Habitat for Humanity: Generosity Fueled by Generosity

When public fundraising stopped , one promoter and its sponsors became heroes.

With hundreds of non-profits in Flagstaff working together to provide services that enhance every part of our community, it is not always easy to ask community members to write a check to support all of our efforts. This is why there are many non-profit fundraising events. Sure, we love coming up with great ways for you and your neighbors to have fun, recreate, listen to live music and so much more – but we really host these parties to make it easier for everyone to contribute, making Flagstaff the amazing mountain town that it is.

For the last 14 months, there have been no fun-runs, no concerts or plays, no galas or any of the social benefits we all took for granted. This also has meant a huge loss of donations for Flagstaff’s non-profits… except for one event that did not even happen.

Wespac Construction’s M3F Fest (formally known as the McDowell Mountain Music Festival) has been a 100% for non-profit festival in Phoenix for the last 18 years. In just the last 4 years, M3F Fest has donated $190,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona – right here in Flagstaff. These funds helped build four Habitat homes, which were sold to income-qualified families in need.

With 2021’s M3F Fest slated for early March, Habitat had many concerns. How can we make up for such a big revenue loss at a time when affordable housing is at its most critical moment in our history? As we entered 2021, America was barely emerging from COVID’s third wave of transmissions and vaccines were just getting to arms of our parents and grandparents. It became more and more evident that despite the passions of the M3F Fest team, canceling the festival would be in the best interest of all parties concerned.

Here’s the miracle:

Like all great production companies, M3F Fest was working hard throughout 2020 with expectations of hosting the event in 2021. Part of those efforts included the financial backing from their annual event sponsors. Businesses see event sponsorships as a win-win because they are supporting non-profits in need while marketing their business to the audience attending the event. With the cancellation of the 2021 M3F Fest, some sponsors would normally respond by requesting their dollars back to be invested in other ways to market their businesses, but  not M3F Fest sponsors! Nearly 100% of all M3F Fest sponsors responded to the news of the canceled festival with one voice, “Get our donations to work for our communities now!” This included a gift of $55,000 to Habitat in support of the new program at Coconino Community College, the Habitat for Humanity Home Construction Pathway.

Starting this fall, CCC students will now construct Habitat homes as part of their Building Methods and related CTM courses. If you have ever watched an HGTV or DIY show and thought, I would like to know how to do that, then this CCC Pathway will provide hands-on learning opportunities that address the affordable housing crisis and embark students on the CTM Pathway leading to industry certificates. With trained, experienced faculty, Northern Arizonans now have the opportunity to learn the tricks and tools that go into home building from start to finish.

Affordable housing in Flagstaff is a critical need. Although home price inflation might be good for current Flagstaff homeowners, it is leaving many Flagstaff residents out in the cold, sometimes literally. The Flagstaff City Council in January of this year voted that Flagstaff affordable housing is now an emergency situation. Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona is working to address this issue with support from thousands of Flagstaff individuals each year. If you are interested in joining our Habitat family with a contribution, you can do so at habitatflagstaff.org. We are very proud to invest 100% of your donation in our home building program. If you are interested in the new CCC/Habitat Home Construction Pathway, we will be posting updated information on our website and on the CCC website at coconino.edu. FBN

By Eric Wolverton

Eric Wolverton is the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona. Contact him at eric@h4hnaz.org or 928-814-9368.