Naples, FL (August 22, 2019) —Eight homes and $400,000 in funds raised. That’s the latest Naples United Church of Christ’s latest gift to Habitat for Humanity of Collier County.
NUCC is a longtime partner of the local nonprofit organization—in fact, they were one of the founding congregations when Habitat Collier officially began offering homeownership opportunities in 1978. This latest fundraising effort is the largest and most successful the church has undertaken in the more than 40 years of Habitat Collier’s history.
It all started when one of NUCC’s parishioners left a $25,000 estate gift to support Habitat’s work in the community. He wanted the gift to be used as a matching challenge, with the goal of raising $50,000 to fund the cost of materials for a Habitat home in Immokalee. Church leaders were inspired to grow that gift tenfold, embarking on an ambitious campaign to raise $250,000 by Easter. Members of the church were so passionate about this challenge that they ended up surpassing their significant goal to raise $400,000.
“We are truly humbled by the generosity and passion of Naples United Church of Christ,” says Habitat Collier CEO, Rev. Lisa Lefkow. “The congregation really invested themselves in this fundraiser and the results were incredible. Because of their investment, affordable homeownership is now a reality for eight hardworking families in our community.”
On August 6th, NUCC leadership joined Habitat staff and local volunteers to raise the walls on the first of those eight homes. All of the homes will be built in Habitat’s newest Immokalee neighborhood, Esperanza, the organization’s sixth community in the agricultural town. When completed, Esperanza will boast more than 60 single-family homes.
About Habitat for Humanity of Collier County
Habitat for Humanity of Collier County’s goal is to empower struggling families to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Habitat Collier is one of the oldest and most successful Habitat affiliates in the nation. For more than 40 years, they have served the needs of Collier County’s workforce, building homes in partnership with families, volunteers and donors, and then selling them with an affordable mortgage. Since 1978, Habitat Collier has built more than 2,200 homes in Naples and Immokalee. For more information, visit HabitatCollier.org.
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