Thanks to our newest sponsors   International Galleries Cabinetland, Ltd. Denver Mattress The Great Frame Up Flat Top Grill Thrivent Builds Homes Illini Radio Group University of Illinois as well as our ongoing sponsors Ashley Furniture Bacon & Van Buskirk Balloon Creations Bendsen Signs & Graphics, Inc. Champaign Do-It-Best Hardware Champaign Heating & Air, Inc. Champaign Telephone Company Dodds Company FedEx Ground HDC Engineering Home Depot IBEW Local 601 Kan-Doo Concrete Larry Kanfer Gallery Menards Meyer Drapery Service Pekara Bakery Prime Time Pizza RC's Plumbing & HVAC Remco Electric Stevens Excavating Sunnycrest True Value Sunset Upholstery Thrivent Financial for Lutherans TSI Specialty Cleaning & Restoration   Thank you to our ReStore and committee volunteers!   Mary Anderson, Ruth Aydt, Adam Bosch, Derrick Anderson, Tom Austin, Josh Agusti, Chris Alwes, Ryan Bailey, Robert Barker, Greg Beck, Kathleen Benson, Lauren Benson, Travis Billingsly, Megan Bishop, Charles Blatti, Stephanie Brockway, Antwon Brown, Jonne Brown, Abe Brumleve, Beth Cain, Dolly Climaco, Bill Cochran, Kristine Cochran, Lee Cohen, Bob Craft, Noam Davidoff, Savina Davis, Randy deCelle, Margie Delheimer, Barry Dickerson, Maggie Dougherty-Roberts, Terry Doyle, Susan Drozdz, Kurt Erbach, Elaine Estes, Jessica Finical, Kim Fontleroy, Erica Frazier, Michelle Ford, Raphael Foscett, Katy Galli, Matt Gainey, Jose Garcia, Justin Gee, Carlos Gonzales, John Goodwin, Patricia Gray, Jeff Green, Caitlin Griffin, Gabrielle Hays, Sandra Holloway, Paul Hopkins, Chinesa Huff, Diane Jeffers, Jimmy Kalanzi, Kimberly Jamison, Daniel James, David Johnson, Chris Juby, Eddie Karr, Danielle Katterhenry, Bev Kieffer, George Kieffer, Joseph Kirk, Dan Klopfenstein, Jeanine Knicker, Sheri Krueger, Diane Kujawa, Dale Lattz, Rachel Levine, Patricia Lewis, Lily Liu, Jeff Livesay, Adam Lopez, Tom Lord, Casey Loving, Miaciah Manuel, Cash McCall, Kathy McGill, John McGill, Kory McKion, Mike McMillan, John Meliska, Nancy Merz, Doug Milburn, Emily Myers, Sunni Nam, Donna Napier, Mark Napier, Tom Napier, Ben Newell, Mung Nguyen, David Ochs, Annie Ogdon, Jeff Pearl, Kristen Price, Linda Randall, Stephanie Raney, Diane Raymond, Marion Reeds, Rebecca Reyes, Carolyn Rice, Ed Rogers, Dexter Rowan, Alex Ruiz, Joseph Sauls, Nathan Sauls, Jon Schlesinger, Ben Schudel, John Senters, Nathan Seymour, Courtney Shaner, Eric Sheu, Frances Simpson, Roger Smith, Stephen Smith, Walter Smith, Scott Snyder, Daniel Stich, Waddah Sweid, Dan Taylor, Diane Taylor, Ryan Ting, Sierre Trame, Jonathan Tyler,Jennifer VanMatre, Matt Varvel, Dennis Vidoni, Tam Wei, Nolan Wesselink, Breanna Weston, Stanley Wong, Chuck Whitney, Christine You and Jerry Zachary.   Share-A-Meal on March 13     Make a ReStore Donation   Drop off donations are accepted any time during store hours. Please pull around to the loading dock at the back of the building and ring the bell for assistance. Too large for your vehicle? Schedule a donation pick up! Donation pick ups are a $5 fee in C-U, and $10 outside C-U within a 15 mile radius. Contact us at (217)355-6460 x120 or ReStore@cuhabitat.org to schedule.   Make a Home Build Donation   Online, by phone or by mail.   ReStore Hours   Tuesdays - Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays from 1 - 5 p.m.   Habitat for Humanity Champaign County and ReStore   119 E. University Ave. Champaign, IL 61820 (217) 355-6460 ReStore (217) 359-0507 Administration www.cuhabitat.org	Thank you, Champaign Telephone   This weekly publication is brought to you by our friends at Champaign Telephone Company. Thank you!   What's New at the Habitat ReStore?   See photos: here   Raise the Roof with Illini Radio Group   On March 14, four stations of Illini Radio Group, The Mix 94.5 WLRW, WIXY 100.3, 92.5 The Chief WCFF and Extra 99.1 WXTT will be launching their "Raise the Roof" campaign to collect funds for two Habitat homes that will be built simultaneously at 507 and 509 East Bradley in Champaign. Illini Radio Group is partnering with Thrivent Builds Homes, a financial service agency for Lutherans, to start the homes this spring. The ground-breaking ceremony for both homes is scheduled for Saturday, May 19 at 10am. Through their listener audience, Illini Radio Group has committed to raising $35,000 for the homes. When approached about sponsoring the homes, Illini Radio Group jumped at the chance. "It gives our staff and our listeners something tangible that they helped build. It is important for people to know what they are giving to and who it helps. Habitat home building projects have a clear outcome. We will be helping two families get out of poverty and start a new life with a bright future," said Alan Beck, Illini Radio Group Vice President and General Manager, "There's just not a more tangible result than that." One of the two families that are slated to purchase the homes has already been selected. Zina Allen, a single mother of two lives with her teenage daughter in their two-bedroom apartment. As needed, Ms. Allen looks after her other daughter who suffers from MS and her twin grandchildren. By the end of summer, the twins will have room to play and Ms. Allen will have a home of her own. Over the course of 15 week build period, Ms. Allen will put 250 hours of sweat equity into her home. "Ms. Allen's is very excited about getting on the build site. Participating in building their home, they develop