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Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity receives city proclamations for serving the region for 40 years
Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity (CEHFH) has received three different proclamations to commemorate their 40th anniversary in our region from the cities of Savannah, Port Wentworth and Garden City. Chatham County added to this number with a special presentation of their proclamation at Habitat for Humanity’s celebration event on Aug. 26.
CEHFH received a formal proclamation from Savannah Mayor, Van Johnson, during an Aug. 10 meeting recognizing the 40 th anniversary of the nonprofit being established in the region. That same evening, they were presented with the Port Wentworth proclamation following their partnership announcement to build more affordable housing in their city. Garden City presented Habitat’s formal proclamation during their city council meeting yesterday.
“Since 1983, Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity has helped over 150 families in the Coastal Empire purchase safe and affordable homes, with more than a quarter of partner families having already fully paid off their mortgages,” said CEHFH CEO Zerik Samples. “We are grateful for the immense support of our community and are dedicated to transforming lives and creating stability for families by educating and equipping them with the skills and confidence to purchase their first home and create a lasting structure to create generational wealth for their families.”
For more information about the organization, volunteer opportunities, partner family applications, and initiatives, please visit habitatsavannah.org or follow them on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram using the handle @habitatsavannah.
Davenport House Museum seeking docent volunteers
Savannah is endowed with a rich cultural heritage, and The Davenport House needs volunteers to help tell its story by leading tours through the historic 1820s Davenport House Museum.
This September, The Davenport House Museum will be offering docent training classes twice a week. Sessions will be on Mondays and Wednesdays beginning Wednesday, September 6. Volunteers who complete the training typically work two shifts per month.
For more information or to enroll, contact tour coordinator Sheena Fulkerson by calling (912) 236-8097 or by email to sfulkerson@davenporthousemuseum.org.
HSF’s September lecture focuses on Savannah tree canopy
Zoe Rinker, executive director of the Savannah Tree Foundation, will speak on “Savannah’s Urban Forest: Past, Present, and Future” when the Historic Savannah Foundation convenes Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. for its monthly lecture at the Murray C. Perlman & Wayne C. Spear Preservation Center, 323 E. Broughton St. Admission is free for HSF members, and $15 for non-members.
Rinker will focus on the historical forces that have shaped Savannah’s tree canopy as well as Savannah Tree Foundation’s role in protecting it over the past 40 years. She will also discuss the challenges facing our forest moving forward and what STF is doing to ensure a greener future.
Rinker, a graduate of Yale University, has dedicated her career to improving communities and the environment. Through jobs at Neighborworks America, Baltimore City, and an urban planning start-up, she has tackled issues such as access to green space, affordable housing, and smart growth. Since joining STF in 2019, Zoe has increased tree-planting efforts, diversified programming, and grown community outreach. she is a member of the Rotary Club of Savannah and the Chatham Commerce Club. The Georgia Tree Council named her a Rising STAR in 2020, and she was included in Savannah Magazine’s 2021 New Guard. Most recently, she was a 2023 TEDxSavannah speaker.
Her audience will gather to mingle and enjoy a glass of wine at 5:30 p.m, and the discussion will start at 6 p.m.
The event is open to the public; however, space is limited so reservations are recommended. Both members and non-members may RSVP by emailing Sue Adler at sadler@myhsf.org or calling 912-856-0323 or 912-328-5224. To become a member https://www.myhsf.org/support/membership-2/membership/.
Rotary Club of Savannah and United Way of the Coastal Empire seek volunteers for Read United Buddies
The Rotary Club of Savannah has partnered with United Way of the Coastal Empire and the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System for “Read United Buddies,” a program in which volunteers visit selected second-graders twice weekly to read with the students.
“We have partnered with United Way and the school system to develop this shared reading mentorship program and we are now recruiting the volunteers needed to make it successful. This effort continues Rotary’s long history of supporting early childhood literacy,” said Rotary Club of Savannah President Eddie DeLoach.
DeLoach pointed out that at present, only 56% of Chatham County’s second graders read on grade level according to the Georgia Board of Education. Similar programs have been shown to increase reading proficiency in other communities by as much as 30%.
The program will launch in October, with volunteers visiting Otis Brock and Windsor Forest elementary schools. Volunteers are asked to make a commitment for the entire school year, spending 30 minutes twice a week at the assigned school to read with a second grader who needs support to read on grade level. Training will be provided prior to the launch of the program.
Volunteers must clear the background check performed by the public schools, a process which takes about two weeks. After that, volunteers will be trained by the school system’s literacy specialists in preparation for the program launch at the beginning of October.
The first step toward becoming a Read United Buddy is to complete the simple form at this link: uwce.info/ReadUnitedBuddies. For more information, contact cdean@uwce.org or 912-651-7707.
This article appears in Connect Savannah | August, 2023.