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Fayetteville Arkansas

The Arkansas State Rehabilitation Services in Fayetteville Arkansas contacted us. Bonnie O'Boyle who covers counties in the NE area of the state as a case worker requested alarms for several lower income families that do not have any safety coverage that the alarms provide.

Pictured below is Dave Bush, from Joplin MO. turning over to Bonnie, 15 units. Dave Bush is the owner of Quality Home Inspections and has been working with the Foundation since in the early days. Thank Dave for the help

Tamarac Florida

Theresa Backer, from the City of Tamarac Florida made contact with us recently in reference to the alarm program. The social service dept in the city works very closely with the hearing impaired residents of the city, offering various forms of support, including being a Florida Relay Partner.

The city will be handling the screening requirements for those requesting aid. Residents of the City should visit their website for further information on how to obtain aid http://www.tamarac.org/

Our local liason volunteer in the area, Jay Schwartz owner of Coast To Coast Home Services Inc Pembrooke Pines once again jumped in and made a personal visit to the City and Theresa. The city had a screened approval llist of applicants and Jay handled the delivery.

Jay Schwartz and Theresa Backer, City of Tamarac Florida

Jay will be working with other City officials in the South Florida region and will be keeping us posted on other events as they unfold. Thanks Jay!

The day Sammie opened my ears by Aimee Jalowksy

The following article is from one of our volunteers Aimee Jalowsky from Colorado, her perspective and the impact of being a volunteer has had on her

On Friday, I went to meet a woman named Sammie. Little did I know that event would change my view on human existence. At 6 o’clock I was to arrive in Golden to drop off a smoke detector for Sammie, a hearing-impaired woman. I arrived a few minutes early and was greeted by Sammie and her parents. We went inside, I gave her the smoke detector, took a picture with her, and that seemed to be the end of the interaction. I felt the need to stay and converse with Sammie, even though she could not hear my voice. I stayed, and throughout the course of the next hour, I learned that Sammie, who cannot hear, has so many options available to her to communicate to the outside world. She showed me her phone which had a full service keyboard so that she could in essence, call whomever she wanted via text messaging and they could reply in much the same manner. I was truly amazed at how much there is in the world to offer the hard of hearing. We then turned our attention back to the smoke detector and we tested it. The reason for my visit was to present a smoke detector to Sammie so that she, being hearing impaired, would have one that could save her life in a fire. Smoke detectors for the hearing impaired are equipped with not only an alarm, but a strobe light that blinks bright enough to wake the sleeping. I couldn’t help but laugh when Sammie said the light could wake the dead! I was taken back when Sammie asked if it made any noise or if it was just the light. The audible alarm was so loud, seemed louder than any regular alarm I have heard, the dogs even left the room when it came on. I realized then how truly fortunate I was to be able to hear that alarm, and every other sound I take for granted. It was all I had not to cry when I asked Sammie if she thought it would wake her up. As she cradled the alarm in her arms, she said absolutely it would. She then said she was so grateful for the alarm, she has been so afraid to live alone again because she would never hear a smoke alarm. I told her that she could also take the alarm with her when she traveled as it ran off of a standard outlet. She said she will be able to sleep peacefully, knowing that if there were a fire danger, she would be woken up by the flashing strobe light. She said she felt safe. I hugged her goodbye and tears welled in my eyes as I left her house that night. On my way home I listed to every song on the radio, every sound I could hear, and was extremely grateful to have and be able to use my senses. I thank the Foundation for Safer Housing for allowing me the opportunity to present the smoke alarm to Sammie. I thank Sammie and her family for allowing me to come into their lives and learn about a life different than my own.

Aimee Jalowsky (right) and Sammie (left)

Thank you for your insite Aimee. Sammie, we hope this alarm will help you with a little extra security. Happy Thanksgiving to all and continue to live safely.

On the road again, Cudahy Wisconsin

Cudahy Wisconsin Health Dept. nurse Cheryl Orlando contacted the Foundation seeking a visual alarm for a single mother of an eight year old who is deaf. We were informed that the Cudahy Fire Dept. was going to be installing the alarm for the family as part of the National Fire Prevention week.

