Habitat Stories

For the most part, this year Habitat homeowner Eh Soe Min and his family will celebrate Christmas in a typical Karen (Burmese) fashion.  But there will be a bit of American custom thrown in to acknowledge their new status as American citizens.  Eh Soe, Jue Hae and their children will start with a Bible study and worship time on Christmas morning, (Karen tradition), after which they will each open a gift from under the Christmas tree (American tradition).  That afternoon they will go to Karen church services that Eh Soe will lead in his capacity as the Pastor of the Karen Baptist Church in Boise.  The Christmas celebration will finish a few days later with another Karen tradition, a party attended by all of the Karen people living in Boise (they’ll also invite a number of American-born people who support the Karen refugee population).  During the party each person will give a gift to someone who meant something special to them during the year.  There will be dancing, a lot of Karen food and a boisterous singing contest.  The singers will be judged by the people attending, who will cast a vote for a particular contestant by purchasing a flower for $1.00, going up on the stage and

The Turf Company was founded in 1979 with a vision of providing the highest quality turf grass products to landscapers and homeowners.  Since their early days as a small farm outside of Boise they have grown considerably, and now provide a greener life for people all over the Western United States. 

The Turf Company founder Darwin McKay, started out with a small amount of acreage and some used equipment.  He has since gone on to serve as president of the Turf Producers International, teach horticulture to students of Boise State University, and assist in the development and research of several types of new, revolutionary turf types. Many in the Boise area have heard Darwin on local radio talk shows, offering advice on how to properly care for a lawn.

The Turf Company is engaged in continuous improvement of their products and services.  Their turf crops are meticulously cared for and nurtured.  The Turf Company's customers can create a new lawn, assured in the fact that each roll of turf grass from The Turf Company is disease-and-weed-free.

Sue Mooney has been an important part of the Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity ReStore team since January 2008. She has volunteered over 2,528 hours and has been instrumental in the success of  ReStore.

Sue's focus over the years has been helping ReStore keep in tune with the Recycle part of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" motto.  She helped educate ReStore staff and volunteers on what types of items could be recycled and how to sort them properly. Sue's passion for recycling went way beyond the educational component. She set up a sorting center in the store and kept it organized to make it easy for people to properly prepare items for recycling.  She put in a lot of physical labor loading up her trusty Toyota pick up with cardboard, plastic and paper to take to the recycling center. Over the years she loaded and unloaded over 55,000 pounds of recycling from that little Toyota. Truly an amazing effort!