Habitat For Humanity

On April 10, 2009 EMMA VIRGINIA JACOBS (nee Heiry), devoted mother of Michele Hughes and her husband Mike Pretl, Barbara Hall and Joseph Jacobs and his wife Darlene, dear sister of Norma Douglas. Also survived by five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. All services and Interment are private. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Habitat For Humanity or Planned Parenthood.

For the first time in its 20-year history of building safe, decent and affordable homes in Harford County, Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna is building its a home in the heart of Bel Air. The groundbreaking ceremony for The House that Bel Air Built, at 404 Giles Street, took place recently before a crowd of elected officials, sponsors, volunteers and staff. The House That Bel Air Built is a project sponsored by the Harford County Government, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Town of Bel Air, the Bel Air Downtown Alliance and Harford Mutual Insurance Companies.

On November 5, 2004, DOUGLAS JAMES RAHIKKA; beloved son of Mary and the late Ray Rahikka; devoted brother of Robert Rahikka and Joan Peppers. Also survived by three nephews. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, November 9, 3 P.M. at St. John's Episcopal Church, 9120 Frederick Road, Ellicott City, MD. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Habitat For Humanity of Howard Co., Inc., P.O. Box 72, West Friendship, MD 21794.

Sales at all three ReStore locations Saturday will support a Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake home under construction in Baltimore's Orchard Ridge community. Shoppers will find a broad selection of quality building materials, appliances, furniture, cabinets, flooring, lighting and plumbing materials at affordable prices. In addition to the regular discounts, the stores are offering 50 percent off all lighting and 20 percent off all donated items. The Dundalk, Pasadena and Halethorpe ReStores will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sales profits enable the local Habitat chapter to continue its affordable homeownership opportunities in the greater Baltimore metropolitan area as well as in Anne Arundel and Howard counties.

On August 26, 2005, CECELIA S. Mc CRAY, beloved wife of the late Philip R. Mc Cray, devoted mother of Meredith, Tom and John Mc Cray, cherished grandmother of Christopher Blizzard, of Boston, MA, Joel Blizzard of Ithaca, NY, Megan Mc Cray of Chesapeake Beach, MD, and Lauren Mc Cray of Elkridge, MD, Shannon Spell, Ian and Erin Mc Cray of Macon, GA. A memorial celebration will be held on Saturday, September 24, at 2 P. M at City Lights, Catonsville Retirement...

On December 10, 2003, SABRA AMELIA (nee Harry) SULLIVAN, beloved wife of the late John Francis Sullivan; loving mother of Sabra Louise Kone, John Francis and Martin Burke Sullivan; cherished grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of 15. Services and interment are private at the request of the family. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed in Ms. Sullivan's name to the Habitat for Humanity of Howard County, 10720 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia, MD 21044. Please direct inquiries to the Slack Funeral Home, P.A., 410-465-4400.

On August 21, 2005 CAPT. DONALD ALBERT HAINES, USN Retired of Severna Park. Beloved husband of Christine Carey Haines; devoted father of John A. Haines, II, Christine Haines New and Courtney A. Haines; loving grandfather of Trevor and Kieran. Friends may call at Barranco & Sons, P.A., Severna Park Funeral Home, Ritchie Highway at Robinson Rd., on Thursday 7 to 9 P.M. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday at 10 A.M. at Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church, Millersville, MD, with interment to follow in the church cemetery.

On October 7, 2003 ELIZABETH "Betty" B. CROWE (nee Butler), beloved wife of the late Joseph N. Crowe, devoted mother of Dr. Joseph T. Crowe, Colleen M. Crowe and Patricia C. Barker, dear mother-in-law Sue Longacre, Evan L. Barker and Tracy J. Elville. Dear sister of Ann Bailey. Loving grandmother of Ryan, Catherine, Elizabeth, Brian and Patrick. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at St. John Evangelist Church, Severna Park, MD on Wednesday, October 15 at 10 A.M. Interment at Veterans Cemetery, Crownsville, MD. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity or Catholic Relief Services.

On a recent Saturday morning, John McCormick zips around the 1900 block of Sherwood Avenue like a man possessed.First stop: a house that a young man is painting with coats of primer. "Oh, man, you're cooking with gas, Dennis!" he says with satisfaction, surveying the broad amount of surface that's been covered. Next, Mr. McCormick trots over to a second house to look at flooring that's been installed that day. His third move takes him to his pickup truck, where he retrieves some tools for another project.

