La Crosse’s Habitat for Humanity needs public help to win $15,000 Christmas charity contest

This time of year, it’s common to find groups of carolers collecting money for good causes.

Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region is in on the act with staffers performing a music video of ‘There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays,” for a statewide caroling contest involving nonprofit organizations to win $15,000. And the deadline for the public to vote is Saturday.

“We weren’t the best when it came to singing Christmas carols,” La Crosse Habitat executive director Kahya Fox said, “but I think we had the biggest hearts when we put the video together.”

Thrivent Financial is sponsoring the “Carols for a Cause” contest, where online votes will decide the grand prize winner among five nonprofit agencies in Wisconsin.

To vote for Habitat La Crosse or another group, click here.

The public can view the five videos and vote through Saturday. Just one vote per person. Thrivent will award a total of $50,000 to those non-profit groups.

Fox told WIZM that kind of money could buy quite a lot for Habitat.

“Fifteen thousand dollars actually goes quite a long ways in a house,” Fox said. “It actually could equate to four to five different repair projects for low-income families, keeping them safe in their homes.”

Fox joined La Crosse Talk PM this week to talk about housing in the area. Habitat for Humanity set a record this year for getting people into new, rebuilt homes.

“We had 12 homes total in 2023,” Fox said. “Half of those were rehabbed houses, so they were house that we bought and basically tore them down to the stud walls and rebuilt them. So, diverted things from the landfill. We were able to save some really historic houses. “

Other charities competing for the money with carols include the Milwaukee Habitat office and an Eau Claire food bank.