Announcements
Spring has Sprung and So has Fluvanna Habitat!
April 3, 2021
We are so exicted to announce we have completed the foundations for our next two houses. We will build one house this Spring and are ahead of the game for the Fall Build. We ask for your prayers for the safety and strength of our regular crew, the Rusty Nailz, during the course of our Spring Build. Thank you!
25th Fluvanna Habitat Home Dedicated!
January 3, 2021
“This build was unlike any other we have ever accomplished due to the pandemic. Our goal of building a home while ensuring the safety of our volunteers was hugely successful. God blessed each of us”, said Mike Himes, Fluvanna Habitat Board President and Construction Supervisor.
On Sunday, January 3, 2021 we dedicated our latest Habitat home on Charney Way in Fluvanna County in the Houchens Place subdivision.
Due to COVID-19, a small dedication ceremony was held with the immediate family. Pastor Sharon Roberts of Saint Thomas Baptist Church, a family member, conducted the “Blessing of the Home”. Mike Himes, Larry Lazette (Construction Supervisor) and Gail Morace (Family Services Chair) officially dedicated the home with remarks. An outpouring of support from community churches, groups and local businesses made the ceremony even more special. We are so thankful for the support and generosity of the following: Pastor Sharon Roberts of Saint Thomas Baptist Church, Calvary Chapel Fluvanna, Lake Monticello Piecemakers, Mission Crafters Group of South Plains Presbyterian Church, Sweet Art Emporium, Cunningham United Methodist Church, Fluvanna Christian Service Society, Monticello Area Community Action Agency, Effort Baptist Church, Salem United Methodist Church, Rusty Nailz, and an Anonymous Donor.
This Habitat house is the 6th Fluvanna Habitat has built at Houchens Place and the 25th home built in Fluvanna County. The new homeowner has given over 150 hours of education and service time over the past year. As a new homeowner, she proudly qualified for, and will carry, her own mortgage on the purchase of her new home. Fluvanna Habitat’s team of Rusty Nailz, who are seasoned volunteers, worked in small groups between September and December to complete the house. This house, like the other homes in Fluvanna Habitat’s subdivision of High Mountain Acres and Cedar Ridge, is built to energy efficient and environmentally responsible standards. This saves homeowners considerable amounts in home energy costs. Our goal is to build two homes each year in the Houchens Place subdivision.
Fluvanna Habitat is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International whch is a non-profit, volunteer Christian ministry that works in partnership with the community to provide safe, decent affordable homeownership opportunities to low-income families in need in Fluvanna County.
Application Submission for Homeownership Program is closed.
If you would like to be put on the waitlist to be notified of the next orientation to our homeownership process, please contact our office.
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Telephone 434-589-3752
Buildng Our 25th Home in Fluvanna County!
September 11, 2020
This was an exciting week for Fluvanna County Habitat for Humanity as we began building our 25th affordable home in the community we love. Our Spring Build was cancelled due to the pandemic so the Fall Build is extra special to us. We have made changes to the job site to keep our volunteers safe and to keep Fluvanna Habitat moving forward. We are using only our group of regulars, the Rusty Nailz, for this build. We are humbled by their dedication to Fluvanna County Habitat for Humanity and their neighbors.
Faith Relations Committee: This committee works with the local churches to build partnerships. Meetings are held at the Fluvanna Habitat office and members are encouraged to visit and connect with church liasions. Churches are where we get a large amount of our volunteer teams and they provide donations to Fluvanna Habitat throughout the year.
Family Services Committee: This committee is vital to our organization. We are gearing up for another round of orienation sessions in the spring and the family services committee will help to faciliate these sessions and review applications. Indivuals from this committee meet with applicants for home visits and work closely to help them reach their dream of homeownership.
Rusty Nailz: The Rusty Nailz are a dedicated group of reliable volunteers who come together on a regular basis for house builds and home repair projects. The Rusty Nailz are seeking members who are able to schedule at least two work days per build.
If you would like more information on either of these volunteer opportunities, please email our volunteer coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Celebration & Dedication
It all started with 6 intial directors who wanted to make a difference in their community. With less than $3500 Fluvanna County Habitat for Humanity was born. Josina Bakker was a driving force and led the organization as president for four years.
Early on the organization had to fundraise all the money needed to build a house before construction could start. some of you may remember the white elephant sale’s, tap tap fundraiser, raffle’s, variety shows, silent auctions, spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts, habitat golf tournaments and so much more.
