March 1979: Habitat KC is Founded
March 1, 1979
John and Mary Pritchard, along with a small board of directors, establish Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City, Inc. Kansas City’s Habitat for Humanity is the seventh-oldest affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. The group sends its first fundraising letter this month, as well. Besides the Pritchards and other founding board members, local churches were the earliest donors to the new organization. The group quickly purchased seven properties for about $3,700 in the Mount Hope Neighborhood.
Read moreOctober 13, 1979: Habitat KC Breaks Ground on First Home
October 13, 1979
Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City breaks ground on construction of its first three houses. With that groundbreaking, the group takes the first steps toward fulfilling its early goal of building 50 homes in 10 years.
Read moreSummer 1980: Construction is Underway
July 1, 1980
Construction begins in earnest on the first house. The first few houses cost $40,000 to construct, on average. On December 2, 1980, the family selection committee chooses Aaron and Cindy Middlebrooks as the first Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City family. Initially, families were offered a lease agreement with an option to buy their homes later. The Middlebrooks and the other two families initially selected by H4HKC all opted to purchase their homes less than a year after they moved in.
Read moreAugust, 1981: Habitat KC hires First Employee
August 1, 1981
Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City hires its first staff member, Phil Hanson, to serve as a consultant and administrative assistant to John Pritchard.
Read moreOctober 25, 1981: Habitat KC completes First Homes
October 25, 1981
HFHKC celebrates the construction of its first three homes. By the end of the year, the fourth house was almost complete.
Read moreJune, 1982: Habitat KC Homeowners Association is Founded
June 1, 1982
Families create the Habitat Homeowners’ Association to establish a sense of community, address issues specific to Habitat families, and communicate concerns and ideas to the HFHKC board of directors. Cindy Middlebrooks was elected the first president of the association in July.
Read moreSeptember, 1982: Millard Fuller visits Habitat KC
September 1, 1982
Millard Fuller, co-founder of Habitat for Humanity International, visits Kansas City to provide feedback on the local affiliate’s progress. He commends the board of directors for making steady progress on building quality homes, and comments on the “spirit of community” he saw in the Mount Hope neighborhood. He also suggests areas for improvement, including keeping construction costs low and the need to find more donors.
Read moreApril 26, 1983: Construction Volunteers change the future of Habitat KC
April 26, 1983
Board members discuss the possibility of relying primarily on volunteers for the first time to build a home. Up to this point, HFHKC had used construction professionals to build the houses, with volunteers providing help with painting, finishing, and doing yardwork on the properties. After some successful experiments, this becomes the standard practice and helps HFHKC to keep costs of construction low.
Read moreMay, 1983: Sweat Equity is added to Habitat KC model
May 1, 1983
At a board meeting, HFHKC leaders suggest that, like other Habitat affiliates, they consider requiring potential homeowners to contribute their labor to the construction of their houses—what we now call “sweat equity”—helping to build a sense of investment and ownership in the homes. In July, with support from the Habitat Homeowners’ Association, the board approves this requirement.
Read moreJuly 30 – September 21, 1986: Habitat for Humanity International hosts 10th-anniversary in Kansas City
July 30, 1986
Habitat for Humanity International hosts its 10th-anniversary celebration in Kansas City, a four-day event that begins when the participants in a 49-day, 1,000-mile walk that began in Americus, Georgia, where Habitat for Humanity began, arrive in Kansas City’s Barney Allis Plaza. One of the people who completed the entire journey was 14-year-old Reggie McMorris from Kansas City, whose family lived in one of the houses Habitat built in the Mount Hope neighborhood.
Read more1987: Kaw Valley Habitat for Humanity is Founded
January 1, 1987
Kaw Valley Habitat for Humanity, an affiliate serving Kansas City, Kansas, is founded. Kaw Valley Habitat and Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City launched a joint fundraising campaign in 1989, the first of many collaborations designed to maximize the organizations’ impact.
Read moreNovember 10-12, 1989: Habitat KC celebrates 10th-Anniversary
November 10, 1989
Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City celebrates its 10th anniversary. Because the organization had nearly reached its goal of building 50 houses, Habitat for Humanity International co-founder Millard Fuller proposes a new goal: 100 more houses in the next 10 years.
Read moreSeptember 15, 1991: First Harmony House is Completed
September 15, 1991
Dedication of the first Harmony House. The Harmony House, in cooperation with a group called Harmony in a World of Difference, was an interfaith build that brought together volunteers from seven faith groups in the Kansas City area to construct a home.
Read moreDecember, 1991: VH1 features Habitat KC
December 1, 1991
VH1 films segments about Habitat KC to be featured on the cable channel starting in January 1992. The 70-second segments were part of a project to show good news from around the country. VH-1 crew members interviewed John Pritchard and volunteer Marian Landes and filmed at two Habitat houses on Highland Avenue.
