News

Success! Habitat Illinois will be added as a Charitable Choice on IL Tax Form

On May 7th, HB4803 / SB3702 passed both Illinois Houses! Once Governor Quinn signs this bill, Habitat for Humanity of Illinois will be added to the 2010 Illinois income tax form Schedule G (voluntary charitable contributions), which is called a tax check-off.

Taxpayers may state any amount $1 or greater (no maximum) to be deducted from their refund or to be added to their tax due. To remain in the program, Habitat Illinois must meet the minimum donation threshold of $100,000 annually.

These proceeds will be distributed to Illinois Habitat for Humanity affiliates through Habitat Illinois to repair and to build houses in partnership with limited-income families in need throughout the state. This legislation will benefit Illinois families in drastic need of safe, decent, affordable housing.

In the photo from left: At the Revenue Committee legislative hearing at the State Capitol in Springfield on March 11th -- State Representative Kay Hatcher; Sandra Leidner of the Fayette County Habitat affiliate; Bobbi Burgstone, Executive Director of Habitat Illinois; and Deborah Ford, Board President of Habitat Illinois.

ReStore Swap Meet

Habitat for Humanity of Illinois manages the Illinois ReStore Network, which coordinates the efforts of the 13 ReStores throughout the state.

A Habitat ReStore is a warehouse and retail store that sells quality used and surplus building materials at a fraction of retail prices. Proceeds from ReStores fund the constructions of additional Habitat houses in the community.

Materials sold by Habitat ReStores come from a variety of sources: manufacturers, contractors with excess supplies, home improvement stores, demolition crews salvaging reusable materials, and the general public.

In addition to raising funds, ReStores help the environment by diverting thousands of tons of usable materials away from landfills.

The photo shows a "swap meet" of excess inventories being shared among the Illinois ReStores at their May 5th meeting. For a listing of the stores,  please click on "ReStores/Warehouses" in the left column.

November 2009 Conference for Illinois Affiliates

at the iHotel & Conference Center in Champaign

Habitat for Humanity of Illinois, the State Support Organization, hosted this event for Habitat affiliates and ReStores this 1-1/2 day program, designed to provide high-quality, actionable earning.

This conference offered 22 workshop topics!  There was also a workshop track specifically for ReStores on Friday. New this year . . .  we welcomed 3 sponsors and 9 exhibitors.

Capacity building was the focus on this conference. Beyond producing more houses, capacity building addresses the increase and efficiency of board development, volunteer management, facilities, mergers, meetings, conflict resolution, marketing, strategic planning, staff, collaboration, and more.

The sessions helped to prepare affiliates to build 100 houses in 2010.

The 2010 conference will be held in Bloomington on November 12 and 13.

Millard Fuller 1935 - 2009

Habitat for Humanity is deeply saddened by the death of Millard Fuller, the visionary whose ideas and tireless work created Habitat for Humanity. Mr. Fuller led Habitat from its founding in 1976 until his separation from the organization and his founding of the Fuller Center for Housing in 2005. He died early February 3, following a brief illness. He was 74.

 “Millard Fuller was a force of nature who turned a simple idea into an international organization that has helped more than 300,000 families move from deplorable housing into simple, decent homes they helped build and can afford to buy and live in,” said Jonathan Reckford, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International. “The entire Habitat family mourns the loss of our founder, a true giant in the affordable housing movement. Our prayers are with the entire Fuller family.”

The idea for Habitat for Humanity was born at Koinonia Farm, a Christian farming community founded in 1942 in rural southwest Georgia to be a demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God.” Millard and Linda Fuller made their way to that demonstration plot in 1965.

By the time Millard Fuller turned 29, he had earned his first million dollars as an entrepreneur and attorney. But as his finances flourished, his health and marriage crumbled. To save their marriage, the Fullers decided to begin anew. They sold all that they owned, gave the money to the poor and in their searching, landed at Koinonia where they began soaking up the teachings of farmer, theologian, and community founder Clarence Jordan.

In time, Jordan and Fuller launched a program of “partnership housing,” building simple houses in partnership with rural neighbors who were too poor to qualify for conventional home loans. The first house was dedicated in 1969 and others soon followed. In 1973, the Fullers took the concept of partnership housing to Africa. Within a few years, simple concrete-block homes were replacing unhealthy mud-and-thatch homes, and Millard Fuller had a bold idea: If partnership housing could improve lives in Georgia and Zaire, why not the rest of the world?

In 1976, the Fullers returned to the United States and launched Habitat for Humanity International. By the organization’s 25th anniversary, tens of thousands of people were volunteering with Habitat and more than 500,000 people were living in Habitat homes.

Millard Fuller was a prolific writer, authoring 10 books. He had received more than 50 honorary degrees and in 1996 received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. In presenting the medal, President Bill Clinton said, “Millard Fuller has done as much to make the dream of homeownership a reality in our country and throughout the world as any living person.” Jack Kemp, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former HFHI board member agreed, adding, “When I’m asked about housing success stories from our inner cities, the first group that comes to mind is Habitat for Humanity.”

Among numerous other awards, Fuller was named to the National Housing Hall of Fame and had received the World Changer Award, the World Methodist Peace Award, the Norman Vincent Peale Award, the John W. Gardner Leadership Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.

“Millard Fuller’s drive and relentless commitment to affordable housing captured people’s imagination and changed lives around the world,” said J. Ronald Terwilliger, chair of Habitat for Humanity’s International Board of Directors. “His inspiration lives on in Habitat’s work and through its employees, volunteers, partner families, and supporters.” 

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