Habitat for Humanity of Los Angeles welcomes the Jimmy Carter Work Project of 2007

Habitat for Humanity, like most things stemming from the goodness of people’s hearts, had humble beginnings and a slow start. The original concept for the non-profit began in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller in a small town in Georgia. It wasn’t until 10 years later, with the support of high-profile volunteers, President Carter and his wife Rosalynn, that the non-profit sparked interest all over the nation.

In November of 1984, in search of ways to contribute to social justice and basic human rights, the Carter’s created the first Jimmy Carter Work Project in New York City. Together with Habitat for Humanity they renovated a six-story building for 19 families in need. Their personal involvement brought visibility to the organization, and the project has been Internationally recognized every year since.

So what does this mean for Los Angeles in 2007? Plenty. Los Angeles is overcrowded and 88% of the residents cannot afford the median home price of over $540,000. Furthermore nearly 1 in 5 residents lives in Poverty, that’s 1.8 million people. Hardly the movie-star mansions that people imagine when they think of Los Angeles. We hope you’ll visit this blog often to hear from the folks who will be hands-on during this year’s JCWP and please visit http://www.jcwpla.org/ to meet our amazing families.

The Jimmy Carter Work Project will kick off a 3-year campaign by Habitat for Humanity of Greater L.A. to build 250 homes. Won’t you join us as we build hope and change lives in the community? Visit http://www.habitatla.org/ for more info.