Event Recap: "Building on our Foundation"

Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate our community and the grand opening of our new Restore location in Livingston last weekend (Saturday, May 2nd). We are especially grateful for all the volunteers who helped make the event happen and to Alltown Fresh for providing refreshments. The sun broke just enough for a lovely afternoon of open discussion, model home tours, and special recognitions. We presented awards to the first-ever Community Builder honorees: Chris Brown, Ed Herrington, Inc. (accepted by Allison Neumann), Mary Howard, and Didi Barrett, all of whom shared inspiring words. 

​Several outlets were kind enough to preview the day, including The Columbia Paper, Rural Intelligence, Porcupine Soup, Radio 104.5 FM, and News10 ABC Albany. The latter spoke with Executive Director Al Bellenchia and Construction Manager Donald Hills about the recent Niverville home build, the Rural Starter Home Initiative, and the lead-up to May 2nd:

The Daily Gazette's Spencer Walsh was present on Saturday and published an excellent summary, some of which is below:

LIVINGSTON— Columbia-Greene Habitat for Humanity introduced its new headquarters while celebrating supporters of its mission, including Assemblymember Didi Barrett, D-106, at a community event Saturday.

The organization’s second-hand home goods store, known as the Restore, has been open at 3521 U.S. Route 9 since November. Saturday’s event was intended as a grand opening of the group’s headquarters to the public, as well as broadcasting its services and mission, according to its Executive Director Al Bellenchia.
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The event was also intended to honor community leaders who have rallied behind the organization’s mission, chief among them Barrett, without whom “we would not be standing here,” Bellenchia said at the event. Barrett helped secure the land and funding for the organization’s Route 9 headquarters, Bellenchia said.

​Habitat exemplifies the spirit of effective, community-based collaboration that makes the Hudson Valley special, Barrett said.
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“All of you are part of community building, and that's what makes Columbia County and the Hudson Valley such a special place to live,” Barrett said at the event. “Thank you all for being part of that, and thank you Habitat for actually making things happen. One of the things that's so thrilling about being able to get these resources to you is to see you do things with them, that's what we need to see more of throughout our region.”

Read the full story at The Daily Gazette. Event photography by Luca Pearl Khosrova of Catskill Photo Studio.