The “Deliver Fire Prevention Program” involves Pizza Hut, Safe Kids Wisconsin, and the Fire Department. An evening during Fire Prevention Week is chosen for the special delivery program. Families call into Pizza Hut to order a Pizza for delivery. The pizza is delivered along with a Fire Truck with lights flashing and alarms sounding. The Mayor, a Safe Kids Wisconsin representative, and a Fireman ride along on the truck. When they arrive at the home, they check the smoke detectors of the family and if they are functioning properly, the pizza they ordered is given to them free of charge. If the alarms are not functioning, they provided the family with a free smoke detector and install it immediately. They also spend time educating the family on fire safety. Safe Kids Wisconsin provides a free smoke detector and educational materials to each home they visit. The Mayor lends his support by encouraging Fire Prevention activity.

Seeing that the Fire Dept, the Health Dept and even the Mayor of Cudahy was involved in this all voluntary project, the Foundation decided that they could help even more.

National Association of Certified Inspectors (NACHI) Chapter Presidents, David Nice, Milwaukee and Will Decker, Chicago were asked to help out and they happily agreed to help out. Even though the rain did not hold off it was one exciting day for a young eight old.

They have a program, part of National Fire Prevention Week,where they cruise neighborhoods that have had fires and run the sirens and knock on the door of a house and ask to check the smoke alarms. If the smoke detectors are OK, they give the occupants a free Pizza.

This is 8 year old, Jose and Cheryl Orlando from the Cudahy Health Dept. He dressed up as a fire fighter and was really surprised. Kept trying to kill me with his axe, though, says Will Decker.

Lt. Rob Schmidt, of the CFD putting Jose in the fire truck and letting him run the siren and horn (LOUD!!!). Jose said he didn’t hear it, but felt it

Lt. Rob Schmidt explaining to the mother (right) the proper care and feeding of the unit. He ran through a drill with Jose . Showed him that when the light blinked, he should hit the floor and crawl out of the house (actually, 2 nd floor apt). BTW: Lt. Schmidt stated that he, as a child, had lived in the same building, in the same unit.

left to right, Cmdr. Gary Poseda CFD, Pizza Hut Manager and firefighter, (who is holding the bag of pizza’s), Ed Wrench the Safe Kids representative and Mayor John Hohenfeldt. They showed up in another truck (red this time , just back from a call ) with the Pizza and for the cameras. Mayor was pretty cool said Will Decker. He asked for all the brochures and said he would display them in City Hall. Cmdr. Poseda was impressed that home inspectors had IR cameras (I just had to show off my FLIR.)

Lt. Rob Schmidt, Mayor Hohenfeldt and Cmdr. Poseda posing for the health dept and TV pictures .

Lt. Schmidt giving Jose a fire truck toy (donated by Ms. Orlando and the Health Dept. Jose was very

happy, (But he still wanted to pull that darn horn!!!).

So that the Cudahy Fire Dept can be prepared in advance for another hearing impaired family the

Foundation donated an alarm for their use. Dave Nice giving one smoke detector to Lt. Schmidt.

Dave Nice giving the 2 nd smoke detector to Ms. Cheryl Orlando, Cudahy Health Dept Public Health Nurse.

We at the Foundation would like to salute the Mayor of Cudahy, the Cudahy Fire Dept for being there

when needed and going beyond the norm and the Cudahy Health Dept for getting us involved. Also to

NACHI members David Nice and Will Decker for taking time out of their busy day and the other 9000 plus

members who always seem to volunteer when called upon. Also to Pizza Hut for sponsoring the Fire Dept.

Raliegh, NC

     NACHI certified home inspector Gregory Allen of 1st Choice Inspection Services, LLC, of Apex,www.1stChoiceInspector.com,(919)961-5395, a partner with the Foundation for Safer Housing, delivered 7 hearing impaired smoke alarms to Club Horizon, of Knightdale, NC on October 13,2006.

      Club Horizon should not be confussed with likes of Club Med or others. The mission of DRH is to improve the quality of life for adults with serious mental illness in Wake County by facilitating meaningful work and relationships in an environment rich with social, educational, recreational, and vocational opportunities. The vision is that all people with mental illness will achieve their potential and become respected as co-workers, neighbors, and friends.

      To accomplish this mission, DRH established Club Horizon in September of 2004. Club Horizon is a community-based psychosocial rehabilitation program based on the New York City Fountain House Model. The Fountain House model has been in existence for 48 years and has been replicated in the United States and throughout the world. Each clubhouse operates under the International Standards for Clubhouse Programs. Club Horizon's members are Wake County residents ages 18-66 with chronic, severe, and persistent mental illness (SPMI).