Read moreAugust 11, 1992: Homes on Parade
August 11, 1992
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, located in Kansas City’s Brookside neighborhood, donates six houses to Habitat and Neighborhood Housing Services rather than tear them down to make way for its new parking lot.
Read moreMarch, 1994: Habitat KC hosts its first Blitz Build
March 1, 1994
Habitat KC completes its first Blitz Build with Royal Neighbors of America as volunteers and sponsors. The house, which was constructed in 10 days, became the home to Sam and Rose Lattimore and their family. HFHI founders Millard and Linda Fuller visited Kansas City to take part in the house blessing.
Read moreNovember 13, 1994: First Women Build house is Dedicated
November 13, 1994
The first official Habitat KC Women Build house is dedicated. Vivian Gibbens organized the project, which brought 300 women together to construct the home. The Kansas City Star called the project “historic” and featured photographs of the dedication of the new house for homeowner Janice Busbee and her three children.
Read moreOctober 29, 1995: Habitat KC celebrates 100th Home
October 29, 1995
Habitat KC celebrates the construction of its 100th house. The celebration includes a performance by the Marching Cobras, with John and Mary Pritchard joining in. The Middlebrooks, the first family to move into a Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City house, also attended the celebration.
Read more1996: John Pritchard retires as Executive Director of Habitat KC
January 1, 1996
John Pritchard retires as executive director of Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City, although he continues to take an active role in the organization.
Read moreJune, 2000: Habitat KC ReStore Opens
June 1, 2000
The first local Habitat for Humanity ReStore opens in Kansas City. ReStore, a retail location that sells donated construction materials and home furnishings, helps to raise money for Habitat’s projects, provides another way for volunteers and potential homeowners to serve the community, and reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfills.
Read moreJune 23-24, 2000: Habitat KC celebrates 20 Years
June 23, 2000
Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City Inc. celebrates its 20th anniversary. The festivities included a banquet and a house blessing for eight new homes.
Read more2003: House of Abraham completes First Home
May 20, 2003
The first House of Abraham is dedicated. The House of Abraham project is a collaboration between Kansas City’s Jewish, Christian, and Muslin communities to promote interfaith cooperation and community.
Read moreAugust 4, 2005: Habitat KC Founder John Pritchard Dies
August 4, 2005
A profile written by his alma mater, Princeton University, notes that the Kansas City Star had once said, “Few can claim to have made a community contribution equaling that of John Pritchard.”
Read more2006: The House that Mary Built
May 1, 2006
Construction of The House that Mary Built begins. This special themed build, inspired by Mary Pritchard, is created “to recognize the important roles women fulfill in our family life, our community and the ministry of Habitat for Humanity.”
Read moreDecember 1, 2007: Habitat KC dedicates 200th Home
December 1, 2007
Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City dedicates its 200th house built since 1979. This home was our first “green build,” constructed with an emphasis on sustainable building practices.
Read moreOctober 10, 2009: Habitat KC celebrates 30 Years
October 10, 2009
Habitat KC celebrates its 30th anniversary. Thanks to the financial strain accompanying the recession, the celebration was more low-key than past events had been.
Read moreSeptember 24, 2012: Mary Pritchard Dies
September 24, 2012
Mary Pritchard dies. A year before her death, Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City named its newest neighborhood project, a small development of five homes in southeast Kansas City, Pritchard Place in honor of Mary and John.
Read moreJune 28, 2013: Habitat KC launches Rock the Block
June 28, 2013
Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City launches its Home Preservation Program, with its first Rock the Block event, a one-day event that brings hundreds of volunteers to one neighborhood to make repairs to houses. The event not only improves properties but creates a sense of community and pride for the families who live in the neighborhood.
Read moreJuly, 2016: Habitat KC and Habitat Heartland merge
July 1, 2016
Habitat for Humanity/Kansas City and Heartland Habitat for Humanity combine to form Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City.
Read moreMarch 23, 2019: Habitat KC launches Pride Build KC
March 23, 2019
Habitat KC hosts its first Pride Build, inviting members and allies of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities to support our vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to call home. One of the stars of Netflix’s Queer Eye, Bobby Berk, helped with the construction.
Read moreOctober 2, 2019: Habitat KC Celebrates 40 Years
October 2, 2019
Habitat KC celebrates 40 years of building strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Since 1979, Habitat KC has built or renovated more than 700 homes and has enriched the lives of thousands of families through our affordable housing solutions. In the next 40 years, Habitat KC will build a Kansas City community where everyone has a decent place to live.
Read more