Field Notes
With the addition of seven new affiliates in December and January, Habitat for Humanity International has 1,531 affiliates in the United States (including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) and also is represented in 63 other countries. In addition, there are 588 campus chapters around the world.


NORTHEAST

(Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont): Lisa Reitz, 200 S. Church St., West Chester, PA 19382, (800) 434-5463.

Good news from the Bay state: The town of Marshfield (Mass.) has donated a piece of land to South Shore HFH on which it will begin house construction in May. In Duxbury, an ad hoc committee of South Shore HFH is in the formation stages.

New campus chapters -- Saint Joseph's College-Maine, Portland, Maine; Union-Endicott High School, Endicott, N.Y.; Rhode Island College, Providence, R.I.



CENTRAL ATLANTIC

(District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia): Sandra Graham, PO Box 1712, Easley, SC 29641, (864) 855-8775.

In April, 50 area congregations joined HFH of Greater Greensboro (N.C.) for an "All Faith Blitz," as the area's faith communities pooled their resources of volunteers, prayers and funds to build eight houses.

New affiliate -- HFH of Culpeper County, Culpeper, Va.



MID-AMERICA

(Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana): Jim Crowley, PO Box 60410, Nashville, TN 37206, (615) 254-6300.

Ever wonder how it all comes together for Habitat affiliates that depend on support from their communities? Greater Canton HFH (Ohio) is one example of how affiliates benefit from partnerships. In its recent newsletter, thanks went out to a local landscaping company that has been donating landscaping materials since 1992; a title company that has donated its closing costs for the past 12 years; and the local refuse company, which has donated its Dumpster servicing for this year.

New campus chapters -- Apollo High School, Owensboro, Ky.; Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Carbondale, Ill.


SOUTHEAST

(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico): Dick Weber, 226 N. Laura St., Jacksonville, FL 32202-3502, (800) 637-9532.

Highlands Co. HFH in Sebring, Fla., welcomed some short-term guests in January, when the occupants of 30 motor coaches built a Habitat house during a two-week "Busy Beaver Build." The group raised $20,000 of the house's cost; the Safari Motor Coach Corp. donated $15,000.

For the past several years, a group of HFH of Lake County (Fla.), volunteers have diligently sorted, soaked and sold postage stamps, bulk-mail stamps, foreign stamps, stamps from picture postcards and stamped envelopes which, in turn, have been sold to stamp companies and traders to raise funds to build a Habitat house. This year, the work pays off when the first "stamp house" will be built. If you would like to contribute stamps, call HFH of Lake County at (352) 728-2611.

Twenty-two-year-old HFH of Collier County (Naples, Fla.) celebrated the completion of its 300th house at the end of March.

New Affiliate -- Cochran-Blekely County HFH, Cochran, Ga.

New campus chapter -- Brookstone High School, Columbus, Ga.



MIDDLE STATES

(Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas): Joe Gatlin, PO Box 3157, Waco, TX 76707, (800) 682-1980.

Habitat for Humanity co-founder Linda Fuller, along with First Ladies Janet Huckabee and Cathy Keating, at a Women Build event in Dallas, Texas, sponsored by Whirlpool. (2000)

Beaumont HFH (Texas) has built or renovated 34 houses in partnership with families since 1979. For the past seven years, efforts have focused on Habitat Park, an entire city block where a total of 18 Habitat houses will have been built by this summer.

HFH of Kerrville (Texas) celebrated its 10th anniversary late last year. The affiliate has built 30 houses.

In November, singer/actor Harry Connick Jr. announced his support of New Orleans Area HFH at a press conference that culminated in a jazz funeral symbolizing the death of blighted and substandard housing and the resurrection of decent shelter in New Orleans, Connick's hometown. On May 4, Connick's band performs at "Jazz Fest," an event to which Connick is donating a block of prime seats to benefit New Orleans Area HFH. The next day, Connick will help raise the walls on a Habitat house.

New campus chapter -- Clarksdale High School, Clarksdale, Miss.; Sterling College, Sterling, Kan.; Northeast Community College, Norfolk, Neb.



MOUNTAIN STATES

(Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming): Bruce Petersen, 1005 N.W. Galveston, Bend, OR 97701, (800) 365-4637.

HFH of Metro Denver (Colo.) celebrates its 20th birthday this year, having built, by the end of 1999, a total of 144 homes housing 445 children and 228 adults.

New affiliates -- HFH Fremont County, Penrose, Colo.; HFH of Teller County, Woodland Park, Colo.


WEST

(Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada): Dick Kuegeman, 1440 Broadway, Suite 205, Oakland, CA 94612, (510) 286-8960.

A Habitat youth group in LaVerne, Calif., held a "Bowling Mania" fund-raiser last summer to benefit Pomona Valley HFH. More than 50 young people and adults raised some $475 for the affiliate.

Five high school-aged students pedaled more than 3,400 miles across the United States in 44 days last summer and raised more than $35,000 for Willamette West HFH in Portland, Ore.


MIDWEST

(Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin): Bill Ward, 1920 S. Laflin St., Chicago, IL 60608, (800) 643-7845.

Milwaukee HFH (Wis.) has a "10 most wanted" list, but not because it's looking for criminals. Rather, building supplies, such as: 6- to 8-foot stepladders, shop vacs, motor-driven wire brush, weekday warehouse volunteer for inventory and stocking, one 12" radial-arm saw, construction wheelbarrows, brooms, push brooms and one-gallon plastic pails. If you can help, contact its office at (414) 562-6100.

Twin Cities HFH is gearing up for its eighth annual Habitat 500, a 500-mile bike ride scheduled for July 16-22. Last year's ride included cyclists from 17 states and the District of Columbia and raised more than $220,000 for designated Habitat affiliates. For more information, or to register, contact Erica Benisch at (612) 331-4090, ext. 623, or visit the Habitat 500 Web site at www.habitat500.org.