an investment they wouldn't otherwise have and learn building and repair skills to maintain their home after they've moved in," explains Eileen Gebbie, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County. "This partnership is a tremendous opportunity for Habitat for Humanity. The kind of awareness about Habitat's affordable housing program that Illini Radio Group will spread through their listener base is the greatest gift. We are constantly trying to dispel the myth that Habitat homes are given away. Every Habitat home is purchased at a zero-interest mortgage and paid over 20 years. In addition, the Raise the Roof campaign will increase public awareness of the effects of poverty in Champaign County. We commend both Illini Radio Group and Thrivent Builds Homes for recognizing the urgency of our efforts and jumping on board with enthusiasm."   Takin' it to the airwaves!   As described above, March 14, Habitat is running a fundraising campaign on the Illini Radio Group stations for two homes to be built this summer. From 6am – 6pm on March 14, all four stations will encourage their listeners to call our phone bank and pledge money for the homebuilding project. We are seeking volunteers following this phone drive to: 1) Process donations 2) Enter donations into our donor tracking system 3) Print thank you letters and receipts & 4) Stuff and stamp envelopes. Volunteers are needed in teams of 4 during two 3-hour shifts (10am-1pm and 1pm-4pm) on March 15, 16, 19, 20, 23, 26, 28 & 30. For more information or to sign up for a shift or two, contact Megan at 359-0507 x 118 or fundraising@cuhabitat.org. Thank you!   Almost done: 40 E University   We are planning another day down at the old store location, cleaning out the remaining merchandise, tools and materials. We will be working on Tuesday, February 27th from 3p – 7p. Volunteers are welcome to show up at any point in that window of time. This will be another day of grubby demo, efficient dumpster packing, and moving the final box truck load(s) to the new location. Plan on working hard, getting a little dirty and having fun! Right now the weather looks to be chilly next Tuesday. Please dress warmly. We will provide tools, work gloves and bottled water for the afternoon. If you or your group is interested in helping, please contact Courtney (355-6460 x 116 or volunteer@cuhabitat.org) for more information or to add your name to the roster. All volunteers must complete and sign a waiver before beginning to help. 40 E. University, our old store location, is situated just north of the downtown bus and train terminal. It is the block between Chestnut and Market Street. Parking is available in the terminal parking lot, meters surrounding the store or at the Chester Street parking lot. Please follow all posted parking regulations. Thanks and we hope to see you next week!   Summary of the IL Poverty Report   by Mark Middleton, Finance Manager Did you know that has the worst poverty rate in the Midwest and ranks last on 14 other economic, health, housing, and education indicators? This is in spite of the fact that Illinois is also one of the richest states in the region. The Illinois Poverty Report released last year by the Heartland Alliance is very sobering. Since 1999, there has been an increase of 342,716 new people living in poverty. The poverty rate has climbed from 10 percent to 12.4 percent, meaning that over 1.5 million Illinoisans live in poverty. Thirty-one Illinois counties had an increase in the rate of poverty from 2002 to 2003, and one in four Illinoisans lives near poverty, enough people to fill Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota combined. The state budget crisis has exacerbated the problem decreasing state human services funding by $387 million over four years. The cumulative impact of the state's failure to keep up with inflation combined with real program cuts significantly increases pressure on local community agencies to do more with less support from the state. Work is no longer a solution to living without poverty. Illinoisans have suffered from the most mass layoffs in the nation, and nearly 25 percent of all Illinois workers are making the equivalent of poverty-level wages for a family of four. The number of employers offering health insurance and other benefits to their workers is declining. The problem of poverty in Illinois spans racial, ethnic, age, gender, familial, and geographic boundaries. No group is immune, and no region is without hardship. One half-million Illinois children live in poverty, and 31.4 percent of Illinois women live near poverty. Although some positive change has occurred, 34 of Illinois's 102 counties were placed on either the Poverty Watch or Warning lists indicating serious struggles with critical indicators including high school graduation rates, teen birth rates, unemployment rates, and poverty rates across the state.   Are those cookies I smell?   Not yet…but soon! We are looking for volunteers interested in designing and installing our staff and volunteer break room. This space needs to incorporate a kitchen area, complete with appliances, cupboards, countertops, seating space and a sink. If you are interested in donating materials, helping with the work or simply want more information, please contact either Courtney (355-6460 x 116 or volunteer@cuhabitat.org) or Eileen (359-0507 x 111 or director@cuhabitat.org).