One More Time (Habitat Work Day)

Saturday, August 15 is your last chance to get in on a Connections work day at Chatham Habitat this summer.

Why should you turn out? Check out Kevin's story below:

I've been blessed to be employed by Habitat for Humanity for the past 21 years and I can say that I still feel God's hand in the work of Habitat every time I visit a work site. Habitat is a ministry and it is all about a partnership between those in need of housing, those with time, skills, and resources to spare, and God. Habitat is truly a hand-up and not a hand out. Families buy the homes that are sold at no profit and get a 0% interest mortgage and are required to invest hundreds of hours of "sweat equity" in order to buy their home.

Recently I was at a Habitat event in Fort Worth, Texas and heard an inspiring story of one of the Habitat homeowners there, Lydia Perez. To keep it short, an elderly gentleman in Lydia's neighborhood experienced a fire that destroyed his home. He had no resources or insurance to rebuild so he began to live on his property in a camper shell that he had on his pick up truck. Within a few months, Fort Worth was starting to experience the heat of the summer and Lydia approached the man and said to him, "You can't continue to live in the camper shell during the summer. Don't you have somewhere else to go?" He didn't. Lydia told him that he needed to come stay in her house. They were total strangers. He an 80+ Anglo WWII veteran, and she a 30-something Mexican immigant. Lydia reached out to Habitat to build him a home and they said they couldn't because he didn't have the necessary income to qualify for the program. Undaunted, Lydia decided to have a yard sale. She reached out to the media--newspapers, TV, radio and the plight of this gentleman became a city-wide cause. The yard sale raised $50,000 in donations in a single day! It was dubbed the "self-perpetuating yard sale". People would come to the sale and buy an item while bringing several other items to donate. Habitat supported Lydia in her effort and found a contractor to agree to build the gentleman a brand new home on his lot. They said he had tears in his eyes the day he moved out of Lydia's house.

I can't promise such a story unfolding in Pittsboro on Saturday, August 15, but it is an opportunity to be part of a huge, worldwide circle of giving that was initiated by God's love for us and perpetuated by thousands of people of faith giving of their time, talent, and resources in response to their faith.

We need at least 15 workers (16 and up) and several people that can provide lunch for 25. Please contact Kevin Camnpbell at kcampbell58@gmail.com if you are interested in being part of the group. We'll leave Connections at 7:30 Saturday morning, begin work in Pittsboro at 8:30, and leave Pittsboro around 3pm. We'll have some exterior siding work and hopefully interior trim work as well. This will be our last chance to work on single mom Shalena's and her 4 year old son Nicholas' home.

Check out the website HERE.

Lending A Hand

On Saturday, June 20 some folks from the Connections Church community went back out to continue to work on a home with Chatham Habitat for Humanity on Acorn Park Lane in the Chatman Oak subdivision of Pittsboro, NC. The project includes construction of five new houses for families eagerly helping make their dream of a home of their own become reality. 22 volunteers plus international and local Habitat directors participated in the event.

Thanks so much to Calvert Cafe and Catering for providing lunch to fuel the workers! The boxed lunches included turkey and havarti on sourdough, roast beef & asiago on rye, ham and provolone on wheat, tarragon chicken salad on pecan raisin bread, baked chips, fruit, and cookies. Needless to say, they were a hit.

We'll be returning to work on the home again on July 18th & August 15th. If you are interested in joining us, contact Kevin Campbell (kcampbell58@gmail.com). To learn more about Chatham Habitat or Calvert Cafe and Catering, check out the info below:

Chatham Habitat for Humanity

Since 1989, Chatham Habitat has worked to change substandard housing conditions by making home ownership possible for nearly 90 families throughout the county. In the process, Habitat is able to transform lives, improve neighborhoods, and most importantly give hope and strength to our communities.

Calvert Café & Catering

Calvert Café & Catering provides NC Triangle-area businesses with exceptional products and impeccable catering service. Specializing in corporate catering at a variety of levels, Calvert Café and Catering offers event services from concept to cleanup.