      DRH and Club Horizon serve members through a pre-vocational day program which includes opportunities for vocational training (Transitional Employment), socialization, educational, and housing opportunities. The Fountain House model emphasizes the importance of work as the foundation for personal identity and increased self-esteem. Club Horizon members receive psychosocial services through meaningful work and meaningful relationships. Members are empowered through ownership of clubhouse operations. In collaboration with the staff, members work at their own pace to answer the phone, perform clerical duties, welcome guests, prepare and serve lunch, manage the thrift store and snack bar, and participate in job training. This program helps members regain the confidence and skills necessary to lead vocationally productive and socially satisfying lives.

      The clubhouse model utilizes a holistic approach in its efforts to serve members, not only meeting mental health needs, but basic necessities such as nutrition, clothing, and shelter.

Pictured is Gregg Allen and Manay Gunter Executive Director for Club Horizon. For those who might be interested, be sure to visit the Club's website at http://www.clubhorizon.org/

Thank you Gregg for your help and assistance.

New Hampshire

From the big states to the smaller ones, we're trying to cover them all. This time Carla Horne, one of the Foundation's board member was called to action. Carla also a Nachi home inspector came in contact with a family that didn't even know that we existed and that an alarm system was available help the hearing impaired.

Here's a message from Carla

My name is Carla Horne. I am a Home Inspector in Meredith and I am on the board of directors of The Foundation for Safer Housing, Inc, a not for profit organization created by NACHI (National Association of Certified Home Inspectors)
Our mission of to provide innovative solutions to housing related issues for the betterment of our society and communities through our programs, education and assistance. We have recently launched a national hearing impaired smoke detector campaign of donating and delivering a smoke detector to families who qualify for the program. With a federal grand from FEMA and private donations there have been 1000 alarms distrubuted in a few short months.

We have recently delivered an alarm to our first NH family in Thornton NH. The Sleepers were so pleased and did not know that such a life saving even existed.

(attached photo with family's permission) left to right Wendy Johnston of Mountain Country Real Estate, Carla Horne of Grand View Home Inspections and NACHI
and the Sleepers, Mark Robin and Dane.

On June 20 a second NH family will be receiving their alarm in Gonic.

There is more than 31 million people afflicted with a hearing impairment in the U.S. many of them earning at or below poverty level. The average cost for a hearing impaired smoke detector is $160. which to some is extremely difficult to purchase please sponsor a family or make any donations to The Foundation for Safer Housing, Inc. at www.saferhousing.com

Thank you for your time

Carla Horne
Grand View Home Inspections

over 1000 satisfied customers
Certified by AHITI
Certified full member of NACHI
Active Affiliate of Lakes Region Board of Realtors
Vice Chair LRBR Affiliates 2003
Chair LRBR Affiliates 2004
LRBR Affiliate of the year 2004
NHAR Affiliate

Member HICAG (Home Inspection consumer action Group)
NACHI Foundation board of directors
NACHI NH state education administrator
www.nachi.org
NACHI outstanding contributing member

As all can see Carla is one very busy lady, working for the Foundation, running her own business and with other group affiliations. Carla is one of our shining stars, working to help others and the Foundation and we're proud to have her on board with us.

Thank you Carla

Another Trip to Texas

This time Nachi Inspector John Onofrey, from Richmond Texas and owner or Top 2 Bottom Inspections came to our aide.

The Owens family of Needville, from right, Paul, Hillary, Caitlin (7), Zachary (12) graciously accepts a Hearing Impaired Smoke Detector from John Onofrey, left, of Top 2 Bottom Inspections. John delivered the detector on behalf of the Foundation for Safer Housing. Both Owens parents are hearing impaired while their children have normal hearing. Zachary and Caitlin did a wonderful job interpreting for John and their parents using sign language. Zachary attends Needville middle school and Caitlin attends Needville elementary school where she is a Cheerleader. The Foundation for Safer Housing provides innovative solutions to housing related issues. Visit them at saferhousing.org

That's John on the left with the Owens family. A message from John to all " I really enjoyed the experience Paul. Thanks for the opportunity. You guys at the foundation are doing a great job. If I can ever help out, let me know."

Nice job John and we all hope that the Owen's family feels a little more secure and safe.

Tucson AZ.

Just thought everyone would like to see that we're still shipping alarms. This time we went to sunny Tucson AZ. Todd Allen, owner of Contractors Home Inspection, LLC from Tucson and NACHI inspector has volunteered to get them out to our applicants from his area.

This one should be of particular interest to everyone. Originally the alarm was sent for the husband and wife. Through personal contact and emails we found out that the home not only houses the two but also their older married daughter, husband and 21 month old daughter and parents teenage son. All six occupants of this dwelling are hearing impaired.

