Carter Work Project 2008

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Carter Work Project 2008

Hope Beyond the Challenges
In early May 2008, thousands of volunteers from around the globe, including close to 100 Canadians, made their way to communities in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, to work alongside Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, during Habitat’sannual ‘Blitz Building’ event – the 25th Carter Work Project. This one week “Blitz Build” event included full house build projects, a “Framing Frenzy” (the construction of wall panels for future projects), and finalizing homes constructed earlier.

In a perfect world, it would take about six or seven weeks to build a basic house, and in most locations it takes about 12 to 16 weeks to build a Habitat for Humanity home. But during the Carter Work Project, the bulk of work was completed in just one week for almost 100 homes throughout the region, with most affiliates reporting that they needed only a few more weeks to get these houses ready for occupancy.

Canadian Muscle in New Orleans
A group of 50 Canadians were among hundreds of volunteers from all over the New Orleans area supporting the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate during the Carter Work Project. This particular affiliate built seven homes from the ground up; finished and dedicated 25 homes, that began January 1, 2008; and started 15 homes (start to dry-in status). The homes were spread throughout the Upper Ninth Ward, Westbank and Hollygrove areas of New Orleans. The week was full of work, fun and community-building as future homeowners came in contact with volunteers as their homes were built.

"Our Canadian friends have been supportive, I can't say enough. We would not have accomplished as much as we have to date without the dedication and commitment of Canadian volunteers coming down month after month, week after week, over the past three years." - Jim Pate, Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity New Orleans

A Well-Oiled Machine
As in many past Carter Work Projects, the event ran like a welloiled machine. Unfortunately, weather played a factor on the final two days of the intense building week, with thunderstorms forcing most volunteers to delay their work. However, in spite of this interruption, construction supervisors for the host affiliates said volunteers should be proud of what they had accomplished – especially given the even shorter time span than planned. The CEO from Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Gulf Coast, Chris Monforton, noted that there was much more to be happy about:

$4.8 million cash and building materials donated;
two plots of land donated by the city of Biloxi; and,
the amazing work of the Salvation Army, which helped things go even more smoothly.

Much More To Do!
Of course, while much was accomplished during the 2008 Carter Work Project, there’s much more work to do in order to provide adequate housing for families in need along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Habitat for Humanity has partnered with over 1,500 low income families to help them successfully re-establish themselves many low income households in New Orleans and communities throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast have not changed much in the three years following the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And while Habitat’s accomplishments have been much appreciated, thousands of hard-working families throughout this region still live in FEMA trailers, or have been displaced throughout other parts of the U.S.

The Challenge: Volunteers Needed
At the closing ceremonies in Biloxi, Mississippi, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter challenged volunteers to remember the Gulf Coast long after their departure. “Return to volunteer again”, he instructed. “Tell others to get involved. Don’t let anyone forget.”

"Habitat needs 600 volunteers every day on the Gulf Coast. This is a step on a long road to make this a beautiful place in America once again." - President Jimmy Carter

How You Can Help Build Hope
Hope has reached the U.S. Gulf Coast, but the work is not done yet. Please consider how you might contribute to this valuable work. Two opportunities worth considering are donating online, or participating in a Global Village Team going to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Canadian volunteers in New Orleans helped “Blitz Build” this home over one week from the ground up during the 25th Carter Build Project in May 2008

Volunteers hard at work! Gulf Coast affiliates could use upwards of 150 volunteers a day each to help make a real difference