35th Anniversary Video | Habitat for Humanity

Celebrating 35 Years of Building Homes, Community and Hope on Long Island

Client: Habitat For Humanity
Industry: Nonprofit
Video Type: Fundraising
Messaging Type: Scripted

About This Video Project

Habitat for Humanity of Long Island is an organization that has been helping low-income families achieve their dream of home ownership for over 35 years. They hired us to create a fundraising video to be played at The Cradle of Aviation Museum for their 35th anniversary celebration. We used a combination of client submitted footage, photos from the past, interviews with homeowners, b-roll and a scripted voiceover complete with emotional music underneath. This Anniversary video showcases the organization’s rich history and beginnings in the space of community stewardship as well as it’s vision for a future filled with more resources and ability to continue along this path of bringing home-ownership to low income families on Long Island. 

Transcription

Habitat for Humanity of Long Island has been helping hundreds of low-income families achieve their dream of home ownership for over 35 years now. Our story begins in 1987 when members of the Mount Sinai Congregational Church were helping the New York City Habitat chapter during this time. They also saw an opportunity to help those on Long Island and the seed was planted. Not long after, we became an official 501c3 non-profit organization through the incredible drive and passion of our founders Ken Batchelor, Joan Metcalf, and Roger Metcalf. In February of 1988, our founders broke ground on our very first home for a single mother in Riverhead named Classy Kelly. Early members gave nearly every Saturday for a year to help build this new home. Our story with Habitat began many years ago. A fellow came walking into my office named Roger Metcalf and he said, I want to build a house here in Riverhead. I’m from Habitat for Humanity and he says, will you help me? I didn’t give it much thought and I just said, well, I certainly will help you. And that started a relationship that has lasted over the decades now from that was Habitat’s very first house that they ever built here in Suffolk County. Coordination of donated materials sometimes is not easy, so we help in a way of getting the materials where and when they need them. When our employees get their orders in the morning and they see a Habitat ticket, there is a little extra feeling in there that, you know, this is not an ordinary delivery. This is going to a Habitat home. As the organization grew, Habitat for Humanity began partnering with corporations, churches, schools, and individuals as well. Through the 90s, communities began to thrive on Long Island as responsible Habitat homeowners moved into their new homes. Now these tax-paying residents would help improve their neighborhoods and contribute to the local business growth. When we got to the United States, our daughters were just born, and we started moving a lot, like around 12 times in like seven, eight years. It was kind of hard. We had to get accustomed to places a lot. The last time that we moved before getting to this place, I told my wife, listen, that’s it. We are not moving again. From here to the house. The kids, they couldn’t do what they like to do. They couldn’t play as they want to play. When we lived in our old apartments, there were neighbors downstairs, so we couldn’t really run around. And now we can jump more without bothering anyone and like make a lot of noise. It makes me feel happy that we finally moved in. We finally have somewhere to live permanently. We were really happy that we finally got to move in. We got to have our own home. And live here until we grew up. We’re doing everything for them, and to see that they’re happy, it’s really amazing. The kids now, they’re going to have a nice place to live, a place that they can call their own where they can develop roots and stuff like that. So they can have great memories. We are one family. And because of us, all the houses around us, now they look a little bit better and the people is taking more care of it. Now imagine what will happen if Habitat can build, instead of 10 houses, 100 houses a year. It will be a huge impact with the community. We have to let people know that if we work together, we can make it better. The people that are giving money, the people that are giving their time and effort, the town that they provide land and everything, you don’t know how great is the impact. And that has no equal in this world. In 2002, Habitat for Humanity opened ReStore in Ronkonkoma, Long Island. When the organization conceptualized ReStore locations, they recognized two things. By salvaging new and gently used home and building materials during the building process, the materials could be resold to customers looking for great deals, and the sales could directly fund Habitat for Humanity’s initiatives, creating an additional self-sustaining funding source. Number two, by doing this, it would help reduce the amount of usable materials that would otherwise end up in landfills, promoting a more sustainable community. Today, there are over 1,000 ReStore locations around the world, providing everything from building materials and home improvement goods to quality appliances and furniture. And we regularly encourage people in the community to donate similar items to ReStore, helping build better homes everywhere. So, for those of you who haven’t met me yet, my name’s Ryan, site supervisor for this house. Today’s going to be exciting. A lot of people showed up with their own tool belts, hard hats. This is really cool. So again, thank you so much for coming out and helping out and really doing this, because making a family’s dream come true. Making a family’s dream come true. By 2006, we raised the walls to our hundredth home on Long Island. Working hard every Saturday to finish their house, the new homeowners received their key just three weeks before Christmas. The first time they’d be able to invite their family and friends over for the holidays and their new home. We’re here in Windage on Jackson Street, and we have the crew from ADI making a difference. That’s what’s on their shirt, and we’re all making a difference here. A wonderful, beautiful family will move in here in just a couple of months, and we’re so thankful for all the volunteers that serve. A lot of them, this is the first time that they’re swinging a hammer, cutting wood, and we cannot do it without you. So thank you. There’s so many other homes we’re building today, but this is the site that I came to see. Again, we’re excited. Look at this beautiful home. A couple of months, the roof will be on, the siding will be on, the windows will be up, the doors will be open, and a family will be walking through that door with a set of keys, owning their own home. That’s what it’s all about. Habitat for Humanity Long Island, making families’ dreams come true of owning a new home. Thank you. Over the years, we’ve learned how to build homes that are environmentally efficient, ENERGY STAR rated, and fortified to last. Together with our partners, we’ve helped over 700 families build and move into nearly 250 homes. It’s been 35 years since we started our mission on Long Island, and we look forward to the next 35 years helping build better lives, one home at a time.

To learn more: https://habitatliny.org/