Steering committee member Don Walmsley sat down with NACTV to update the community on the progress of the Neepawa Chapter of Habitat for Humanity’s first build, and also seek community support for the project through upcoming fundraisers and many volunteer opportunities.

Rrain Prior - Local Journalism Initiative

“Habitat is a community project,” says Walmsley. “It's not just one segment. It's everybody." And by everybody, he means the eight-year-old selling lemonade on the corner to raise funds for the organisation to the experienced workers who participate in the build itself. Both of those efforts count as volunteerism towards the project, as do the people who organise fundraisers or distribute flyers or help with social media efforts from their own home. There’s a place for people of all ages and abilities to contribute meaningfully to the project, says Walmsley.

The local selection committee has already made a recommendation on a family that is now just waiting for approval from the larger governing body, and Walmsley feels they are very close to being able to announce who the family is. They also have already acquired the land and are closing in on finalising the housing plan. If it all comes together, Walmsley hopes they will be able to break ground and start construction this summer.

This is just the first project for the brand new chapter, which was formed just last year, and Walmsley expects that once they have a concrete product on the go and people can see the results of their efforts - “that it can happen here” - the organisation willl gain even more community support going forward. Neepawa can also serve as a parent organisation for the surrounding communities if they decide to do their own Habitat projects.

The two most imminent fundraisers are a supper courtesy of the local Legion Ladies and a live bingo being held at the Neepawa Curling Club in a week’s time. Walmsley says to expect to see even more fundraisers between now and April when farmers will return to the fields and Habitat will move on to focusing on the build itself.