Bahamas Habitat

Enjoy the Best Of Photos from the February Fly-In & Help Out Event

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Zion Children’s Home started as a dream more than a year ago. Completion of the first two cottages is eminent. The home will offer a haven to 16 abused or orphaned children. These children will be provided with a safe place to grow, learn and experience love, perhaps for the first time in their lives.

Zion Children’s Home is registered Bed Bath & Beyond! You can help us furnish the kitchen by purchasing items from our registry wish list. From the main Bed Bath & Beyond website (www.bedbathandbeyond.com), find our page under gift registries using First Name: Zion – Last Name: Children. Basic household items ordered are then mailed to Orlando and delivered to Showalter Flying Service. From there Bahamas Habitat planes will transport it directly to North Eleuthera for delivery to Current Island.

Give a gift for the children today. And pass on our registry site to your friends.

With the children’s home in the final stages of preparation for the grand opening, it’s not too late to get involved make a difference in the lives of the children who need YOU!

Volunteers Learn How Mission Flights Are Rewarding & Fun

February 2, 2012 — Bahamas Habitat (www.bahamashabitat.org) announced today that pilots will be flying to Eleuthera, in February to complete the final stages of a home for abused children. The semi-annual Fly In & Help Out Event, to be held on Thursday, February 16^th through Sunday, February 19^th 2012, serves as an introduction to international mission flying and provides hands on experience with ongoing projects in The Bahamas. All pilots are invited to join us for this special event to hone their international mission flying skills. Typically, over 40 people in more than a dozen aircraft make the trip. The Bahamas Habitat said they expect this event to be even larger due to the excitement surrounding finishing the children’s home.

Construction of the Zion Children’s Home on Current Island began in the fall of 2010 because of the dream of two sisters who wanted to help many abused children.  Thanks to generous support from faithful Bahamas Habitat donors and the local Bahamas church and government, the dream is becoming a reality. Volunteer pilots at the February Fly-In & Help Out Event will transport supplies and focus efforts on completing the first 2 buildings of the children’s home to provide care and safety for 16 abused or orphaned children.

With the children’s home in the final stages of preparation for the grand opening, it’s not too late to get involved. Supplies are still needed to furnish the kitchen. A gift registry was set up at Bed Bath & Beyond using the first name, Zion and last name, Children with instructions on how to ship the purchased items directly to a Bahamas Habitat Florida hub for transport during the upcoming Fly-In & Help Out Event. (more…)

“While on location in The Bahamas working on an AOPA story for their magazine, the folks at AOPA contacted us and offered to fly a load of supplies in their Cessna Caravan” states John Armstrong, President of Bahamas Habitat. “They have been very supportive and interested in our progress on the Children’s Home project.”

The AOPA pilot for the flight was Luz Beattie, accompanied by Woody Cahall, Vice President Pilot Information Center and photographer Chris Rose. The group flew to Showalter Flying Service-KORL in Orlando, FL, where they picked up supplies for Zion Children’s Home and Bahamas Methodist Habitat (BMH). Gene and Katherine Zimmerman met them there and loaded supplies along with Pilot Luz. “The Showalter staff was a great help with loading and transporting items to the plane” said Katherine Zimmerman. The Children’s Home supplies included kitchen items purchased through the Zion Children gift registry at Bed Bath & Beyond. They dropped off all of the items at N. Eleuthera airport where they were met by Osbourn Weech, contractor for the Zion Home, and Abe McIntyre of BMH. Abe and Osbourn transported the supplies to their work sites.

Many thanks to Luz, Woody and Chris for their direct involvement in this project. Your efforts will benefit many children. Thanks also goes out to the AOPA organization and their continued involvement with Zion Children’s Home and Bahamas Habitat. We look forward to the possibility of partnering with you for future missions to aid the people of The Bahamas.

The first phase of the Zion Children’s Home Project construction is nearing completion! A team will be traveling to Eleuthera February 16-19^th with the intent of putting the finishing touches on the first 2 cottages. Upon completion, the home will provide a safe haven for 16 children seeking refuge from abuse and/or neglect.

Your support is needed to finish the Children’s Home! You can purchase a household item at our Bed Bath & Beyond gift registry (First Name-Zion, Last Name-Children) and have it shipped to the designated delivery point or make a monetary donation through the Bahamas Habitat website.

AVIATION MISSION ORGANIZATION LAUNCHES
UNIQUE ONLINE SYSTEM TO RAISE $300,000

Pilots and volunteers opening their hearts and offering their support.

November 23, 2011 — “The Bahamas Habitat annual fund raising ‘Christmas Campaign’ is officially underway and will continue until the end of December,” announced John Armstrong, President of Bahamas Habitat. He went on to say, “The Thanksgiving season is the perfect time to begin our efforts because it reflects the gratitude that we all feel for the blessing of being involved in this mission.”

The organization is using a unique online system it developed that gets everyone involved and leverages social media to not only raise money but to also “Friend Raise” by getting the word out about the mission.  Those that have flown or volunteered in the past act as “ambassadors” to ask their friends and contacts for help to reach their fundraising goals using a personalize webpage on the organization’s fund raising site. They expect over 120 ambassadors to be involved this year.

