Field Notes
With the addition of eight new affiliates in August and September, Habitat for Humanity International has 1,512 affiliates in the United States (including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) and is also represented in 63 other countries. In addition, there are 568 campus chapters around the world.


NORTHEAST

(Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont): Lisa Reitz, 200 S. Church St., West Chester, PA 19382, (800) 434-5463.

Camden, N.J.—Some 1,400 Jewish athletes from around the world converged on Camden in August to compete in an Olympic-style event called the Maccabi Games. An integral part of the event included taking time out from the competitive events to participate in "A Day of Caring and Sharing." Among other activities, some 40 athletes from Los Angeles, Calif.; New York City; Miami, Fla.; and central New Jersey volunteered with Metropolitan Camden HFH by painting the inside of a three-story rowhouse and picking up trash outside.

New affiliate—Warren County HFH, Washington, N.J.


CENTRAL ATLANTIC

(District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia): Sandra Graham, PO Box 1712, Easley, SC 29641, (864) 855-8775.

Special area building needs—Five Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the region suffered severe flood damage to 16 houses during Hurricane Floyd in September. Fourteen Habitat families were forced out of their homes; two other houses were unoccupied at the time. There is an ongoing need for volunteer work teams, construction materials, appliances, windows, doors and cash for the next several months. To help, contact Ed_Carr@habitat.org or call (910) 483-7355.

New affiliate—HFH of Edgefield Co., Edgefield, S.C.

New campus chapter—Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C.


SOUTHEAST

(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico): Dick Weber, 226 N. Laura St., Jacksonville, FL 32202-3502, (800) 637-9532.

Albany, Ga.—When most Georgians were concerned with settling down for the first game of the World Series on Oct. 23, scores of volunteers showed up on a Flint River HFH work site for "Midnight Madness." From 12:01 a.m. through 8 a.m. the following morning-aided by plenty of electric lights-an entire house was framed. Each volunteer donated $100 toward the cost of materials and paid an additional $10 registration fee. Flint River HFH's house building goals for the past several years have been in direct response to the devastation caused by massive flooding in 1994, when 24 inches of rain fell in 24 hours in the area.


MID-AMERICA

(Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana): Jim Crowley, PO Box 60410, Nashville, TN 37206, (615) 254-6300.

Brentwood, Tenn.—It seems there is good reason Tennessee is dubbed the "Volunteer State." In June, after Brentwood Academy students raised a whopping $90,000 during the 1998-99 school year, Brentwood Academy parents, faculty and alumni swung into action and built two Habitat houses in partnership with HFHof Williamson County in little more than a week. Among the students' fund-raising ideas: "Alaska Bash," whereby families paid $25 to watch BA's football season opener against the Chugick (Alaska) Mustangs live via satellite from Alaska to the academy gymnasium. A special education segment, featuring Alaskan students, was shown during the half-time show.

New affiliate—HFH of Findlay/ Hancock County, Findlay, Ohio.

New campus chapter—Brescia University, Owensboro, Ky.


MIDWEST

(Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin): Bill Ward, 1920 S. Laflin St., Chicago, IL 60608, (800) 643-7845.

Winona, Minn.—Since 1985, when Twin Cities HFH became the first Habitat affiliate in the state, another 30 affiliates have sprung up. In July, 5-year-old HFH of Winona built its eighth house, a significant accomplishment in its own right. But the house dedication was cause for double the joy, as the house represented the 500th Habitat house built statewide. To add to the celebration, some 115 bicyclists from 16 states and the District of Columbia rode to Winona and stayed overnight at the Winona State University campus. The cyclists were participants in the Habitat 500 Bike Tour. Each cyclist paid a $100 registration fee and raised a required minimum of $750 for a designated Habitat affiliate.

New affiliate—HFH of Fulton County, Canton, Ill.


MIDDLE STATES

(Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas): Joe Gatlin, PO Box 3157, Waco, TX 76707, (800) 682-1980.

