your services,
or if there's a group, a civic group, a business
who wants to volunteer, can they get in touch with
you through the website? Is that how they would do that?
Speaker 4 (15:45):
Yeah, they could go straight to our website. All of
our information is listed on our website for volunteers, our
application for anyone who would like to consider putting an
application for a home. My information is listed there for
a way to get into contact with me. If anyone
has questions about the application, or about volunteering or anything
(16:06):
along those lines.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Is there anything else in particular that maybe we haven't
covered that you would want to convey to our listeners.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Well, I just want to talk a little bit about
our partnership with Mount Pleasant Window and Remodeling, because it
has been an excellent partnership and we are very, very
grateful for that partnership. They truly do care about the
community and their customers, but they do have We did
start a program with them, which is the Community Buyback Program,
(16:39):
which has been going really really great for us and
for them. Whereas and Patrick, you can chime in here
if I'm getting this wrong on the business side of things.
But for them, it's when they're out at their customers
and they're replacing windows at their customers' locations, those old
(17:00):
windows and some doors, if they're in pretty good condition,
they are donating all of those used windows and doors
to our restore. Oh that's great, it is fantastic, and
those can be used at our restore to be resold.
(17:21):
And then the customers who are donating those windows whose
homes they're being taken out of, they are able to
get a letter from us for a tax right off,
so the customers are getting that tax right off from
us for that donation.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
So it's been a really really nice program. It's really
helped us out at our restore. We've had a lot
of people who've come in specifically saying do you have
any windows, do you have any new doors, any doors
that we can look at. So it's really really been
a benefit to us and we're very grateful for that
partnership with Mount Pleasant Windows Remodeling.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
And what's the location the address of your restore in
case people want to go and make a donation or
buy items?
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Oh, yeah, absolutely, the address is two one two Outlet
Way in Greensburg.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Great Courtney, Patrick, thank you both for joining us here today.
Courtney Gary Gary, executive director of the Central Westmoreland Habitat
for Humanity and Patrick Kaufman, general manager of Mount Pleasant
Window and Remodeling. What's your website address? Once more?
Speaker 4 (18:31):
It is www dot c w HFH dot org.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Perfect. Thank you once again for being here. This has
been the CEO you should know podcasts showcasing businesses that
are driving our regional economy. Part of iHeartMedia's commitment to
the communities. We serve. Thank you for listening,
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