Under the grant program we are only allow to furnish one alarm per dwelling. We feel that this family should have a second unit so with the generous contribution that Carla Horne, owner of Grand View Home Inspections in Merideth NH, and also a Nachi Inspector, made we are purchasing a unit outside of the grant for them. Thus Carla is now our first sponsor an alarm or adopt family for an alarm.

In the first picture thats Nachi VolunteerTodd Allen Mrs. Jones with her older daughter

with Mrs. Jones.

Here's the email we received from the Jones Family:

We wanted to say "Thank you for put a new fire alarm that we really happy to have the "powerful flash light" fire alarm will help and wake us up. We tested the alarm at 2:46pm today oh wow wow it is very powerful flash light is very very bright to us! My husband Steven said "I like it!" and wanted to say "Thank you" to you and the Contractors Home Inspection, LLC under The Foundation for Safer Housing.

Thank you, Mr and Mrs Steven P. Jones

And our thanks goes out to Todd Allen for his assistance

The Foundation helps Habitat for Humanity, Spicer Minnesota

Dateline May 21, 2006

With a request for help from Resource Director, Mari Beam,of the West Central Minnesota's Habitat for Humanity, the Foundation was able to fulfill a special order of visual smoke alarms for one of their projects. Nachi Inspector Kevin DeLacey, of Wright Home Inspections acted as our liason with HH and the family. The following is Kevins report:

Kevin DeLacey of Wright Home Inspection had the honor of attending a Habitat for Humanity Home Dedication on behalf of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI), Sponsor of the charitable organization, The Foundation for Safer housing.
The home, located in Spicer, Minnesota is three blocks from one of Minnesota's most beautiful lakes. Green Lake is a larger lake and has clear water that is not typical of a central Minnesota lake.

The small foot print home boasts five bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, kitchen, family room and laundry. At the time of dedication, the home was mostly complete with the exception of landscaping to keep rain water away from the foundation.

The Foundation for Safer housing was able to contribute four strobe light smoke detectors as part of providing a safer home for Lucina Carranza and her five children, three of whom are hearing impaired.
Lucina lost her husband to an accident a little more than a year ago. Lucina and the children had been living in a two-bedroom mobile home, situated in a neighboring communities mobile home park. The home was described as not safe for the family because of its location, size and condition. Often, Lucina's employment kept her away from home as late as 2:00 am. Reports of people trying to access the home while Lucina was away and the children home alone caused additional anxiety for the family.

During the dedication ceremony it became clear that Lucina and her family were in good and caring hands from each other, close friends, and supporters that worked hard to rehabilitate the home for the Carranza's purchase from Habitat for Humanity. They now have a much safer, home located in a friendlier neighborhood.

It's great that the Foundation for Safer Housing was able to contribute the Strobe Smoke Detectors. Let's hope that Lucina and her children never have to use them.

Kevin DeLacey, Wright Home Inspection, Buffalo, Minnesota, 55313

It may not be Extreme Makeover, but the role of Habitat for Humaity by far out performs them in total numbers of homes provided to those in need. Don't try to tell any of those volunteers or the families that these dedications are any less emotional. We at the Foundation are extremely happy for the Carranza family and their outcome. Our hats go off to all of the VOLUNTEERS for Habitat that worked on this project and we're proud that we could help, although in a smaller but just as important way as them. We look forward to working with Habitat for Humanity on other projects in the very near future.

The Carranza family & friends The Dedication

That's Kevin DeLacey on the left with the Carranza's Front view of the new home

Thanks Kevin for getting us the story and your time.

Back to Texas

This time Austin! Nachi Inspector Mike Boyett of Capital City Inspections from Austin Texas volunteered to help us out with this alarm delivery.

The Kuehne family, Leonard, Georgina, Dennis (16), Kristian (15), Daryl (13) and Dylan (11) graciously accepts the Hearing Impaired Smoke Detector from Mike Boyett, left, of Capital City Inspections. Mike delivered the detector on behalf of the Foundation for Safer Housing. The Kuehne family are all hearing impaired but that doesn’t keep the boys from athletics at the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Tx. After accepting the detector the family was headed out to a Spring football banquet. The family has lived in Austin for the last 6 years after moving there from Dallas and they all are very active in the local church.

Interesting story in the making. Ever wonder how in a sport where the ability to communicate is important, such as football. How does one hear the signal calling and the snap count? Maybe one of our roving sports reporter's will fill us in on the details in the future. Do we have one of those?

