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Habitat welcomes six new board members |
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Friday, 30 October 2009 |
By ANDREW MARTIN
CHARLESTOWN – South County Habitat for Humanity elected six new members to its board of directors at its annual meeting on Oct. 19 at Peace Dale Congregational Church in South Kingstown.
The new members of the board will serve three year terms. Most live across South County, but two of them hail from a little further north. They are as follows: Evelyn Dvorak, of South Kingstown; Tom Weber, of South Kingstown; Ed Nardone, of Westerly; Noreen Inglesi, of Cranston; Kate O’Malley, of South Kingstown; Rev. Casey Shobe, of Cranston and pastor of St. Peter’s by the Sea in Narragansett.
Two previous members – Jeff Balch of South Kingstown, and Jerry Sidio of Exeter – were elected to their second terms.
Officers were elected, also, with Deedra Durocher, of South Kingstown, assuming the role of president. She is joined by new vice president David Webster, of South Kingstown; treasurer John Larsen, of East Greenwich and secretary Lucy Mueller, of South Kingstown.
But the meeting was full of more than just elections.
South County Habitat honored long-time member Donna Van Keuren, of North Kingstown, with the Long Term Service Award to commemorate her work with the organization for the past 20 years. She was of the original group of people who established the South County affiliate in 1990 and has served on a number of its boards, including the board of directors and the Family Selection Committee.
South County Habitat Executive Director Lou Raymond recognized several projects that are in the development stages. He said there are multiple homes planned for parcel on Old North Road in South Kingstown. Also, there is a property marked for a home on Route 2 in Charlestown.
Other potential projects in the region are in the towns of South Kingstown, Charlestown, Westerly, Exeter, Narragansett and Hopkinton.
Former president David Binns explained there are many stages in the process of finishing one of these projects. Those include land acquisition, site development, permitting, and fundraising. He then urged volunteers of the organization to remain involved.
Specifically, South County Habitat has opened the application process for a four-bedroom home in Hopkinton, which was built by the organization in 2001. Those interested in applying were asked to attend a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 27 that included information about becoming a Habitat homeowner and this particular home.
To apply, families must meet income guidelines from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. For this Hopkinton home, the guidelines are as follows for combined income: family of two - $37,020; family of three - $41,640; family of four - $46,260; family of five - $49,980; and family of six - $53,640.
For more information about South County Habitat for Humanity, you can call 213-6711 or go to its website at www.southcountyhabitat.org. |
