Springfield’s Sinai Temple and the Jerome S. Gurland Human Relations Award Committee recently selected Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GSHFH) as the 2021 award recipient. GSHFH Executive Director Aimee Giroux met with Rabbi Jeremy Master on May 26 to accept the honor.
Award namesake Rabbi Gurland, of Longmeadow, had been a beloved member of the community. He passed away May 20, 2021. Prior to his death, he had been an advocate of community service and interfaith relations.
"Our committee was most impressed with your proposal for the affordable home ownership project on Bay Street in Springfield. We are very pleased with your partnership with Putnam Vocational High School. By partnering with your organization, students will be able to help someone within their own community," said Rabbi Master on behalf of the committee on why the group chose GSHFH. "Sinai Temple's partnership with Habitat for Humanity a few years ago reminds us of the pride we felt working with you."
Aimee thanked Rabbi Master for the committee's generosity.
“We are honored to have been selected to receive this award,” Aimee said. “The funds will be used to promote community involvement, primarily with youth volunteers through construction on our Bay Street project. We want to create a lasting tribute to the rabbi’s memory and we want to honor our donors and volunteers. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to reach our mission.”
GSHFH is a housing ministry dedicated to strengthening communities by empowering low-income families to change their lives and the lives of future generations through homeownership and home repair opportunities. This is accomplished by working in partnership with diverse people, from all walks of life, to build and repair simple, decent, affordable housing. Habitat’s mission to provide homeownership opportunities to low-income families is unique as we offer a hand up not a hand out, requiring partner families to work alongside the community they will live in. GSHFH has helped roughly 100 local families realize their dream of homeownership over the last 34 years.