Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 in Americus, Georgia by Millard and Linda Fuller (former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn became involved with the organization in 1984). In 32 years, Habitat has built over 250,000 affordable homes for low income families through 2,250 affiliates in 90 countries all over the world. The Canadian Habitat for Humanity movement began in 1985.
There are a few things about this non-profit organization that really touches me: I love that the selected families are also expected to help build the house. That it’s not just built by volunteers. To know that each family member physically contributed to the construction of the home where they will live, hopefully for a couple of decades, is to me just awesome. The pride they must have felt… I think it’s something we should all be so fortunate to experience in our own lives, regardless of income levels. Second, Habitat accept all kinds of volunteers, from those who have professional working experience, to those who have an understanding or interest in learning to do something new. They need volunteers to build the house, do the landscaping, manage the volunteers, do fundraising work and other clerical tasks. There is really something for everyone.
The building season is upon us and if you would like to get involved, many of the international affiliates are holding their information sessions for prospective volunteers in the next couple of weeks for builds happening over the summer. You can find your local affiliate here or if you are planning a vacation, this is also a great way to give back to the community while abroad though their Global Village program.
I have wanted to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity for a few years now but the Montreal affiliate has only done four builds since it was created in 1998. I’m feeling hopeful for this year.
For those of you in Montreal, the information sessions for Habitat for Humanity’s 2008 Builds are happening now:
Wednesday April 9 @ 7:00 PM and Saturday April 12 @ 10:00 AM.
The address is: 1444 Union Ave., 2nd Floor Montreal, QC H3A 2B8 (McGill Metro)
Filed under: Events, Humanitarian, People, Travel, Volunteer Work | Tagged: affiliates, affordable housing, build, families, fundraising, habitat for humanity, information session, international, jimmy carter, low income, montreal, non-profit, organization, volunteer
