Carter Appeals for Habitat's Continued Presence in Gulf
Posted on: Thursday, 15 May 2008, 21:00 CDT
BILOXI, Miss. _ Former President Jimmy Carter on Thursday night thanked 2,000 volunteers for helping build and repair 60 houses along the Coast during the week-long Habitat for Humanity Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
He also cheerfully confessed that, "... today I've only cried three times," while meeting future homeowners.
Rosalynn Carter said, "Everywhere we've been, it's been such a feeling of community."
The Carters spent two days helping build a house in Pascagoula, and traveled to different work sites along the Gulf Coast to see the progress. Early Thursday morning, the Carters were in Diamondhead. The project has been based in Biloxi all week. Homes in Gulfport are being rehabilitated through the project as well.
Today, some of the homeowners will receive the keys to their homes, including Daisy Garner of Pascagoula, who thanked everyone for making her feel welcome as she helped build her house.
The rain slowed the building effort, and not all homes are complete, but long after the volunteers have left, local Habitat for Humanity chapters will keep building. In addition, a framing frenzy will provide the skeletons for 48 additional homes.
Carter appealed for a strong, continued Habitat presence along the Coast. He said that 600 volunteers are needed every day to continue to tackle affordable housing needs. Habitat has helped build about 1,300 homes in Katrina-ravaged areas since the storm.
Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford also announced the site of next year's Work Project: Southeast Asia, including Hunan Province in China; Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Carters passed trowels to Thailand's Habitat for Humanity organizers, Panida Panyangarm and Chainarong Monthienvichienchai from Bangkok. The passing of the trowels was much like the passing of a torch from the old project to the new.
Chris Montforton, CEO of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chapter of Habitat for Humanity thanked the volunteers as well, including the hundreds working through AmeriCorps, a national service project for young adults.
Tipping his hat to a famous quote from Mahatma Gandhi, Montforton said, "You are the change we want here on the Gulf Coast, but you are the change we want in this world."
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(c) 2008, The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.).
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Source: The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.)
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