Kearney, Neb.—Because of who they are, this volunteer building crew describes the amount of time they spent building a Habitat house in "man hours"-1,600 of them. The Nebraska National Guard Unit HQ 1-95-some 43 guardsmen ranging in age from 19 to 50-helped Kearney Area HFH build its 21st house this summer. Captain Ross Finley mobilized the group (none were required to participate, and no state funds were used to compensate any of the men who volunteered on the build); some traveling up to 200 miles to participate. "The volunteers loved it and went away feeling good inside," says Finley.

New affiliates—HFH of Hempstead County, Hope, Ark.; HFH Winn, Winnfield, La.; HFH of Carthage, Carthage, Texas; HFH of Greater Georgetown, Georgetown, Texas.

New campus chapter—Tulane University, New Orleans, La.


MOUNTAIN STATES

(Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming): Bruce Peterson, 1005 N.W. Galveston, Bend, OR 97701, (800) 365-4637.

Kellogg, Idaho—For the fourth consecutive summer, 6-year-old Silver Valley HFH in Kellogg, Idaho, was granted permission by an unlikely organization to solicit donations: the Department of Transportation. Since the only way to get in and out of the Silver Valley is via Interstate 90, which runs from Seattle, Wash., to Boston, Mass., the Dena Mora rest stops on the eastbound and westbound lanes get lots of travelers. Each January, Silver Valley HFH writes the DOT requesting summertime dates and permission to set up a booth that displays photos of Silver Valley HFH houses. The affiliate offers homemade cookies, coffee and punch for a donation (selling is strictly prohibited). One traveler left a $50 donation; several others gave $20. Susan Garnsey, who orchestrated this year's fund raiser, says it took commitments of about 10-15 dozen cookies and lots of pots of hot coffee and cold Kool-Aid for each site, each day, to raise the $1,500 collected in six days during August. "It's a lot of work, but it's been a really good fund raiser for us," says Garnsey. "Lots of people thank us for being there."


WEST

(Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada): Rolf Bell, 1440 Broadway, Suite 205, Oakland, CA 94612, (510) 286-8960.

San Francisco, Calif.—In the spring, 15 first graders from Gordon Lau Elementary School in the Chinatown district of San Francisco hopped onto the city bus alongside their teacher, Concepcion Padilla. Forty-five minutes later, they arrived at San Francisco HFH, paraded into the office with a banner and some loose change, and presented it as a gift to be delivered to Honduras HFH by the local affiliate's executive director, Nana Parks McCarthy, who planned to lead a work camp team there in July. Following the field trip, Padilla later delivered the several jugs of change the students were unable to manage on the bus trip-a total donation of $600. Padilla, a single mother of four daughters and Habitat homeowner since February 1999, organized the fund raiser (as well as contributed more than 700 sweat equity hours on the construction of her house).


WASHINGTON OFFICE

Tom Jones, 1010 Vermont Ave. N.W. Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 628-9171.

—Karen Free

Habitat Around the World
Affiliate Countries— Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Armenia · Australia · Bangladesh · Belize · Bolivia · Botswana · Brazil · Burundi · Canada · Central African Republic · Colombia · Costa Rica · Democratic Republic of Congo · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Ethiopia · Fiji · Germany · Ghana · Great Britain · Guatemala · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Hungary · India · Indonesia · Jamaica · Japan · Kenya · Kyrgyzstan · Malawi · Malaysia · Mexico · Nepal · Netherlands · New Zealand · Nicaragua · Nigeria · Northern Ireland · Pakistan · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Poland · Portugal · Republic of Korea · Romania · Slovenia · Solomon Islands · South Africa · Sri Lanka · Tanzania · Thailand · Trinidad and Tobago · Uganda · United States, Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico · Zambia · Zimbabwe


Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, December/January 2000.
This article may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
©1999 Habitat for Humanity International