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| LINGK: As the 3rd anniversary of hurricane Katrina approaches, we've approaches, we've learned that Habitat's goal of building 1,000 homes has been reached. Will your organization continue to build housing in the gulf coast beyond the initial commitment? RAINEY: Absolutely! The first casualties that we dealt with were the six affiliates in the immediate area of New Orleans. These affiliates were flat on their backs with no offices, no computers, and no phone lines. Some of their own homes were destroyed. Our first goal was to help those affiliates get back up and operating so that we could react to the tremendous response that people were giving us in wanting to help the New Orleans area. We have now built over a thousand houses down there and our affiliates will continue to build. President and Mrs. Carter where there in May helping to build and they continue to bring attention to the area and get volunteers and others to come down there to work for the long haul. One of the joys of working there is the development of our partnership with others organizations. The Salvation Army has stepped up to the plate in the process of selecting home owners for Habitat, which was an overwhelming chore. We're hoping that the work they’ve done will become a national model for Habitat and the Salvation Army. LINGK: Could you share some information on your youth programs? RAINEY: Our youth programs are not only one of our most exciting programs, but also one of the best organized. Since young people love computers, and are good at them, that's the first and best resource for discovering how they can get involved with Habitat at www.habitat.org. By visiting the web site they can find a variety of wonderful things available for little kids, and they can learn about housing and the need for it. Obviously, little kids cannot go out and build or visit a Habitat site but they can go on the computer and learn how they can contribute their energy, talent, and resources. We also have programs for teenagers, but you have to be at least sixteen to build on a site. On line you will find programs that will tell you how you can get involved in international work, campus chapters in high schools and colleges and universities. Again, the site is a wonderful resources for young-people to learn about Habitat. LINGK: What are some of the best ways to contribute to the work of habitat for humanity? RAINEY: The best way to contribute is to find out what's going on in your own community. What are the needs there and what is Habitat doing there. Many people know about Habitat, but they don't know that there are local programs. They can go onto our web site to find out where we build. They can also learn how to get involved wherever Habitat is located, by participating in one of the tremendous global village work trips. I've done three of them in the last year to Guatemala. If you can't help build, there are always opportunities as a committee member to help find land, raise money or help to select deserving families. Continues on page 5 |
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