Habitat EKC National and International BuildsJourney to the Center of the World - Ghana, Spring 2008If you have been searching for a truly unique and productive vacation, look no further. Mary Martin, our Resource Development Associate, will be leading a twelve-person Global Village team to Ghana in late February and early March 2008 to assist the Kintampo affiliate in building a home for a local family.
For two weeks they will work side-by-side with future homeowners and local volunteers as well as relax and learn about Ghana's culture, heritage and social practices. The country sits just a few degrees north of the Equator, and since the Greenwich Meridian passes through it, Ghana is geographically closer to the center of the world than any other country. It is also widely viewed as one of Africa's most stable democracies.
Mary has led similar trips to India and Louisiana, and this one is sure to be an unforgettable experience. Stay tuned for a trip report from Mary after she returns. Guatemala Global Village Trip, March 2008In late March, Habitat EKC Construction Supervisor Doug Copley will be traveling to the Nororiente Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Guatemala. The first Habitat houses in all of Latin America and Caribbean went up in Guatemala in 1979, and since then 22,570 Habitat houses have been constructed.
Doug will not be the only EKC member on this trip. Habitat EKC Construction Site Supervisors Liz Anderson and Kristina Struve will join Doug on the trip, along with second year AmeriCorps member Jessamyn Bateman-Iino, and 2006-07 AmeriCorps member Katie Skipper.
This Global Village Trip is being organized through Habitat for Humanity International. The Nororiente HFH affiliate is located in the city of Zacapa, Guatemala. Stay tuned for future details on this Global Village Trip! Jimmy Carter Work Project 2007 - Los AngelesIn late October and early November 2007 Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter participated in their 24th JCWP, this time in Los Angeles, California. Since 1984, President and Mrs. Carter have committed a week of their busy schedules each year to shining a spotlight on the affordable housing crisis in this country and around the world. The JCWP brings together thousands of volunteers from all over the world to swing hammers and swipe paint brushes with partner families to build and refurbish their homes.
In 2007, volunteers gathered to build 30 new homes and refurbish dozens of others in South Central Los Angeles and San Pedro. Habitat EKC Construction Supervisor, Doug Copley, participating in his third JCWP, led a team in the construction of a three bedroom townhouse at the Vermont Avenue site with the Contreras and Sosa family. Mike Hammerquist, Habitat EKC Construction Supervisor at his first JCWP, took his experience from the Patterson Park townhouses and led the team building the Wallace family home in San Pedro. Habitat EKC Executive Director, Tom Granger, and wife Nancy, participated in A Brush with Kindness with Bessie and Z W Cruse who upon receiving a bible signed by President Carter said they would never forget the faces of the team who refurbished their home.
The 25th (renamed) Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Work Project (JRCWP) will be
held in May 2008 in the Gulf Coast area of Louisiana and Mississippi. For
more information visit
Habitat for
Humanity International.
Jimmy Carter Work Project 2006 - Lonavala, IndiaIn October 2006, Executive Director Tom Granger and Doug Copley, Construction Site Supervisor, traveled to Lonavala, India to build with the Jimmy Carter Work Project. This is a Habitat for Humanity International program that alternates yearly between a US building site and an international site. Tom and Doug were thrilled to be two of the only 200 people from North America selected to participate in this build. Global Village trips are an exiting and meaningful way to travel and meet people of different cultures and locales. Hurricane Katrina Rebuilding - Slidell, Louisiana, September 2006In September 2006 Mia Walterson, Associate Executive Director, and Mary Martin, Resource Development Associate, led a team of 15 people from the Habitat EKC affiliate to Slidell, Louisiana to work with the local Slidell Habitat affiliate to build one of the 100 houses they plan to construct this year as part of the rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina. Fifty of these new homes will be the pre-framed homes built under the Operation Home Delivery program.
The group spent their first day building in New Orleans where Habitat is building 50 homes as part of the new Musician's Village, as well as other new homes in the Ninth Ward. The next 5 days were spent in Slidell, just north of Lake Ponchartrain where the East St. Tammany affiliate was planning to build 100 new houses over the year.
The group worked on several new foundations, unloaded a semi-truck filled with all the materials for two homes, and built the floor joists and deck for a new home that will be elevated 3 feet above the ground. Slidell was hit hard with hurricane winds as well as a large wave surge from the lake. Katrina-affected Habitat affiliates welcome volunteers from all over the world to come and work with them for a day or a week. Operation Home Delivery, June 2006Habitat EKC joined in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in June 2006 by building three homes for families impacted by Hurricane Katrina. We assembled the materials needed to build a house and then, working with volunteers, we pre-built the frame of a home. The house was tacked together to ensure a rock-solid fit, then the frame was taken apart and the components placed, along with other necessary construction materials, in a container and shipped to Biloxi, MS along the Gulf Coast where families, volunteers, and builders reassembled the home.
Our thanks to the Lucky Seven Foundation, Expedia, and the listeners of Sports Radio 950 KJR AM Groz and Gas a Thon for their leadership support of this effort. Global Village Trips in 2005 - Paraguay, Jamaica and IndiaIn 2005 Habitat EKC staff was involved in leading building trips to Paraguay, Jamaica, and India. These are wonderful opportunities to combine travel with productive and needed help for International Habitat for Humanity affiliates.
|
