3H Guide
September, 2016/2017
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High Schools for Habitat for Humanity
Mission Statement
Habitat for Humanity Manitoba’s mission:
By mobilizing volunteers and community partners, Habitat for Humanity Manitoba works with people from all walks of life to build safe, decent, affordable housing for purchase by low-income working families.
High Schools for Habitatfor Humanity mission:
To foster the social consciousness of high school students and their communities by developing an awareness of Habitat for Humanity and encouraging cooperative involvement through educational, volunteerism and fundraising opportunities.
High Schools for Habitat Goals
High School for Habitat for Humanity (3H) encourages students to:
- Learn- about Habitat for Humanity, the need for safe and affordable housing, and sustainable development.
- Act- participate cooperatively in educational, volunteer, and fundraising opportunities and become empowered to promote awareness in communities and address social justice issues.
- Build – Build a better community today and in the future
What you should Know
It is Habitat for Humanity’s objective to eliminate poverty housing so that families thrive, communities prosper, and everyone wins.
Habitat for Humanity Manitoba is the local affiliate (region) of an international non-profit registered charity committed to eliminating poverty housing and dedicated to making safe, decent and affordable housing available for low-income working families to purchase. Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity International has built over 500,000 homes in 80countries. Habitat for Humanity Manitoba, founded in1987, has built over300homes for low-income working families. By providing a hand-up, not a hand out, we are enabling families to open brighter doors to their futures.
Over 1,100Manitoba children have enjoyed improved lifestyles since 1987 through Habitat for Humanity Manitoba.
Shelter is a basic human need; unfortunately, many families still live in overcrowded, unsafe, substandard, or overly expensive rental accommodations that don’t meet the needs of their family. Due to low incomes and lack of equity for a down payment, they do not qualify for a traditional mortgage. Additionally, with rental vacancy rates at less than one percent, it is difficult for many families to find a better alternative.
Safe, decent and affordable housing provides a family with a foundation for positive change. Affordable home ownership improves the health and education of the family members. It also revitalizes neighborhoods and our community benefits through economic and skills development as Habitat purchases the majority of the neededmaterials and skilledlabourto build each home.The new homeowners pay property taxes.
Habitat does not give homes away: rather we sell them at market value, to families who have completed their partnership requirements. The terms are very favourable: no down payment, no interest on the mortgage with monthly payments geared to family income instead of the value of the property. Because we reinvest the mortgage payments back into the Build program, a donation to Habitat is a gift in perpetuity to affordable housing. In fact, we can readily demonstrate that every dollar donated to Habitat leverages three more dollars over a fifty-year period.
The Habitat ReStore is our retail outlet selling donated building materials and home décor items.The first Habitat for Humanity Re-Store started in Winnipeg and now there are hundreds across North America. The Re-Store is an important source of funding for Habitat for Humanity – the profits it generates pays for Habitat’s administrative costs enabling 100% of every donated dollar to go directly into the Build program.The Re-Store also diverts over 950,000 kilogramsfrom landfill each year.
Additional information about Habitat for Humanity Manitoba is available at
Genworth Canada -3H Founding Sponsor
HFHMthanks Genworth Canada, a national mortgage insurance provider, for becoming the Founding Sponsor of Habitat for Humanity Manitoba’s High Schools for Habitat for Humanity (3H) program. The sponsorship falls within a national program called “The Path to Home” andis part of Genworth’s three-year national partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada. “The Path to Home” program will make a major impact by positively affecting the lives of those in need of affordable homes as it will support home building grants, access to educational material and resources, along with employee volunteer commitments. Genworth’s leadership support of 3H is key to funding the 3HScholarship, and to covering the program expenses.
Genworth Canada, a subsidiary of Genworth MI Canada Inc. Known as “The Homeownership Company”, it provides default mortgage insurance to Canadian residential mortgage lenders that enables low down payment borrowers to own a home more affordably and stay in their homes during difficult financial times. Genworthknows full well the importance of giving back – it is who Genworth is as a company and its commitment is simple: we will continue to grow and give back.
Additional information about Genworth Canada is available at
Getting Started
A small group of students will need the support of school staff. The objectives of your group should support your school plan, and will reinforce the pillars of UNESCO High Schools.
Determine your objectives. There are a number of activities included at the end of this guide, but you can create others, and Habitat will be there to support you. You mayoperate for the entire school year, one semester, one month, or organize short-duration activities during the school year. It’s all up to you. It all helps Habitat.