New affiliates -- HFH of East Central South Dakota, Madison, S.D.; Arenac County HFH, Standish, Mich.; HFH of Osceola County, Reed City, Mich.


WASHINGTON OFFICE

Tom Jones, 1010 Vermont Ave. N.W. Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 628-9171.

— by Karen Free


Habitat Around the World


AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST

Harry Goodall, PO Box 11179, Hatfield, Pretoria 0083, South Africa. Tel. 011-27-12-430-9200

Leading the way for other young people in Africa, students at the Makerere University Kampala in Uganda formed a campus chapter in 1997 as a result of their interest in volunteerism. Since then, the MUK chapter has participated in a "Tour on Duty" to Masindi to help build and raise awareness; a Bike and Build in Iganga; and a Women's Build in Masindi in addition to other projects. Their work has been a catalyst throughout the country because local people are inspired by seeing young people demonstrate such a spirit of volunteerism.

Habitat Ghana exceeded 1,500 completed houses by last September. That country's affiliates plan now to reach a goal of 2,000 houses by the end of this year.

A 15K walk marked the completion of the 100th house built by HFH Botswana's Francistown affiliate in September. The homeowner, Margaret Ramotho, is a widow who supports her family with subsistence wages by working on a local farm.


ASIA/PACIFIC

Steve Weir, Ocean Tower 1, 22nd floor, 170/68, Soi Sukhumvit 16, Rachadapisek, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand, 011-66-2-261-3270, office@hfhap.org

HFHI founder Millard Fuller made his first journey to Nepal in January. While there, he dedicated Nepal Habitat's 111th house, and had an audience with His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev.

Continuing his travels, Fuller went to Trichy, India, where he dedicated HFH India's 5,000th house. The dedication drew the largest crowd ever for such an event -- more than 6,000 people from the community were in attendance.

HFH Bangladesh -- a fledgling affiliate in the world's most densely populated nation -- dedicated its first two houses in January with the Mymensingh affiliate.

By Christmas 1999, local affiliates in the Philippines had completed a total of 540 houses that were sponsored by local and international donors to the Jimmy Carter Work Project. In March 1999, 293 of the houses were built during the JCWP, with the balance built throughout the year. The visibility and awareness of Habitat as a result of the JCWP have boosted opportunities for land acquisition, as well as for site, board and affiliate development.

New campus chapters: -- Philippine Christian University, Manila, Philippines; Hong Kong International School, Tai Tam, Hong Kong; Kyoto Nishi High School, Kyoto, Japan.


CANADA

Robert Snider, 40 Albert St., Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3S2, (519) 885-4565, hfhc@sentex.net

Sunrise on Easter Sunday (April 23) will see HFH Seaway Valley in Cornwall, Ontario, dedicating Canada's first "Home for Easter" build.

There are now 12 ReStores throughout the nation, in Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Ottawa, London, Calgary, Windsor, Waterloo, Toronto, Barrie, Owen Sound and Regina. The revenue generated from the ReStores was enough to build 10 houses in 1998 and 16 in 1999.

Volunteers are needed for the upcoming Ed Scheryer Work Project, scheduled for July 2000. For information, call HFH Canada.


EUROPE/COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES

Ian Walkden, HFHI, 121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709, (229) 924-6935, ext. 2137 or 2495, Europe/CIS_Area_Office@habitat.org.

As Romania faced its harshest winter in 30 years, 10 new Habitat homeowners were snug in their houses in Beius. The houses were built by more than 200 international and Romanian volunteers during last August's "Eclipse Build" in partnership with HFH Beius. Because winters in that country are brutal at best, and houses are warmed only by wood-burning ceramic brick furnaces, the Habitat house design required significant insulation. Thanks to a donation from The Dow Chemical Co., the houses are wrapped in a warm blanket of Styrofoam brand insulation. Reports in January from Beius described homeowners as wearing T-shirts indoors, despite the two feet of snow and the record-breaking temperatures outdoors.


LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN

Stephen Mickler, SJO-2268, Unit 101-C, P. O. Box 025216, Miami, FL 33102-5216, 011- 506-296-8120, LatinAmCar@habitat.org

Habitat Para La Humanidad Paraguay dedicated four houses in December in Limpio, a community on the outskirts of Asunción.

A single mother of three was "home" for Christmas in Belize last December, as HFH Belize completed its first house mid-month. The woman had owned land for six years, but had lacked the means to build a house on it.

HFHI's Latin America/ Caribbean area department continues to build in the aftermath of hurricanes Mitch and Georges. As of the end of 1999, affiliates have built 233 houses in El Salvador, 1,913 in Guatemala, 620 in Honduras, 81 in Nicaragua and 98 in the Dominican Republic. That represents a total of 2,945 houses in 12 months housing 14,725 people.

— by Milana McLead



Habitat Affiliate Countries— Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Armenia · Australia · Bangladesh · Belize · Bolivia · Botswana · Brazil · Burundi · Canada · Central African Republic · Colombia · Costa Rica · Democratic Republic of Congo · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Ethiopia · Fiji · Germany · Ghana · Great Britain · Guatemala · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Hungary · India · Indonesia · Jamaica · Japan · Kenya · Kyrgyzstan · Malawi · Malaysia · Mexico · Nepal · Netherlands · New Zealand · Nicaragua · Nigeria · Northern Ireland · Pakistan · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Poland · Portugal · Republic of Korea · Romania · Slovenia · Solomon Islands · South Africa · Sri Lanka · Tanzania · Thailand · Trinidad and Tobago · Uganda · United States, Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico · Zambia · Zimbabwe


Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, April/May 2000.
This article may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
©1999 Habitat for Humanity International