As August 3rd 2010 approaches marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we owe it to our children to make sure we do a better job of defending them in the wake of the next catastrophe.
Lakeland Habitatsupports this just cause. From pediatric care, nutrition and counseling to child-friendly shelters and temporary schools, defending kids in the coursework of emergencies requires that nonprofits, businesses, and federal, state and local governments work together.
Habitat for Humanity is working with Congress and the President to establish the National Commission on Kids and Disasters to be sure that children are never an afterthought in a catastrophe again. Read more and sign our petition today!Click Here…
Make a donation today and support Lakeland Habitat’s Housing efforts to help the less fortunate.
Memorial Day is a very important day for our country. We should never forget the men and women whose sacrifice makes our security and comfort possible. This weekend lets pause in gratitude to think about our troops past and present.
This year, Lakeland Habitat for Humanity will celebrate its 20th anniversary and complete its 100th house (and more). We are proud of what we have accomplished, but are constantly looking for ways to make our community stronger and healthier. At this time, we look to you to help us lay the groundwork for the success of future projects by participating in a brief survey based upon the information below.
To meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges, Lakeland Habitat for Humanity is considering a major campaign to raise $12,000,000 over a five-year period. This investment from donors, volunteers, residents, corporations and foundations would restore historic neighborhoods, create a one-of-a-kind community, and celebrate 20 years of providing decent housing.
To transform the lives of more families, Lakeland Habitat for Humanity will:
Partner with Parker Street Ministries and Lakeland’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) program to renovate 100+ existing homes in the Parker Street Community through our “Brush with Kindness” program;
Create Laurel Brook Village, an affordable, mixed-income community of 36 homes on 22 acres of land; and
Develop energy efficient projects, including an energy-producing solar farm at Laurel Brook Village.
Role of Community Support
We hope that you will help us plan for the anticipated campaign by participating in a brief survey. I am confident that your guidance will help us lay the groundwork for the success of these innovative and important projects
Our annual Hard Hat & Tool Belt Dinner is scheduled for April 15, 6:00 pm, at Higgenbotham Ranch, 2200 Ewell Road. If you have never attended, you have missed a great event. There is good food, music and fellowship followed with a reverse auction. The goal is to raise enough money to fund building a home for a deserving homeowner. You leave with a “feel good” feeling!
Barney and Carol Barnett personally donated two new houses – $60,000 for each home to Lakeland Habitat for Humanity.
The Ledger reports “Side by side with young men and women from Youth Build, a job training program, the Barnetts ceremonially raised the first wall of the 100th house to be built by the Lakeland chapter of Habitat for Humanity. They [personally] contributed $120,000 for the construction of two Habitat houses in the depressed Parker Street neighborhood. A third home will be built on an adjacent lot with loan repayment monies from families in the first two homes.
The first of the three homes, on nearby Peachtree Street, [is] mostly framed. It will be a two-story, four-bedroom home, purchased by Mark and Marvet Brooks, who have three children. The Barnetts looked over the home and chatted with the Brookses before walking over to the freshly poured concrete slab of the second home, which will be sold to Adam and Nicole George, who have two children. The Georges’ 3-year-old daughter, Faith, was diagnosed with luekemia after the family was approved for the home.”
Besides the Barnett’s personal donation of the two homes Publix Charities also donates every year to Lakeland Habitat for Humanity. Carol Barnett tells the Lakeland Ledger “We’re happy to have such a dynamic Habitat chapter in Lakeland. It was an easy decision,” she said.”
The Parker Street neighborhood has a reputation for drug activity and prostitution, but it is improving, said Claire Twomey, executive director of Lakeland Habitat. Even so, Twomey said, it took some persuasion for the Brookses and Georges to accept the location of their homes.
Frank Kendrick, chairman of the board of the midtown community redevelopment project, said bringing in families is important.
“We need families who want to raise their kids here. Habitat for Humanity – that’s what they do. These are nice, quality homes. Working-class families are exactly what we need to stabilize the community,” he said.”
The need for affordable housing in the Mekong region is immense. Some of the poorest people in Asia live along the countries touching The Mekong River. Nearly one-third of the population lives in poverty—many on less than one dollar per day.
Check back regularly for news and updates on the Carter Work Project.
From November 15–20, 2009,The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project will unite volunteers and families in need of decent, affordable housing in the Mekong region. During the weeklong build, volunteers will build with an estimated 175 families in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and China’s Sichuan Province.
Says President Carter, “Together during the week, we will help hundreds of families into decent housing and bring attention to an area where many people live in deplorable poverty.”
The project is also the beginning of a five-year Habitat for Humanity initiative to work with 50,000 families in the five countries.
Help a family in your community build a house and the hope of a better life!
By donating a car to Habitat’s Cars for Homes™ vehicle donation program, you help your local Habitat for Humanity affiliate build and rehabilitate houses in partnership with families in need of a hand up, not a hand out.
It is quick and easy to recycle your used cars, trucks, boats, RVs, motorcycles, construction equipment or other vehicles—running or not! Plus, you may be eligible for a tax deduction if you itemize. (Consult the IRS or your tax advisor for details.)
Donate a car, truck, boat or RV to Cars for Homes™ — Habitat’s official car donation program.
Call (877) 277-4344toll-free, or donate vehicles online.
Memorial Day is a very important day for our country. We should never forget the men and women whose sacrifice makes our security and comfort possible. This weekend lets pause in gratitude to think about our troops past and present.
