Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity celebrated the installation of its first permanent accessibility ramp Wednesday, marking the launch of its Home Repairs Program. In partnership with LINC Idaho, the Home Repairs Program will address accessibility and safety concerns in homes owned by low-income families and elderly residents of Ada County.

After 30 plus years of buying, selling, and thrift store shopping, my new mission has become re-purposing. This adventure started 6 months ago when my life of luxuries and jobs came to an end and I moved back into a 3-bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, 1973 house my mom took over after taking care of my grandmother, who passed in 1990. (Shaking my head.)

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).

I have been a Habitat for Humanity volunteer since 2003. Shortly after I began volunteering in the office, I received a request from the Executive Director Ken Nichols, to join the Family Support committee.

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.

By any measure Ken Wood has made a remarkable contribution to Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity, our families, and our community - some of which we aren’t even aware of, but we’ll share the statistics as we know them. By our calculations, Ken has helped to build 48 Habitat homes and has contributed a total of 6,456 volunteer hours to Habitat. Ken has also served on the Board of Trustees as both a member and President.

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.

Recently I had the privilege to serve Habitat for Humanity in a new way. I traveled to Anchorage, Alaska for a Habitat for Humanity Global Village Build. I spent 11 days there with 24 other people who traveled from around the United States. Two of those people were the team leaders who, along with an Anchorage Affiliate staff member, coordinated our living arrangements, food, transportation, community connections, and extra-curricular activities.