Thanks Mike for the help!

From Wisconsin

We received a email from a high school teacher from Appleton, Wisconsin with a simple request. "Could we furnish her class of hearing impaired students with an alarm to teach them about safety and current technologies?" We felt that its important that even the young be made aware of Fire Safety and Education so the request was granted.

Dear Mr. Sabados and the Safe House Foundation,

Our class is writing to thank you for the fire alarm you were
able to donate to our classroom. Through your generosity we were able
to use the fire alarm as a hands-on learning experience in our deaf and
hard of hearing class and then add this visual alarm to our classroom
for safety. Being able to see and test the alarm made a strong
impression about the importance of this safety technology. Some of the
comments from the students include:

"I didn't know I could get an alarm that would wake me up in a fire"
"This alarm will help us more because it has a light and is really loud"
"The flashing is so bright it will definitely wake me up"

Thank you again for your generous contribution to the safety and
education of our deaf and hard of hearing class.

Appleton North High School Students

Our appreciation goes out to Lisa Thieda as an educator and to the Appleton Wisconsin School Board for providing the opportunity for public education in a normal school setting for the students. Who know's maybe the next big break through will come from one of these young students.

Another Alarm Finds a Family

NACHI member, Ron Dawes of Performance Inspections, LLC from Plano. Texas teamed up with the Foundation for Safer Housing and became the latest volunteer to personally deliver one of our visual smoke alarms. The request for an alarm did not arrive to us through normal channels, but was a request via real estate agent Vicki Wagner.

Apparently the dwelling that was being purchased suffered from an electrical fire. Repairs had to be made prior to the closing, however the dwelling being an older unit was not wired for a smoke alarm in the bedroom. The wall mounted unit fit the bill perfectly.

L to R, Vicki Wagner, Alicia Lopez, Duke Jones holding Andrew, Ron Dawes

Duke Jones and Alicia Lopez are the new homeowners. Both are hearing impaired. They have 3 children, boys aged 11, 8 and Andrew (almost) 2. All the children have normal hearing.

They have lived in the DFW are for a number of years. This is their first home.

Vicki Wagner, Century 21 Lynch & Associates, 817-559-1379

She is degreed in deaf education and has been in hearing impaired education for 9 years. She has been full time in real estate for the last 3 years, 2 in Austin and the last year in the DFW area. 80% of her clients are hearing impaired. She has written a poetry book that has been published and is in
discussions to get a second book published that is based on her teaching experiences.

Thanks for the help Ron. Anyone in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area requiring hearing impaired assistance with a real estate transaction contact Vicki Wagner.

New Merchandise Available
Watch for an upcoming release of a line of shirts, hats and other merchandise to be made available to our members. Also included in this upcoming release will be an assortment of decals and logo's which our supporting members will able to purchase and/or use for their own personal or corporate benefit.

An update from our first scholarship recipient
“The NACHI Foundation” announced Michelle Lynne Coble from Horseheads, NY as our first Foundation scholarship winner in the spring of 2004. Michelle is an exceptional student that has graduated with a 3.8 GPA and in the top 10% of her graduating class. In the fall of 2004 she began attending the University of Notre Dame in Indiana to attain her BS in Architecture. As our first winner of the scholarship she is receiving a $500.00 per year scholarship allowance while attaining her degree.

In the past almost two full years. . .

The NACHI Foundation scholarship was created and designed to help students that are entering college tackle some of the rising costs of secondary education.

Don't toss that old cell phone!

You have an old cell phone that you no longer use? Instead of tossing it into the trash, send it to us. Why? Well, what happens is that these old phones are sent to a central location for refurbishment and made functional again in a limited manner. They will function as an emergency 911 unit. These phones are then distributed to different groups such as the elderly, disabled and people in domestic abuse relationships. Every year thousands of cell phones are thrown away or discarded. One of these could save someones life. The Foundation has partnered with another charity to accept any used cell phones we can give them.

Also this is an excellent opportunity for school groups looking for a way to perform a valuable public service event. On our last drive a group from Plainvew-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School in Plainview, NY collected a generous donation of 5 Boxes of Cell Phones for our Donate a Cell Phone Program.

The Foundation would like to thank Danica Ruhalter, Amy Ditowsky, and Michelle Shapiro. Great job ladies and thank you!

Any interested party or group wanting to help us by sending in old units or wanting to start a collection group please contact us.

Please reference Donate a Cell Phone Program.

Thank you.