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Virginia (far left) at the Guitar Home Groundbreaking in 1994

Today we’d like to take a moment to remember and honor a long-time friend, volunteer, and supporter of South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity. Virginia Mattson passed away last week at the age of 91. Virginia worked as a lawyer before joining Habitat as a volunteer in 1991. She initially served on the Family Selection Committee, and later on the Board of Directors, eventually becoming the Board President. In 1996, Virginia donated to Habitat a large property near Fones Rd, which would eventually become Habitat’s 10 home  development, Covenant Court. Virginia worked tirelessly in the name of Habitat, and we would not be where we are today without her commitment and drive. Virginia will be missed, but her legacy of serving families will surely live on here at Habitat.

The following obituary was published in The Olympian on May 1, 2013:

Virginia Mattson Virginia was born in Chicago on January 25, 1922, as the only child of Otho Franklin Line and Charlotte Myrick Line. She died April 21, 2013 at the age of 91. The family moved, in their 1925 Willis Knight, to Los Angeles in the fall of 1932. Virginia graduated in February 1939, intending to go to UCLA in the fall after picking up some office skills to cover books and lab fees. But her father became ill and died. She became the family provider at “not quite 18,” as she told the interviewer at her first full time job. She was a clerk in a life insurance agency. She spent WWII chasing spare parts for shipment at Douglas Aircraft. After the war, she returned to working as an Escrow officer and supervised four offices. At the same time, she attended night school, acquiring a law degree. She was admitted to the California Bar under her married name “Virginia L. Gard” in 1956. She married Charles Donald Gard in 1952 and was divorced in 1959. She later married the love of her life, Douglas W. Mattson; Doug died in 1981. Virginia was active in the Olympia chapters of Habitat for Humanity and League of Women Voters. Virginia is survived by a stepdaughter from her first marriage, Charla Currier, and her children, Simone Currier, and Joe (April) Currier (and their children); a stepdaughter from her third marriage, Valerie (Stanley) Dombrowski and their son, John, of Palm Desert, California; and daughter of her heart, Caren (Russell) Rose of Olympia. There will be a memorial service for Virginia at The United Churches of Olympia, (11th and Capital) on Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. Memorial donations may be given to Habitat for Humanity or Assured Home Health and Hospice, which provided Virginia the opportunity to live her last few months in her own home. Please leave memories at www.FuneralAlternatives.org. Arrangements are with Funeral Alternatives of Washington, 360-753-1065.

SPS Habitat is pleased to welcome Joanne Stimac as our new bookkeeper!

Before working in accounting, Joanne earned a degree in Fermentation Science and spent almost 15 years working as a winemaker in the Napa Valley of California. She moved to Washington a couple years ago, and now lives in Yelm, on the Nisqually river. Though she misses the California sunshine, she loves how lush and green Washington is. Joanne enjoys mountain biking in the forest, birdwatching, reading fiction, cooking, and hanging out with her four dogs.

We’re so glad Joanne has chosen to bring her skills to Habitat, and we look forward to working with her!

Are you a licensed electrician? Habitat needs a few hours of your time! Your help is needed to install a panel at our Yelm Store, so that we can test all the used appliances that are donated to us.

Please email volunteer@spshabitat.org, or call 360-956-3456 ext. 4, if interested!

This season, give the gift of a Habitat for Humanity Store gift card. It is the only gift that gives back while saving your family and friends money! Gift cards are available at both our Yelm Habitat Store, as well as our Olympia Store in the denomination you choose. They never expire, so they make a perfect gift for the remodeler and builders on your list.

For more information on how to obtain a gift card, please call 360-956-3456.

You really won’t want to miss South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity’s 5th annual Gingerbread Cottages Competition. Generously sponsored by TwinStar Credit Union, Greene Realty Group and Olympia Federal Savings, and together with the Olympia Downtown Association’s “Downtown for the Holidays” festivities, this year’s event will take place November 24th and 25th in the Olympia Ballroom (above the Urban Onion) at 116 Legion Way SE in downtown Olympia. Over 30 fantastic gingerbread entries will be on display for you and your family to enjoy.

