Springtime brings new Habitat beginnings

Guest Blog by Riley Moynihan, 
Corporate Relations Sr. Associate 

There’s an old adage that says “spring brings new beginnings.” That is certainly the case at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity this year; we have a couple exciting firsts coming up this month.

On Monday, May 18, Twin Cities Habitat will break ground on a multi-unit home in Hugo. This site, made possible by a $1 million land donation from JL Schwieters and Schwieters Companies, will be home to the first ever Habitat homes in Hugo. In total, we will build 33 townhome units over the next four years. This is a large undertaking for our organization; it simply would not be feasible without financial and volunteers support from our partner organizations.

One of these partners is AdvisorNet Financial, a community of independent advisors based in Minneapolis. May 18 is an exciting date for them, too, as it marks their first volunteer day on site for their 7-week build. This is AdvisorNet Financial’s first year sponsoring a Habitat home. “We work daily to help others get their financial house in order,” said Dan May, President/CEO of AdvisorNet Financial, “so we thought we would go full circle and help build a house for a qualifying family.” In addition to supporting the build financially, AdvisorNet Financial will also bring around 15 volunteers per day to help build the home. In total, AdvisorNet Financial volunteers will put in over 4,000 hours over the course of this build. Jeanne Wiedewitsch, Manager of Advisor Support at AdvisorNet Financial and the coordinator for this project, is excited by what their volunteers stand to gain from this experience. “We think our employees, our business partners and our clients will get a sense of community and a feeling of satisfaction in helping others. We are fortunate to be able to make such a contribution and are hopeful to continue this as an annual tradition.”

This month, Habitat will begin work on a new home in a new community with a new partner. We are grateful for organizations like AdvisorNet Financial and communities like Hugo that make what we do possible. Spring has definitely sprung – hope and opportunity are in the air.