The dedication to the then all volunteer run organization was tremendous.
A few key events over the years that helped to guide the organization include:
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June 1993 officially recognized as a Habitat for Humanity affiliate
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In 1995 the first Fluvanna Habitat homeowners move in!
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Over the next 14 years Habitat built 9 more homes throughout the county.
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2009 Fluvanna habitat started building to earth craft standards with the first home in high mountain acres, a five-home community.
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With house number 15 habitat started using the 502-mortgage program allowing the organization to do more
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In 2012 groundbreaking took place at Cedar Ridge a five home earth craft community
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In 2017 the first home with completed here at Houchens place a 27 lot affordable housing community
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In 2018 a home repair program was added as way to help community members age in place.
With the completion of this house, house #22. 29 adults and 47 children have a safe, affordable place to live. We look forward to the next 25 years. Our hope is that you will walk alongside us; in fact we have another house that will start going up in September and you can help by volunteering on one of the build days or financially contributing to the organization.
The reason why many of us volunteer, financially and prayerfully support this organization is because we want to make an impact in someone’s life. It’s not so much that we built 22 houses but that we have created homes for 76 people and with your continued help we have the opportunity to do so much more.
Some Early Memories
By: Rich Kalchbrenner
I began attending meetings in the spring of 1997, held at the then not renovated Community Center in Fork Union. Preston Smith was President, an inspiring leader who had dedicated himself to doing all he could to keep our Fluvanna Habitat from failing. Only two houses had been built since becoming a Habitat International Affiliate in 1993. The situation was bleak, but Preston somehow kept positive. I will always remember the low point at our June meeting when our checking account balance was reported to be $624.46. This is not a typo!
The situation began to improve over the next few months. Preston received approval from the Lake Monticello Golf Committee to allow us to hold a tournament. This new annual event not only evolved into an important fundraiser, but new people and businesses became involved in Habitat’s mission. With visits to many congregations where we appealed for prayers, volunteers, and financial support, we were able to bolster our committees with new, energetic members. Five congregations became Covenant Churches. Their support and assistance in many fundraising events, such as spaghetti dinners, silent auctions, and giant yard sales, were fundamental in our remaining a recognized, functioning Habitat Affiliate.
Notable Momentum Building Events
In late 1997, after obtaining a bulk mailing permit, getting an updated mailing list from the county, composing the solicitation letter, printing the addressed envelopes, and coordinating a date with the Palmyra Post Office, Habitat successfully held its first “County Wide Mailing Envelope Stuffing Party” at Palmyra UMC. The “party” became an enjoyable social happening for our volunteers as well as an important annual fund raising event. Between 6,000 and 7,000 letters were mailed the first year, and grew to over 10,000 letters by 2006.
In 1998, Miriam Liggett of Kinder Care contacted Oprah Winfrey’s Angels about Fluvanna Habitat in hopes of receiving a gift to be used for building a home. We received $25,000 for House #3 for the Shelby Hill family! The added publicity of Oprah’s Angels gift resulted in an increase in donations and gifts from other businesses and individuals in the vicinity. The home dedication service was held on June 6, 1999.
In 1999, Angell Husted set a Guinness World Record for tap dancing. Her hope was to raise $10,000 for Habitat, which was reached. Angell broke her own record and raised over $10,000 for Habitat in 2003. Again, the publicity surrounding the events increased donations from many other contributors.
By the end of the year 2000, we were well on our way to building three houses in five years, and our checking account balance on June 30, 2001 was $31,000. The USDA Rural Development 502 Program’s first loan to us came in 2010. Prior to that, we had to raise enough money to purchase a lot, and then raise enough money to begin building the next home. Also, we had to manage the mortgages of the existing homeowners. Their monthly payments were an important part of our yearly income. With God’s blessings and countless hours of volunteer work, Fluvanna County HFH has grown to be an organization vital to the welfare of the community.
Koinonia Farms & Habitat
Koinonia Farm was founded in 1942 by Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England as a “demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God.” For them, this meant an intentional community of believers sharing their lives and resources, following the example of the first Christian communities as described in the Acts of the Apostles. Koinonians shared not only faith and resources, but also work. They farmed the land for their livelihood, and sought ways to work in partnership with the land.
Koinonians focused on the poor quality of local housing and began a project to build decent, affordable homes for their neighbors. The housing ministry evolved into Habitat for Humanity International under the leadership of Millard and Linda Fuller, who were members of Koinonia.
