From Staff Reports
AMERICUS — Last week, thousands of volunteers with The Fuller Center for Housing in more than 25 U.S. cities and nine other countries were building, renovating or dedicating 100 homes for families in need as part of the inaugural Millard Fuller Legacy Build. Frances and Jack McNeely of Americus traveled to Lanett, Ala. — the epicenter of the project — to participate in the construction of six new homes and the repair of eight others. The McNeelys were helping to improve the face of an entire neighborhood.
From Arkansas to Peru, from Indiana to El Salvador, more than 1,000 volunteers participated in some way during the week-long event inspired by The Fuller Center’s and Habitat for Humanity’s late founder, Millard Fuller. As president of Habitat for 29 years, he oversaw the housing of more than one million people. As president of The Fuller Center for Housing, he continued working toward his vision of a world without poverty housing.
The Millard Fuller Legacy Build is anchored in Lanett, Ala., because it was the hometown of Fuller. He had planned to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary in August 2009, with the event. After his unexpected death on Feb. 3, 2009, Fuller Center supporters refocused the event on honoring and continuing Fuller’s life work.
“Volunteers are the heart and soul of the work of The Fuller Center for Housing. Not only do they help keep costs down so that the financial support we receive can build more houses, they have the opportunity to work side-by-side with people from different social, religious and ethnic backgrounds doing something that everyone can feel good about,” said Fuller Center President David Snell. “We are so grateful to have each and every volunteer with us in the Chattahoochee Valley, sharing our vision of building a better world, one house at a time.”
The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005 American Housing Survey reports that almost two million people live with a hole in their roof, 3.7 million live with broken windows and 2.5 million live in a house where the foundation is crumbling beneath them. RealtyTrac reports that 2008 foreclosure filings are up 81 percent from 2007 and 225 percent from 2006. The current need for simple, decent, affordable housing is tremendous. This fall, The Fuller Center for Housing is stepping up its work toward turning around these distressing figures.
