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Front row from Left to right, Tim McCleary, accepting the check from Christ Episcopal Church on behalf of Needham Interfaith Habitat, Kimberly Acker, Adult leader for Youth Group (the youth have a long history with Habitat projects, see press release); Tamara Burnett, NHS Senior and Youth leader, Rev. Robert Windsor, Christ Church, and Tim Lysaght, Treasurer, Christ Church.
Rear: Donna Vello, NIH, Chris Wellington, NHS Senior and Youth Leader,Barbara Murphy, NIH and church member, Joe Barr, Christ Church Warden (Senior lay leader), Myra Anderson, Church Jr. Warden, , Nardin Baker, Chairman, Investment Committee, and Tom Georgevits, Youth Leader.
Needham Interfaith Habitat is pleased to receive a generous matching gift from Christ Episcopal Church, Highland Ave. Needham. In an effort to help Needham Interfaith Habitat reach their fundraising goal of $220,000 Christ Church has challenged the Needham Community with a wonderful matching grant of $20,000. The Needham community has stepped up to the plate, and $20,000 has been raised to match the Christ Church grant, for a total of $40,000 raised since January ’07.
Joe Barr, along with Nardin Baker of the Investments Committee, and Rev. Robert Windsor, identified the $20,000 matching gift opportunity from the “Socially Responsible Investment” fund of the church’s endowment. The intent of the matching grant is to get all in the Community of Needham behind the project. The grant has been matched, with success!
According to Joe Barr, Sr. Warden of the church, “the matching gift was inspired by the tradition of Habitat volunteerism in the youth of Christ Church. For the past 10 years, Christ Church youth have traveled and participated in Habitat builds during Spring break”. The youth usually travel to a rural area in the South (to S. Carolina, in 2006 and W. Virginia in 2005) and put in at least 40 hours each of volunteer time, building. This April the Youth Group of about 24 High School members and adult leaders will be traveling to Biloxi, MS. Youth leadership Tamara Burnett, Chris Wellington, Tom Georgevits, and Caroline Barr (not pictured) are making their 4th mission trip this year for home building.
The Youth’s ongoing work dovetails with Needham Interfaith Habitat’s efforts, an ecumenical group, co-chaired by Tim McCleary and Rev. Caroline Edge (Carter Memorial Church), to build an affordable Habitat Home here in Needham. Needham Interfaith Habitat and Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston, will break ground on land this summer at the corner of Bancroft St., and Brookline St. With the support of the Town Selectmen, town administrators and Town Meeting Members, this will be Needham’s first Habitat for Humanity home.
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