I recently had a very rare and unique opportunity which left me with mixed feelings … regret and warmth.
REGRET that I didn’t get involved with this organization and its work long ago and …
WARMTH from the experience itself, those I worked with and those who benefitted from our efforts.
I was invited to visit a Habitat for Humanity site and ended up working a with phenomenal group of people who united to offer their experience, talent and high level of energy to provide a HOME for one of the many families struggling in these times of dire straights.
I’ve known about Habitat for Humanity since 1984 when President Jimmy Carter got involved with this tremendous effort. However, it first started back in 1976. Since that time, they have built 350,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1.75 million people in 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.
I’ll provide a few more facts about this tremendous organization and tell you how you can get involved later in this article, but I’d like to tell you a little bit about what I witnessed during my experience.
First of all, it was COLD. After all, we are in the north, and it is winter. That meant nothing to this group of people I had the privilege to meet and work with. It was almost an added incentive to everyone as they worked to finish this house for a very special family in hopes of getting them into their new home by Christmas. Right now it looks as though they’re going to reach their goal with time to spare.
Secondly was the spirit which permeated that house and property. It was almost undescribable. Everyone involved appeared to be enjoying their work, happy to be there, chatting with others about their progress … you’d almost think they were on a payroll rather than volunteering their time and effort. It was indeed a joy to behold. This is the kind of spirit and determination that built this great country of ours. I witnessed teamwork, communication, progress, pride, and accomplishment by everyone involved. It didn’t appear to be work … no one seemed cold … everyone worked as though they were building their own home. I saw volunteers, both male and female, of all ages, creeds, and colors. The time flew by. Again, I was astonished. And to think that this is going on in every one of our 50 states as well as at least 90 other countries … and far too few people are aware of this tremendous opportunity.
If you’re interested in finding a project near your location or obtaining additional information simply visit Habitat for Humanity at http://www.habitat.org/ and use its search engine to find local affliates. You’ll be glad you did.
Additional Data:
- Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor (sweat equity) into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.
- Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses alongside our homeowner (partner) families.
- To accomplish these goals, they invite people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.
- Volunteers work with future homeowners to build or renovate houses, which are then sold to partner families at no profit and financed with affordable loans, with no interest charged on the mortgage.
- The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses.
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The same holds true for certain stories which make us feel good about the season, our loved ones, and ourselves. A good story never grows old, and that’s why we’re repeating this one again this year. It’s a story about a little boy who is obviously wise beyond his years. He receives a tremendous gift by giving joy and happiness to his best friend. This is a short Christmas story that should be shared with your children and/or grandchildren during this joyous season. You’ll all feel better after doing so.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with leaders in a vast array of industries. It’s always intriguing to observe how leaders, both new and seasoned, respond to the possession of authority. I’ve seen just about every reaction you could expect to find.
A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life, chased by the rancher’s big Santa Gertrudis bull ….
In the spirit of C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement), here are this week’s new facts—one for each day of your coming week. Pass them on to others to keep the spirit alive or invite your friends and family to visit our blog where they can also view previous entries.
Well, they’re at it again at GM (Government Motors). They’re grasping for straws as they’ve apparently tried everything else. They’re obviously running out of options.
Personally, I think he’s right on the money. Who could possibly argue with that philosophy? However, I also think GM is a little late with this revelation. I’ve been doing supervisory training for this automotive giant on and off for the past 30 years and have grown to know the culture intimately. Trying to generate a culture change at this late date will be more challenging for GM than trying to turn around the proverbial battleship in a bathtub! While it looks great in print and sounds like a sound strategy, it should have been implemented decades ago. Bureaucracy is so embedded in this culture that it has become a way of life for GM leadership as well as the front-line employees who despise it!
Talk about creative thinking. Here’s a prime example. How would you like to get paid anywhere from $300 to $900 a month for simply driving your own car to work, to church, to your kids’ soccer games or any of your other normal destinations? It’s happenings all over the country at this very moment.
When you think about it, having your car “wrapped” can easily provide you with a monthly income that can easily cover your car payment, gas and oil, and any necessary maintenance to keep your car on the road—in short, you end up with a free car.
Well, it’s that time of year again. We seem to be caught up in this holiday whirlwind that will sweep us into the coming year before we know. There seems to be so much to get done in such a short period of time. I can’t help but feel that this continuous chaos overshadows the “reason for the season.” What I witness today is a far cry from the “Christmas Spirit” I remember as a child.
What To Do
Junior Achievement
The moral of this story is quite obvious. If not for the dogged perseverance of Henry Ford and the rare ability of the third engineering group to foresee their undeniable consequences should they fail their assigned task, we might still find ourselves sitting behind a 6 cylinder vehicle today.