Out & About: Habitat for Humanity brings it on home with revived gala
Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity had to cancel its 2020 gala at the last minute, due to the pandemic. Work on its projects also shut down.
“It’s been a tough couple of years,” board President Chad Warhold told about 160 attendees at the revived gala, held Saturday evening at Stratigos Banquet Centre in North Huntingdon.
The good news in the midst of that was that none of the 2020 gala sponsors would accept a refund of their donations.
“They asked us to keep the money and put it toward our projects,” Warhold said.
Work is underway again, said CWHFH Executive Director Courtney Guerrieri.
The organization has received donations of two houses, one in Jeannette and one in Lowber, which will be renovated, and construction also is soon to begin on a new house in Greensburg.
The gala theme, “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” describes the organization’s mission exactly, said past board President Otis DiCerbo. It’s especially important in light of the current home-buying and rental market, which doesn’t favor those looking for a home — and especially those with limited means.
“The end result is the biggest reward — to turn over the keys to a family, for kids to have their own bedrooms, for a family to have a place to call home,” he said.
Warhold noted that before keys are in their hands, families put a lot of their own sweat equity into a house.
So do the organization’s volunteers, Guerrieri noted — “They’re tirelessly working with smiles on their faces.”
Event fundraising committee members included CWHFH Associate Director Sean Kunkle, Jim Graham, Bill Henning, Karen Novak, Avonlea Firda and Rob Kristoff. Other board officers include Vice President Desmond Grace, Treasurer Joanna Sinchar and Secretary Avonlea Firda.
Seen at the gala: Pastor Dale and Debi Adams, Isabella Guerrieri, Diane Dubvsky, Brian and Tara Guerrieri, Brian Root, Grayce Fallon, Kiona Grace, Amy Grace, Brian and Julie Lawrence, Dan and JoAnn Galbraith, Alisha and Mark Dynoske, Alecia Ware and Nicholas Poole and Habitat ReStore employees Heather Houseman, Pat Santia with Lou Santia, and Thomas Fraicola with Miranda Sullenberger.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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