“This approach helps us not only raise money but it raises awareness so that when a disaster hits we reach out for help and the response is usually immediate” adds Armstrong. The organization raised $150,000 last year and has doubled their goal this year to raise $300,000. Funds from this years campaign will support three major areas: (more…)

After Hurricane Irene there is still much to do. Pilots will fly to the Bahamas to make a difference while learning international mission flying.

19 September 2011 –– Bahamas Habitat announced today that in the wake of Hurricane Irene pilots are invited to join in the upcoming Fly-In & Help Out weekend flight to Eleuthera scheduled for Thursday, October 20th through Sunday, October 23rd, 2011. The organization is extending an open invitation to all interested aircraft owners and pilots to join this exciting mission which benefits the disaster relief and habitat repair operations of Bahamas Habitat. (more…)

As news from the south islands of Cat, Crooked and Acklin is coming in painting a pretty rough picture with some significant devastation, no power and much to clean up and repair, there is a very bright spot for all of us involved in Bahamas Habitat.

Zion Children’s Home project on Current Island escapes damage!

A big shout out to Gene and Susan Schmidt for sending this aerial photo of the Zion Home. What a great sight.

Great job to those preparing for the hurricane and to Osbourn Weech, the architects, builders, partners and of course the greatest glory to God for creating such a wonderfully well built structure.

Please continue your prayers and support for those in The Bahamas who have damaged and destroyed homes.

Bahamas Habitat is coordinating relief flights to deliver supplies to the areas hit the hardest. Pilots, supplies and donations are being sought to reach these outlying islands.

The Zion Children’s Home (ZCH) has been a happenin’ place this June.  Contractor Osbourn Weech and the builders continued their diligent construction of the cottages.  On June 9, Bahamas Habitat (BH) volunteers carried two plane loads of building supplies plus laptop computers into North Eleuthera (MYEH).  Steve Larson and Drew Baird were in a Cherokee, and Steve Merritt flew the Bahamas Habitat Aztec with JD Carling, architect of the ZCH campus, and Gene and Katharine Zimmerman.

We had our first look at the site on the approach into MYEH.  This is one of my favorite parts of the trip.  I never cease to be amazed at how much progress has been made on the cottages.  It’s an Ephesians 3:20 moment for me…more than I can hope for or imagine.

Osbourn met everyone at the airport, we cleared customs, loaded supplies into his truck, packed in the church van and headed for Current Island.  At Current, the village on the other side of the cut, we were met by Mr. Pat who loaded us and our cargo onto his boat for a quick ride across the channel to Current Island.  We were greeted there by the sisters Geleta and Earmily, along with Cassandra – a Bahamas Methodist Habitat volunteer.

Mr. Pat loaded us and the supplies into his truck and we were finally at the site.  The buildings are awesome!  One of the cottages has a stucco finish with a light yellow patina.  It is a natural, warm color that requires no painting and will last for years.  JD Carling of R. Miller Architecture saw the site for only the second time.  He first came to Current Island when the Children’s Home was an only a wonderful idea.  We are grateful to JD for volunteering his time and skills to design these beautiful cottages.

While JD and Osbourn discussed building details, the rest walked through the cottages making plans for the next steps of the project.  Once construction is completed, furnishings will be purchased and installed and the grounds landscaped.  Osbourn tells me that he often wakes up in the middle of the night and imagines the happy children playing at their new home.  “I can’t wait to get up in the morning and work on the building,” he says we a broad smile.

On June 12, 10 volunteers from First United Methodist Church Orlando arrived in Current Island for a weeklong mission trip to help with ZCH construction.  The supplies flown in by the Bahamas Habitat volunteers had been delivered so the team can start electrical installation.  On the day the FUMCO team left,  the Men of Faith from Eleuthera spent a day at ZCH putting up walls.  Inspired by the project, they decided to return the very next weekend to continue their building.  Additional mission teams are scheduled during the summer and BH will be flying in supplies on a monthly basis.  Thank you to everyone who is making this dream a grace filled realty!

How can you be a part of this great endeavor?  First of all, continue to keep the project and the children in your prayers.  There are 16 abused youngsters who will be welcomed to the Zion Home just as soon as the cottages are completed.  You can also volunteer your time and your plane to deliver supplies to North Eleuthera (MYEH).

The total cost to complete the building, furnishing and landscaping of the two cottages is $160,000.  You can help us open the doors of the Zion Children’s Home by making a tax deductible contribution. A donation of $10,000 will cover the costs for one of the 16 children to move into their new home.  Whatever amount you are able to give will make a life changing difference for an abused child.

To learn more about the Zion Children’s Home and make a donation, visit our webpage at

http://www.bahamashabitat.org/wordpress/children/

Thanks be to God for this gracious blessing to us all.

Peace and grace to you.

Katharine Zimmerman

Bahamas Habitat Development Officer

email Katharine