Evansville, Indiana (April 6, 2009) – Habitat for Humanity of Evansville is celebrating 25 years of building houses, building hope, and we would like to thank all our families, sponsors, donors and volunteers who have partnered with us over these years.

We have many activities planned this year to celebrate this milestone, including a partner family reunion and a Pay It Forward build that families are contributing to. We kicked off all these celebrations on April 3 with a visit from Thomas Stocker, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Jordan, one of our tithe partners. Since we began tithing to that affiliate in 2001, we have given more than $190,000. Each time we build a house locally, we contribute $2,500 to a build in either Jordan or Botswana in southern Africa.

On April 6, Lori Reed, executive director for Habitat for Humanity of Evansville, and partner family Charline Bridgeman presented a ceremonial check to the Evansville City Council in the amount of property taxes that families have paid over the past 25 years – $639,534.

We have other events planned throughout the year, including the dedication of the park at New Haven, the neighborhood that we started in response to the tornado that struck Evansville in 2005. During the dedication, we plan to bury a capsule containing mementoes from families displaced by the tornado. We also will be finishing the building at New Haven.

Since Habitat for Humanity of Evansville began 1984, we have served more than 350 hard-working families in Vanderburgh and Posey counties. To qualify, our partner families must contribute 300 hours of sweat equity towards the building of their homes, and they must have the ability to pay their mortgage, based on a 25-year no-interest loan.

Charitable contributions from individuals, churches, businesses and civic organizations provide the upfront costs of building our families’ homes. These contributions, combined with homeowner mortgage payments, create a revenue stream to build more houses and serve more families. And since we’re a volunteer-driven organization, our costs are kept low and our houses remain affordable.

These past 25 years have reflected the generosity of this community, and for that we are deeply grateful. We look forward to maintaining and strengthening these partnerships as we continue to provide simple, decent homes for hardworking families.

About Habitat for Humanity of Evansville
Founded in 1984, Habitat for Humanity of Evansville is a nonprofit Christian ministry whose mission is to build and sell simple, decent houses to hardworking families in Vanderburgh and Posey counties. We partner with individuals, churches, businesses and civic organizations who share our vision to make adequate, affordable housing for all a matter of conscience and action.

To be eligible, families must have incomes at or below 60 percent of the area median income. They must have a need for housing, be willing to contribute 300 hours in sweat equity and have the ability to pay their mortgage based on a 25-year, no-interest loan.

For more information, go to www.evansvillehabitat.org or call (812) 423-5623.