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Executive Director Letter
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As additional evidence of Habitat Newark's efforts for increased
home production, and ultimately, a greater number of families
served, we received wonderful news about being chosen to receive a
Habitat International Capacity Building Grant. The Grant provides us
with $90,000 (over a three year time period) to partially fund a
newly created Director of Finance position.
Although we had conceptually been planning for such person, an
abbreviated hiring timeframe served as the catalyst for Board and
staff action. Thanks to the efforts of all, including the assistance
of one of our supportive CPA firms (many thanks to Rachel Anevski at
Smolin Lupin!), an abundance of qualified applicants quickly came
our way.
On August 15, our new Director of Finance, Hema Gandhi, joined our
organization. Hema brings with her a wealth of experience in the
non-profit finance sector, so we are very excited by her arrival.
Hema wasted no time jumping into her new role, the week following
Hema's coming on board, she and I flew to Atlanta for a Habitat
International Capacity Building Conference. During the Conference we
learned about the specific details of the grant, particularly the
stringent reporting requirements. In addition, we received
up-to-date information regarding many of the exciting Habitat
programs, including Volunteer Management, establishing a profitable
ReStore, the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI), and
Rehabs - all of which are on our radar screen. It was an excellent
opportunity for us to network with Habitat Affiliates throughout the
United States.
One of the highlights for me was the chance to meet Jonathan
Reckford, CEO of Habitat International, in person. I took the
liberty of having my photo taken with Jonathan who graciously
agreed.
All-in-all, the Capacity Building Grant will provide us additional
stimulation to do even more in Newark and Essex County. Please stay
tuned for more exciting news as we expand the impact of our
wonderful mission!
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