An Encompassing Vision

	"In-fill" construction will allow Habitat affiliates in Benton Harbor and Detroit to revitalize existing neighborhoods.

While Benton Harbor and Detroit may be the host sites for this year's Jimmy Carter Work Project, they certainly are not the only sites.

Throughout the state of Michigan, thousands of volunteers will build houses as they participate in the JCWP from their own backyards.

Michigan has 85 Habitat for Humanity affiliates, and 63 of those--74 percent--will build as part of the project.

"The affiliates have been getting ready for this project now for over a year," said Jerry Hollister, special events director for HFH Michigan, Habitat's state-level organization. "And we're very excited about the number of homes that will be built away from the host cities."

To build a home as part of the JCWP, an affiliate must complete and dedicate a home on June 24, the date of the project's conclusion. Given the climate and building schedule in Michigan, Hollister said, many of the smaller affiliates began building their houses months ago, working throughout the winter. "Many 'one-house-a-year' affiliates will end up building three homes in two years," he said, "and many will strive to continue that pace."

Additionally, approximately 100 houses will be blitz built across the state during the month of June, which, when combined with those built at the host sites June 19-24, will bring to more than 230 the total number of JCWP Habitat houses built throughout Michigan.