Nonprofit Spotlight: Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing

As the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing celebrates its fifth anniversary this spring and gears up for another year of working on projects helping community residents in need, volunteers are sought to put their faith into practice and become the change they want to see in this world.

The Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing celebrates
its fifth anniversary this year and is seeking volunteers to
work on this year's home repair projects for those in need
in the community. COURTESY PHOTO 

The mission of the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing remains to make a difference in the communities of Raymond, Standish, and Windham by providing safe and adequate housing repairs for those who are aging in place. The nonprofit organization is run entirely by volunteers who can sign up to volunteer and donate any amount of time to assisting in making home repairs and other tasks for veterans and seniors locally.

An affiliate of the nonprofit national Fuller Center for Housing, the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing was founded by representatives from Raymond Village Community Church, Faith Lutheran Church, North Windham Union Church, Windham Hill UCC, Unity Center for Spiritual Growth, St. Ann’s Episcopal Church and Saint Joseph’s College and provides a wide range of home repair, clean-up, and home rehabilitation services to qualified senior residents.

“I am so proud to be celebrating our five-year anniversary,” said Diane Dunton Bruni, the chair, president, and a founding member of the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing. “When 12 community members met in July 2019, I would never have dreamed that we would have the impact upon the community in the way that we have. Helping veterans and seniors age safely in their homes by volunteers repairing homes is truly faith in action.”

She said that the group’s first project was in 2020 and from 2020 to 2023, a total of 46 projects for 30 different local families were completed by 146 Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing volunteers who contributed 3,286 volunteer hours.

The national Fuller Center for Housing was established by Millard and Linda Fuller, who also created Habitat for Humanity. The Fullers and a group of like-minded partners founded The Fuller Center for Housing in 2005 as a return and recommitment to proven and effective grass roots, faith-based principles of helping others in need.

“Hope is essential in life,” Dunton Bruni said. “What we are doing is we are giving hope.”

Jim McBride, the chair of Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing’s Family Committee, said that becoming a volunteer for the group is inspiring.

“It warms my heart to serve with others from our faith community to help people in need right here in Windham, Raymond, and Standish. The families we serve are always so grateful that our volunteers not only fix their homes, but also care enough to develop deep and lasting friendships,” McBride said. “It is truly a blessing to be able to help families in need across our community. As awareness of Sebago Fuller Housing has grown over the past four-plus years, we have been able to tackle more projects with more talented volunteers and local contractors. Thank you for the very generous funding support from caring individuals, businesses, and partner churches throughout the community.”

According to McBride, Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing is currently preparing its list of projects for this year.

“We currently have 13 active projects, most of which are held over from last year,” he said. “Several of these jobs involve roof repairs or replacing the old roof, building a new roof over a wheelchair ramp, replacing an old deck with a smaller covered porch, minor electrical repairs, winterizing two doorways, replacing storm doors and windows. We do some spring and fall clean-ups, and some painting projects as well as tree/branch removal as needed. Most of our focus is on repairs to keep the residents safe and warm, rather than just aesthetic requests.”

McBride said they are planning a project day for April 27 to collaborate with the PowerServe Community Day of Service held each year and the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing will likely have at least one project day for volunteers each month right through the summer and fall in 2024.

To help cover the costs of some of the larger projects this year, the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing is conducting a $25,000 community fundraiser. Dunton Bruni said that the group will be announcing a new gala fundraising event soon but also welcomes donations at www.sebagofullerhousing.org.

"It is so important to have people be able to stay safely in their homes and to know that they don’t have to leave at a time that they just want to have the memories and feel comforted by what’s around them,” she said.

To volunteer to help with this year’s projects, send an email to sebagofullerhousinginfo@gmail.com. <