Habitat for Humanity hosts ninth annual Youth Leadership Conference

ATLANTA (Nov. 7, 2014) — More than 250 young adult leaders from across the country are gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, today for Habitat for Humanity International’s ninth annual Youth Leadership Conference & Young Leaders Summit.

Sponsored by State Farm, the three-day conference recognizes the contributions of the more than 50,000 young people that Habitat has engaged on campuses and throughout communities during the past year.

“If we’re going to build a world where everyone has a decent home, we must start by sharing the message with young people that substandard housing shouldn’t be the norm,” said Jose Quinonez, Habitat for Humanity International’s director of volunteer and advocacy engagement. “Young people have a great deal of passion to improve the world around them, and this conference helps give them the tools and knowledge to make a real difference in their respective communities.”

Themed “Reconstruct Normal,” the conference features sessions on a variety of topics that aid efforts to address the need for affordable housing, including advocacy, fundraising and sustainable building. New to this year’s event is the addition of the Young Leaders Summit, which is designed to give local Habitat affiliates and volunteers seeking new outlets to engage young professionals the tools to expand volunteer efforts in their communities. The event will be capped off by a keynote address from Clive Rainey, Habitat’s first volunteer.

Habitat for Humanity seeks to mobilize passionate young people by promoting lifelong service so that future generations won’t have to know poverty housing. State Farm has served as the national corporate sponsor of Habitat’s youth programs since 2007. To date, more than half a million young people have been engaged and more than 40 million has been raised as a direct result of State Farm donations of 6.7 million.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Anchored by the conviction that housing provides a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty, Habitat has helped more than 4 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes since 1976. Habitat also advocates to improve access to decent and affordable shelter and supports a variety of funding models that enable families with limited resources to make needed improvements on their homes as their time and resources allow. As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. To learn more, donate or volunteer visit habitat.org.

About State Farm
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 41 on the 2014 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.