Viewing of the entries will take place Saturday and Sunday from 12PM – 5PM. Volunteer judges will choose 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, as well as a youth winner, at the opening of the Competition. Admission to the event is free, and each visitor receives a ticket to vote for his/her favorite entry! Additional voting tickets are available for a donation of $1 per ticket. The entry with the most number of votes wins a “People’s Choice” award. All donations support South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity.

South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity is deeply grateful to the event sponsors for supporting the Gingerbread Competition. The popularity of this sweet community celebration has grown each year, and Habitat anticipates a great turnout this November. Bring your friends and family and help kick-start the holiday season!

Questions? Please email volunteer@spshabitat.org, or call 360-956-3456 ext 4.

The fall leaves are changing color, and thoughts start turning to holiday celebrations and, of course, to gingerbread houses. Each November, in conjunction with the Olympia Downtown Association’s “Downtown for the Holidays,” Habitat hosts a Gingerbread Competition.The popularity of the Competition keeps growing, and it benefits Habitat for Humanity in many ways. The creativity and whimsy of the cooks and designers are what make the event such a success, and we are hopeful that you will put your talents to work this year, and join us for the 5th annual Gingerbread Holiday Cottages Competition.

This year’s event will take place November 24th and 25th, 2012, at the Olympia Ballroom. Applications must be submitted to Habitat for Humanity by Friday, November 16th. For the entry information and application, click here: Gingerbread Cottages Competition Application. Questions?Contact us at 360-956-3456 ext. 4, or volunteer@spshabitat.org.

South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity tried something different with its annual Fall Fundraiser this year. Rather than host a labor-intensive auction, as in years past, Habitat took a different approach. This year’s event, Blueprints and Bluegrass, was a smaller affair that aimed to thank and appreciate our most faithful donors, as well as build relationships some new and potential supporters.

Generously sponsored by Anchor Bank, Heritage Bank, and Olympia Federal Savings, Blueprints and Bluegrass was a rousing success. In an attempt to introduce Habitat’s supporters to the build site before construction begins, the event was held at Wood’s Glen, in Lacey.  Guests enjoyed Barbecue by Marv’s Marvlus Pit BBQ, and entertainment by Seattle-based bluegrass band, The Howdy Boys. Guests had the opportunity to explore the site and get to know some of Habitat’s staff and volunteers. They also had the chance to purchase raffle tickets and enter to win several fabulous getaway packages!

Speakers at Blueprints and Bluegrass included Habitat homeowners Darla Burkett (Fairview) and Trisha Burns (Shepherd’s Grove), who spoke powerfully about Habitat’s transformative role in their lives. The positive feedback for Blueprints and Bluegrass was overwhelming, and we are already looking ahead toward next year, and an even better event! Many thanks to all our staff, volunteers, and supporters who made Blueprints and Bluegrass such a wonderful experience!

Looking for a simple way to check social responsibility off your list this month? Columbia Bank’s Grow Green checking account program not only does good for the environment by reducing paper and   encouraging online and electronic banking, it also supports your local Habitat for Humanity affiliate!

This eco-conscious checking account simply requires that customers use paperless features such as online bill pay, online banking and electronic statements. By doing so, waste is cut drastically and a positive impact on the environment is made.

It gets better. For every Grow Green checking account opened, Columbia Bank will make a donation to the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the county where the account was opened. Since launching the Grow Green checking account program in May 2008, Columbia Bank has donated more than $21,000 to Habitat for Humanity chapters around Washington state.

Grow Green Checking account customers also have the option to open a Grow Green savings account which typically offers a higher annual percentage yield than Columbia Bank’s standard personal savings account. Convinced? Simply visit your local Columbia Bank branch in Olympia or Lacey and ask for more information. www.columbiabank.com

Local branches:

West Olympia Branch
2820 Harrison Ave NW
Olympia, WA 98502
ph: 360.357.5800

Lacey Branch
655 Golf Club Place SE
Lacey, WA 98503
ph: 360.459.3344