VPC & Habitat for Humanity Peninsula & Greater Williamsburg Partnership
By Bob McKenna, Virginia Peninsula Chamber
With great enthusiasm, Habitat for Humanity Peninsula & Greater Williamsburg (Habitat) announced a new House Partnership with the Virginia Peninsula Chamber (VPC) at their Raise the Roof Event on Saturday, March 1, 2025. This partnership follows the success of previous collaborations where organizations rallied their members to raise funds for local Habitat homes.
In 2019, five Rotary Clubs on the Peninsula came together to fund and build a Habitat home in Newport News. In 2022, the Williamsburg Area Association of Realtors mobilized their 500-member association to also raise funds to build a Habitat home in James City County. After thoughtful discussions with VPC’s leadership and Board, it was determined that this would be a very impactful partnership to embark on. We are incredibly grateful, and as we often say, “The excitement is building!”
The fundraising efforts for this initiative will be led by Habitat, using VPC communication channels to engage members. The goal is to raise $125,000 through a variety of initiatives, including house share sales, Lunch & Learn fundraisers, Habitat House Tours, Sip & Shop After Hours at Habitat’s three ReStore locations, grants, tax credits, and other funding opportunities. Habitat will provide monthly updates to VPC members on fundraising progress and ways to get involved.
Fundraising officially kicks off on May 1 with a Square Sales Contest. Both businesses and individuals can purchase squares of the Habitat home for $105 each. The company that purchases the most squares will have its logo featured on the building site sign, right below the logos of VPC and Habitat. The winner will be announced at a June event, and additional details will be shared in the May issue of The Catalyst. Those eager to support Habitat can begin purchasing their squares now at www.habitatpgw.org/vpc-special-build/.
This is an opportunity for Peninsula business leaders to come together to create a lasting impact—not only for one family but for the community as a whole. We extend our gratitude to VPC’s leadership, Board, and members for supporting this initiative and helping Habitat raise the funds and the ROOF on another Habitat home. The excitement is building!!!
