Still riding the momentum

Habitat for Humanity Los Angeles is still riding the wave of momentum that the JCWP 2007 gave us, Even though the 2008 JCWP (Now called the Jimmy AND Rosalyn Carter Work Project) in the gulf is right around the corner! The San Pedro and Vermont Village homes should be completed by the end of February, when a block party is planned for the new residents and their neighbors! Stay tuned for more information about that! Also, if you want to be part of the next JRCWP, check out their site for more info.

We also found a great blog by one of the Jimmy Carter Work Project volunteers from Singapore! Check out her awesome blog and pictures here!

A Very Special Volunteer - Read About JR Williams in his Hometown Newspaper

THE LIFE A HOUSE BUILT

JR Williams' escape from poverty started 19 years ago in a Habitat home
The life a house built JR Williams' escape from poverty started 19 years ago in a Habitat home
By Elizabeth Leland

JR Williams looked like just another volunteer taking time from his job at a brokerage firm to help build a Habitat for Humanity house.

He joined the Jimmy Carter Work Project in Los Angeles six weeks ago for many of the same humanitarian reasons as other volunteers, but Williams had one more reason: He once lived in a Habitat house.

READ THE WHOLE STORY

Veteran JCWP builder Tom, shares his wisdom with newbies!

Tom Dickinson was the 6A house leader at the San Pedro site whose advice to people wanting to get involved with JCWP is: "just come, get involved. You don’t need the know-how!" Tom is a Habitat For Humanity veteran who started volunteering for the Jimmy Carter Work Project in 1992 in DC; this years project was his sixteenth. Tom currently lives in Springfield, Virginia and volunteers with the Habitat affiliate there.
Tom’s favorite part of each Jimmy Carter Work Project is taking a quiet moment on a roof when all of the work is completed to survey the area. He said that being a small part of the end result and seeing a big sea of houses and knowing that he is helping towards changing people’s lives is what makes the biggest impact on him.

JCWP A Reunion with Old Friends

Susie Graber of Phoenix, AZ is proudly wearing her '95 JCWP T-shirt today as she guards the tool pods here at the Vermont Village build site. Susie and her husband have been attending JCWPs since 1988 and have traveled to the Phillipines, Nova Scotia, and Budapest.

Susie proudly mentions that her husband has been the house leader with Jimmy Carter on four different JCWPs. Lasting friendships come again during our conversation and Susie tells us about a couple from New Jersey whom they met years ago on a JCWP and whom they now travel with each year, sometimes in their RV. She has made so many friends over the years that she says the JCWP always feels like a reunion.

"It's is a very rewarding experience to help others. The lord has blessed us so much and we figure we can give back a week or two each year. It's worth it."

If you are not already friends with Susis Graber, you can meet her next May in the Gulf for the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project 2008!

A Kid at Heart

Rosemary Le is an active volunteer from Home Depot, one of our wonderful JCWP sponsors, who is having a very productive day. She was working so hard that it took several attempts to approach her.

"I'm having so much fun! Today I am installing siding, I learned how to use the power scissors, a nail gun and the saw!"

As excited Rosemary is about power tools, she's way more excited about the playground she's been coordinating for the children of this neighborhood with Home Depot partner Kaboom.




"Oh I can't wait for it! On December 6 we'll be out here for a six-hour event to construct their playground! People from our stores will be volunteering as well as the kids in this neighborhood who are over 13. The coolest part is that a month ago we had a 'design day' where all the kids helped us design their playground. We are trying our best to incorporate their suggestions into the final design."

Rosemary was building on this day with the Gonzalez family who happen to have 6 kids - which we're positive will love the playground!

Janelle wants to give more than just a week to the JCWP!

Janelle Mitchelle (right) is an AmeriCorps volunteer from Altoona, PA. This is Janelle’s first JCWP but she is not here to just build homes, she’s here to build lives. Janelle has developed a program for the week to help teach literacy to the young children who’ll be living in these new homes. She believes she can help the families by entertaining their kids while they work on their home and she’s created some Dr. Seuss-themed tutoring programs with her.

Janelle, who studies in Santa Barbara, contacted Habitat for Humanity of Greater L.A. to ask how she could help with the children and explained her ideas. They loved it and here she is. Oh and she’s also pretty handy with a hammer!

She says she loves meeting people from all over because everyone has a great story to tell (we agree.) She also loves learning new things, like conquering the nail gun. “It’s intimidating and powerful, but empowering at the same time. It feels so good to be dirty.”

“I hope to create ongoing programs for the kids and plan to be down here several weekends a month to spend time with these children. Many of them just want someone to read with them so that’s what I’ll do.”

When he's done on the roof, he'll start on the Flowers!

“I love meeting so many new people with common interests.”

Ryan is the dept. manager of Lawn and Garden for Lowe’s Long Beach and it’s his first JCWP. It’s a lot bigger than he thought it would be but he’s having a great time. He’s been painting, cleaning and framing windows since he’s been here.

With some construction experience, he says it’s been nice to share his knowledge with others who are building for the first time. “Seeing people out there with no building experience is great! From simple to complex, they are all doing it.”

When Ryan told his mom he’s been nominated to be one of the Lowe’s volunteers here this year, she was thrilled. “She started telling me that I’d see President Carter and all about the build, she knew more about it than I did and she was so happy! It got me really excited.”

Ryan is already planning to build with Habitat as often as he can locally…guess he’s got Habititis too.

“I wish I could say something clever, but I’m too tired!”

While walking by our friend and long-time volunteer, Cindy Hoag of Beach Cities Friends (pictured 3rd from left), she looked at us and said exhaustedly, “I’d rather be painting.”

Cindy is very active with Habitat of Greater L.A. and a familiar face on the build sites. Cindy and her friends started Beach Cities Friends in the South Bay area of Los Angeles as a way to raise money and awareness in the community. BCF began with simple get-togethers with friends and now boasts several annual events that raise tens of thousands. Since 2000 they have organized incredible fundraiser throughout the area and during this year’s JCWP they are proud to be sponsoring the homes the Torres and Suarez families.

Today Cindy is installing siding to a home, which she says can be very intimidating, adding that yesterday they had to redo a certain area 3 times. As proud as she is to have learned how to load and operate a nail gun, she says she’s most proud of the former BCF members who’ve gone on to become board members for Habitat GLA, including current board chairman David E. Lin and new board member John Smet.

“This is my first JCWP and I am meeting the neatest people from all over the world. I am working with some great guys from Georgia, who keep calling ma’am, which makes me feel kind of old, but they’re sweet. I can definitely have a second career as a painter, drywaller or sliding installer, that’s for sure!”

Do-it-yourselfer; Turned Volunteer

Rosalie Gap is a local from Lakewood, California and she has been volunteering since 2000. Rosalie first volunteered for Habitat during a Global Village in New Zealand. She’s always been a do-it-herselfer so she decided to look into opportunities to help build with Habitat and the first one she found was New Zealand. As a volunteer, Rosalie has installed drywall, insulation, countertops and painted.

She says her reason for volunteering is simply boredom. She had skills and a lot of time on her hands! One thing we have heard throughout the week is ‘lasting friendships’ – Rosalie is no exception. She says her fondest memory is of two young people who met on the New Zealand build – they were from Maine and Fresno – they dated and when they decided to marry, the entire New Zealand team of volunteers received an invitation to the wedding!

The biggest highlight for Rosalie this year was running into an old friend named Danny whom she met on a build in Northern Ireland in 2004.

This year, Rosalie is proud to have been selected as a mentor for a partner family.