Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh celebrated its 106th home completion on Saturday, Feb. 17 while also celebrating Celeste Bloomer Remembrance Day. This day was dedicated to the memory and life of Celeste Bloomer, a longtime resident of the City of Newburgh and Habitat volunteer.

The new house at 64 Overlook Place is named the Celeste Bloomer Women Build house.

Bloomer was a longtime volunteer, house captain and trainer for Habitat. She was an English teacher working in both the Wallkill Central School District and the Newburgh Enlarged City School District and also became the Director of Literacy Volunteers of America in Newburgh.

Bloomer was part of Women Build, a program that began in 1991 to encourage and welcome women to volunteer, learn building skills and to help Habitat for Humanity.

Many of the Habitat volunteers were able to meet and get to know Bloomer over the years through Women Build or other building projects in the area. Bloomer passed away in 2021, but she was remembered for her work, her passion, and her impact on the Habitat community and the families who call Habitat sites their future homes.

In attendance for the house completion and celebration were Habitat Board President Paul Brothe and Executive Director Jill Marie, Newburgh City Councilman Bob Sklarz and Assemblyman Chris Eachus.

Brothe shared thanks to the many volunteers and supporters of Habitat and Women Build for their continued work while Marie, who joined in 2022, recalled the first day when she came into her office, she found a photograph of Bloomer on her desk. “I knew in that space that she had an impact on our staff and our volunteers and on the agency and so I just felt very blessed that I get to be here today to see it come to fruition,” said Marie.

Other volunteers and friends shared stories about working with Bloomer on work sites and remembered the kind of person she was while with them. “As I was looking at the picture, and speaking about Celeste, I couldn’t help becoming choked up and filled with emotion about her. She was really a remarkable person, kind, considerate, always caring about other people, very proud of what we have accomplished in 25 years here at Habitat,” said Suzanne Dawes. “She was very inspirational. She made you feel like you could really do it.”

“I think it’s wonderful that we are honoring her because she was such a special person and she was special to each one of us, maybe in a different way, but maybe also in the same way because we all took something different from our relationship with her,” said Florence Ferguson.

“I feel happy that we have remembered her today. I feel happy that this house is so beautiful and a wonderful partner family will be moving here,” said Karen Rae Adamson. “Celeste was an inspiration. She was an inspiration not only to Habitat but to the City of Newburgh and because she was born and raised here, she had even more commitment. She had the intense desire to make her community better before she left it.”