Complete the 3H Registration form.
After you have decided the type of activities your group will undertake and the length
of your commitment,complete the 3H Registration form and send it to Habitat to
.
Fax: 204-233-5271
Global Village Program
Habitat for Humanity Canada invites you to join the thousands of volunteers from around the world who are working hand in hand to eliminate poverty housing one house at a time. Work with a family to help them build a home, strengthen their community and enrich both their lives and your own. There are different international destinations to choose from. See for more information about the Global Village Program.
Community Service Credit
Students can make a contribution by volunteering for worthwhile causes or organizations. The civic skills, knowledge and attitudes obtained from such community service activity can increase a student's self-esteem and maturity, and provide more awareness of the needs of others in the community. A credit may be available to a student who participates in such activity in the senior years for graduation purposes and does not require departmental registration.
See guidelines, and forms.
$500 3H Scholarship sponsored by Genworth Canada
One student in the Habitat for Humanity Manitoba Affiliate’s region will receive a $500 scholarship to support their continuing education for the 2016/17 school year.Students will be recommended by the 3H Staff representatives in the participating schools and applications will be submitted to Habitat for Humanity Manitoba by May 22, 2017 with both teacher and student input.Please download applications at
The applications will be reviewed by Habitat for Humanity and Genworth and a decision made and communicated to the appropriate school mid-June, 2017.
Main Criteria for scholarship award:
- Enrolled in a post-secondary institution with full time or close to full time status
- Achieved a minimum average grade of 70% in Grade 12
- Demonstrated ongoing participation in the three main “Act” areas of (awareness, volunteering, and fundraising) and assumed a leadership role
- Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada
Additional consideration may be given to:
- Number of years involved in the 3H program (this will not disadvantage schools who are new to the program)
- The amount of total hours devoted to the 3H program
- Whether students will be receiving other bursaries or scholarships
Fundraising Opportunities
Door Hangers (May/June; September/October)
Help us spread our awareness message and deliver door hangers in your neighbourhood. We want to canvas the city! It’s easy, tell us which streets you will be able to cover and we’ll send you the hangers. Then hang them on people’s doorknobs. This is a great activity for students of all ages!
Jeopardy Game
Play the Habitat for Humanity Jeopardy game to learn about Habitat for Humanity. You can access the game from The game may also be presented to other classes or schools as part of a Public speaking assignment which may support the Language Arts curriculum.
Empowering Permanent Change Habitat Canada video This is a very informative 2 minute 55 second video which is available on
Speaker
Contact Vernelle Mirosh at (204) 233-5160, ext. 266 to arrange for a Habitat speaker to address your group or class.
Video ContestMake a video about Habitat for Humanity. Video must be less than 2 GIG and less than 10 minutes in duration.
- Post your video to a YouTube channel that is specific to Habitat (we don’t want non-Habitat videos on our channel).
- Include HFHM or Habitat for Humanity Manitoba in the file name when posting the video.
Habitat will judge the videos based on:
- The effectiveness of showcasing Habitat’s mandate
- Creativity
- Production Quality
Note: Videos must be tasteful (no profanity etc.) and align with our values (Success through collaboration, Integrity (openness, respect, trust, fairness, patience, and honesty, and honour).
Thank-a-thon(twice a year – October and April)
Students learn about Habitat for Humanity and place thank you phone calls to
contributors to the current years’ build. Students will have a one-hour training session
and then place calls for three hours. Contact Al Altomare at
Sign a Stud
Habitat for Humanity canprovide your school with 2 x 4’s that will be used in the construction of a home for a local low-income working family. Encourage students to “Sign a Stud” so that their names will be forever built into a Habitat home! We will tell you the address of the home(s) where the studs will be used so that you can watch the construction progress.
Host an “a Thon”
Why not try something new, like a Wii A-Thon, a Hula-Hoop A-Thon, a Skip A-Thon, an Aerobics A-Thon, a Read A-Thon, or a Skate A-Thon? A-Thon’s are fun and are an easy way to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Family and friends sponsor participants based on how long they perform an activity or for reaching a specified goal.
Spirit Week or Special Dress Days
Many schools already have spirit weeks where students may wear crazy things on designated days of the week. Please consider collecting money for Habitat for Humanity on one day, or all of the days from the students who participate.
Collect donations or pledges
One of the easiestand most effective ways to fundraise is to collect donations or pledges. Use the pledge /donation form available at Tax receipts will be automatically issued for any donors who contribute a minimum of $20.
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