Members of GOP club assume new postsSeveral members of the Anne Arundel County Republican Women's Club recently were elected or appointed to positions around the state.* Donica Brown of Annapolis was appointed southern regional chairman of the Maryland State Federation of Republican Women.* Helen Fister, former club president, was recently elected chairwoman of the Republican State Central Committee of Anne Arundel County.* Janet Greenip was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, District 33.* Mary Jackson was elected judge of the Orphan's Court.

It's been said it takes a village to raise a child, but in this scenario, it takes a community to build a home. For the past seven years, Habitat for HumanitySusquehanna and Harford Technical High School, a vocational school in Bel Air, have partnered to build homes for those in need. This summer, the students were able to give back to one of their own and help an alumna achieve the American dream of homeownership. “It's really nice,” says the new homeowner, Kimberly Johnson of Aberdeen.

Mike Posko was building a house with Habitat for Humanity International — in Nepal — when the Baltimore-area affiliate emailed him late last year to ask him to come in for an interview. He got the job. Posko, who took over as Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake's chief executive in February, said he's passionate about the group's affordable-housing mission. The nonprofit builds new homes and rebuilds vacant ones in the Baltimore region with the help of volunteers, then sells them at no profit and with no-interest mortgages to workers with modest incomes.

Affordable-housing provider Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake said its new chief executive — who brings a construction and finance background — will come on board this month. Mike Posko, a principal with real estate consulting firm Cross Street Partners in Baltimore, replaces longtime CEO Mike Mitchell at the helm of the nonprofit after Mitchell's resignation in November. Before Cross Street, Posko worked at developer Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse and at the Federal Reserve.

Edging closer to its goal, Sandtown Habitat for Humanity and its volunteers have finished rehabilitating their 300th home in the blighted West Baltimore neighborhood where the nonprofit group has been laboring for more than 20 years. The latest dwelling to get a makeover was in the 1500 block of N. Mount St. Habitat staff, supporters and volunteers gathered Saturday to celebrate the occasion with the new owner. Employees from MECU of Baltimore Inc. and T. Rowe Price have been helping to rebuild the once-dilapidated home since last year.

For nearly a decade, Bel Air resident Joan Blewett has been in charge of Habitat for Humanity in Harford County. “The happiest moment is seeing a family get the keys to their home and knowing they have a safe, warm house,” she says. In June 2011, Harford Habitat for Humanity merged with Habitat for Humanity of Cecil County to form Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna, which is a non-profit, ecumenicall Christian housing organization devoted to building and repairing homes in partnership with qualifying families, according to its official website.

Who said Baltimore Beer Week was only about craft brews and getting drunk off samples? On Oct. 7, Flying Dog Brewery - through Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake - will build a house in the Jefferson Street neighborhood. If you're not in the mood to pitch in with hammers and nails, you can head over to Langermann's that night (6-10 p.m.). The Canton restaurant will donate $1 from all Flying Dog pints to Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake. Added bonus: the first beer is on Flying Dog for any Red Hat volunteer, AmeriCorps or person who donates/signs up to volunteer with Habitat that night.

Jean Fletcher, 62, lived in Section 8 housing last year but wanted a neighborhood where she and her grand-nephew Kenny would feel safer. She turned to Habitat for Humanity as a last resort, she says, because most places she applied for housing turned her down because of her age.She now owns a brick rowhouse on Mathews Street, which yesterday was the first stop on a Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity-sponsored walking tour through Waverly.The tour gave community leaders and potential contributors a close-up look at the challenges faced by lower-income families -- an inner-city show-and-tell of sorts.

Shane ArdoSchool: Mount Hebron High SchoolHometown: Ellicott CityAge: 17Shane is a straight A student who heads the school's National Honor Society. He was captain of this year's varsity soccer team, which lost in the first round of the playoffs. He has played soccer since age 7 and has been a goalie since he was 11.He's a Maryland Distinguished Scholar finalist. He also belongs to the Math Team and helped tutor students in geometry, calculus and physics, among other subjects.He earned an engineering medal from George Washington University's engineering and applied science program.

Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna, the ecumenical non-profit housing organization devoted to building, renovating and repairing homes in partnership with low-income families, has the appointment of Katie York and Sarah Colenda to its board of directors. Katie York, of Aberdeen, is program specialist in Health Care Careers at Cecil College in North East. She is also a member of both the Committee on Nursing and Allied Health and the Administrative Professional Organization. York says of her appointment to the board, "As someone who lives in Harford County and works in Cecil County, I feel it is imperative to increase awareness of Habitat in my local community, both in regards to fundraising efforts and potential homeowners.