IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Timberstone Golf Course at Pine Mountain Ski and Golf Resort hosted Habitat for Humanity Menominee River’s 22nd Annual Raise the Roof Golf Outing this afternoon, starting with a shotgun start.
Before the event began, Habitat’s Executive Director, Nancy Pellegrini, thanked participants and sponsors for supporting the non-profit’s biggest fundraiser. She emphasized its significant impact, helping over 51 families build new homes and assisting more than 300 families with home repairs. Pellegrini noted a growing need for wheelchair ramps this year.
“This year marks 30 years of construction, 30 years of making an impact on our community,” Pellegrini said. “This helps the veteran in Beecher that we’re working with who needs a new well, whose wife has stage 4 cancer, who’s been driving to Iron Mountain to take a shower and coming back with gallons of water that she can barely hold onto. This helps the person who needs the wheelchair ramp that no contractor wants to do because the jobs are too small, so thank you so much for the support.”
Pellegrini continued, “Come out and make a difference. 2 hours a month, and you can make a difference in your community…. We are finishing our 51st house. Candy and her son Curtis, who is in a medical stroller, I hope they greeted you. We’re building that house and are almost done with it. They’re in the mortgage process. We do not give away free homes. Candy and Curtis are each going to have their own bedrooms, but we’ve designed that home around their family’s needs.”
Since 1997, Habitat for Humanity Menominee River has completed over 300 home repairs. “We get a call probably 5 times a week, and this particular year, people seem to need wheelchair ramps. We’ve got crews working on 2 right now. This year, we’ve done 4 wheelchair ramps, 3 bathrooms, and the well repair for that veteran,” Pellegrini added.
New board member Carrie Toretta-Partello attended the event and is already planning a fall fundraiser. “We’ve got all kinds of sponsors that have either put money forward for the event to go on, and then, of course, everybody’s paying for their golf. But it’s a great fundraiser for us to start our new build, which we hope to be doing in the next couple of months,” she said. “There are exactly 20 teams, so we’ve got a full house.”
Toretta-Partello also highlighted the enthusiasm for sponsorships. “We were still getting sponsors this week, and I believe they had to redo the program to add them, which is a great problem to have,” she noted.
“We are talking about doing a couple of other fundraisers that are still in the works. I’m new to the board, just five months in, and my background includes fundraising, so I’ve suggested some different ideas. It’s the 30th year for our new home build, and we’re planning a big event to celebrate homeownership.”
Habitat completed 22 home repairs last year and aims to achieve 35 home repairs this year to assist more families in the community.
The event’s title sponsor was the Zonta Club of Iron Mountain-Kingsford. “They came out and were title sponsors for our event; we really didn’t expect it,” said Pellegrini.
Truss Sponsors included Affiliate Mortgage Services, First National Bank and Trust, Matt and Stacy Lutz (volunteers with registration), Trident Maritime Systems, LLC Heavy Equipment Group, and GFL, Environmental, Inc. “GFL is a first-time sponsor. We have volunteers doing some work at the cancer closet, saving them $12,000 in labor costs. GFL donated a dumpster: that’s a huge cost that makes a difference,” Pellegrini explained.
Other Truss sponsors were Marshfield Medical Center, Dickinson, Nicolet Bank, First Bank, and Domino’s Pizza. Floor Sponsors were MJ Electric and Blagec Brothers. “Blagec has been a contractor for years. MJ pulls all of our electrical permits and pays for those; they have since at least 2011, which has a huge impact on our cost for homes,” Pellegrini mentioned.
Hammer Sponsors included Habitat Restore, The Sandlot in Niagara, and Radio Results Network Broadcasting.
Hole Sponsors were: 41 Lumber, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group, Chris Hanley Agency, Precision Technology, Superior Title, and Mastercraft Machine of Reedsville.
