Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity celebrates the contributions of volunteers during their Volunteer Appreciation Week (April 22-26). Last year alone, volunteers contributed over 70,000 hours of service! Meanwhile, American Red Cross is looking for volunteers for their Home Fire Campaign and the Land of Sky Association of Volunteer Administrators offers professional development for volunteer coordinators.
Achievement
The Quality Inn hotel of Black Mountain, NC has been recognized with a prestigious 2019 Gold Award from Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), franchisor of the Quality Inn brand. The Gold Award designation goes only to the top ten-percent of hotels within the brand, representing a tremendous accomplishment. As one of the top tier properties operating under the Quality Inn flag, the hotel’s staff has demonstrated an exceptional focus on guest satisfaction and dedication to superior service. Award criteria are evaluated by Choice Hotels through its official property ranking reports.
With volunteers central to its business model, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity is recognizing milestones and thanking volunteers during their Volunteer Appreciation Week (April 22-26). Whether swinging a hammer at the construction site, fixing a floor on a home repair project, accepting donations at the ReStore, answering phones in the office, serving on a committee, or advocating for smart housing policies, volunteer action directly impact Habitat’s ability to serve more individuals and families in need of safe, stable, and affordable housing. Last year, 2,350 volunteers contributed 70,721 hours of service – a value of nearly $1.75 million!
Expansion
Volunteer program managers in Western North Carolina have a new resource for professional development and peer networking, right here at home. The Land of the Sky Association of Volunteer Administrators (or LOSAVA) has announced its affiliation with the statewide association of volunteer administrators, NCAVA. This local chapter is open to anyone who coordinates volunteers for a local organization, whether they work in a paid, stipend or unpaid capacity.
Opportunity
Every day, seven people die in home fires—most often, in homes without working smoke alarms. But these devices can cut the risk of death by half. That’s why the American Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign to help prevent needless tragedies. The American Red Cross is calling on the Asheville and Hendersonville communities to volunteer and help Sound the Alarm. On Friday May 3rd in Asheville and on Saturday May 4th in Hendersonville, the Red Cross will be installing 600+ free smoke alarms in at-risk communities to help save lives from the nation’s most frequent disaster—home fires. In Asheville, they are looking to recruit 60 volunteers to install alarms. In Hendersonville, 50. This is part of a nationwide effort to rally 30,000 volunteers and install 100,000 smoke alarms. You can sign up to volunteer here: SoundTheAlarm.org.
Friday Staffing is looking for: Distribution Associate, Welder, Coating Operator, Production Tech, Assembly Tech, Machine Operator, Forklift Operator, Composites Technician, and Tool Room Machinist. For more information, email Michelle Fann at fannm@friday-staffing.com or go to www.friday-staffing.com.
Outreach
For the fourth year, students from local schools raised $55,000 in sponsorship funds and volunteered to build a house with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. Asheville Christian Academy and Christ School first sponsored a house together in 2013. Two years later they were joined by Carolina Day School for the second Student Build house, and the following year Franklin School of Innovation joined the initiative. This past year, students from these four otherwise competing schools came together again for months of learning, fundraising, and building an affordable home for future homeowner Kerri Collosso.
Partnership
The local division of the nation’s largest homebuilder, D.R. Horton, and Asheville-based Coldwell Banker King have formed a strategic relationship to pursue residential opportunities throughout Western North Carolina. The impetus for the unified effort is the growth in the local market that is fueling increased demand for products that meet consumer needs and desires. The first collaboration between the two companies is already underway at The Views at Rose Hill, a planned community just outside Asheville’s city limits.