After some less-than-ideal living situations, Springfield resident Nayeli Navarrete Bravo and her daughter, Alitza, recently became homeowners thanks to a partnership between Habitat for Humanity and the Oregon forest products industry. A new video produced by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) tells their story.
Build a House – Frame a Future highlights the forest sector’s contributions to the Springfield/Eugene Habitat for Humanity project sponsored by the American Forest Resource Council. AFRC is a trade association representing lumber manufacturers, loggers and forest landowners in five Western states, all of whom donated locally produced wood products, volunteer hours or cash donations to help build a new home in east Springfield for Nayeli and Alitza. The year-long project was completed this past summer.
“This project embodies what the forest products industry is all about,” says Travis Joseph, president of AFRC, who was born and raised in Springfield. “We work in the woods, help care for our public lands, and make products every Oregonian depends on every day – including the lumber in our homes. Our members care deeply about the communities in which they live, work and play, and this home is another reminder of that commitment. We are honored and thrilled to be using our industry’s local products and expertise to build a home for Nayeli and her daughter Alitza – they could not be more deserving.”
To create a four-minute video about the project, OFRI documented the construction process and the forest products industry’s support for the new home, from the groundbreaking through the dedication ceremony. This included filming at a Springfield plywood mill run by Swanson Group, a major donor to the project. Other companies and groups that made substantial contributions to constructing the new home include Timber Products Company, Roseburg Forest Products, D.R. Johnson Lumber Co., J.W. Bamford Inc., Oregon Women in Timber and Freres Lumber Co.
“Donors and volunteers are key to building Habitat homes,” says Don Griffin, Springfield/Eugene Habitat for Humanity executive director. “Nayeli’s success is possible because of AFRC and the generous contributions of its members.”
AFRC is now sponsoring a second Habitat for Humanity house being built outside Olympia, Wash. The project broke ground in October and is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2018.
Watch Build a House – Frame a Future on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1RQDlIEhU4
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About the American Forest Resource Council:
AFRC is a regional trade association whose purpose is to advocate for sustained yield timber harvests on public timberlands throughout the West to enhance forest health and resistance to fire, insects, and disease. AFRC does this by promoting active management to attain productive public forests, protect adjoining private forests, and assure community stability. It works to improve federal and state laws, regulations, policies and decisions regarding access to and management of public forest lands and protection of forest lands. The ultimate goal of AFRC’s programs and initiatives is to advance its members’ ability to practice socially and scientifically responsible forestry on both public and private forest lands.
About Springfield/Eugene Habitat for Humanity:
Habitat is an ecumenical Christian ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. Since 1990, S/E Habitat has built 56 houses and completed 17 home repairs. S/E Habitat is one of nearly 2,000 affiliates worldwide that have built over 800,000 houses serving over four million people in need of safe, decent, affordable housing. In January 2018, S/E Habitat will merge with Cottage Grove Area Habitat for Humanity, to form a new affiliate known as Habitat for Humanity of Central Lane.
About the Oregon Forest Resources Institute:
The Oregon Legislature created the Oregon Forest Resources Institute in 1991 to advance public understanding of forests, forest management and forest products, and to encourage sound forestry through landowner education. A 13-member board of directors governs OFRI. It is funded by a portion of the forest products harvest tax.