What counts in Hillsboro, Ore.
Three student groups in Washington County raised a total of more than $4,100 in loose change for Willamette West Habitat by counting the electrical outlets, rooms, doors and water faucets in their houses. The by a recommended donation — 10 cents for every room, 3 cents for every light fixture — and placed that amount into a house-shaped bank. The student participants from Bethel United Church of Christ, Gaarde Christian School and St. Pius Catholic Church presented their gifts to Habitat earlier this year.

Where Habitat ranks among private builders in the United States
In May, BUILDER magazine announced its annual list of the top-100 producing home builders in the United States. Habitat for Humanity International was the year’s top private builder, with its 5,459 closings in 2008, and ranked 11th on the overall list, which includes publicly traded home builders.

Who made Habitat home movies in Tulsa, Okla.
In May, country music stars Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks helped celebrate Habitat’s National Women Build Week, which is sponsored by Lowe’s. The duo built in Tulsa, Okla., and Atlanta during the event, as volunteers fanned out to more than 200 Habitat construction sites across all 50 states. To see Yearwood and Brooks on the build site, visit Habitat YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/HabitatforHumanity.

How Habitat kids play in Collier County, Fla.
Best friends Sadath Jean-Pierre and Patrick Bastien, both young men whose parents own Habitat houses in Immokalee, Fla., will play college football this year. Jean-Pierre, a cornerback, began summer classes and workouts at The Citadel in South Carolina in June, and Bastien, a defensive end, begins at the University of Alabama Birmingham campus this fall.