An eye-opener

Gulf experience motivates Realtor volunteers

Covington, La.—Len Ferber led 22 volunteers from the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors on a Habitat for Humanity build in the Gulf Coast. In temperatures that twice reached as high as 118 degrees on the heat index, the team framed houses, completed roof trussing and added doors and porches onto several houses in Habitat’s Faith Village neighborhood in Covington, La.

“It took a while to get everything assembled and organized, ready for the trip – and it was a grueling week,” Ferber says, “but everybody had an excellent time and everybody wants to do it again.”

Ferber’s experience underscores the ongoing need for volunteers all along the Gulf Coast. Habitat for Humanity has more than 1,300 houses built or under construction in the Gulf – with many more still to come. Tens of thousands of Habitat volunteers have given their time and energy in the region over the past two years, but many more are still required.

In 2006, the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) challenged its state Realtor® associations to contribute funding and volunteers to help with Habitat’s rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast.

To date, NAR has donated $3.6 million, which is enough money to fully fund 48 houses in the region. In addition, 24 state Realtor® associations have committed to a week-long build. Sixteen of those states have already fulfilled their promise. The remaining teams have builds scheduled between now and early 2008.

Ferber is one of more than 30 Realtors who have participated in Habitat’s Global Village team leader training, and the Covington build was his third volunteer experience in the region. He first volunteered, along with hundreds of other Realtors, at Habitat’s Musician’s Village in New Orleans during the NAR Realtors® Conference and Expo there in November 2006. The brutal reality of how much more work still remains in communities such as New Orleans’ Ninth Ward convinced Ferber to go through Habitat’s team leader training.

In the fall of 2006, the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® team prepared for its Gulf Coast trip by participating in a Home-In-A-Box Build in their home state, framing a house that was later shipped to the coast. When Ferber and the team arrived in Covington this past August, they were able to help continue building the very house they framed back home.

And Ferber didn’t forget about his initial New Orleans experience, either. He took his teammates on a tour of the Ninth Ward the first day they were in Louisiana before getting to work. “It was a real eye-opening experience for everyone. Ninety percent of them hadn’t seen any of that before,” Ferber says.

The entire experience has motivated the team to return to the Gulf again – they are already beginning to plan another trip this fall.

“Local affiliates need volunteers real badly down there, and they’ve got to have people truly dedicated to it,” Ferber says. “We got 22 professional Realtors to give up a week of their vacation to go down there and help out, so I’m real proud of that.”