This is going to be quite a journey for several Habitat staff members and their family and friends who are going to run, walk and volunteer in various events that take place over Father’s Day weekend as part of the marathon. We’ll be creating memories and will certainly have stories to share long after this event is over.

There are others, however, who already have stories to tell - people whose lives have been transformed through the process of establishing families, putting down roots, and becoming part of a community.

I want to introduce you to Traci Ross, a current Habitat home owner. Traci is helping to ‘Out Run Poverty Housing’ by running the 10k event of the marathon. She has inspired me to compete in this event on behalf of the Habitat housing ministry, and you can read her story below.

(taken from the Out Run Poverty Housing fundraising page @ www.habitatstark.org )

Welcome to my “Out Run Poverty Housing” fundraising page! I am running the 10k event in the Canton City Marathon in June. I am also a proud Habitat homeowner. Myself and my two children, Brooklyn and Jacquez, moved into our home in 1998 (when they were only one and seven years old!). Now, Brooklyn is a beautiful 20-year-old young woman and Jacquez is a freshman at McKinley High School.

My favorite memory of building our house was that my father, Darrell Ross, was there everyday helping the volunteers turn the empty lot into our home. He passed away in July 2005 from lung cancer. We all miss him so much as he was a model husband, father , grandfather (not to mention avid softball pitcher and sports autograph seeker…).

I appreciate any donation you can make to Habitat for Humanity as the organization has blessed me with a house that I plan on growing old in…

Quite a story, don’t you think? And it’s even better when you think about the fact that Traci is just one of the many families who have stories like this to tell, stories about how having a decent place to call home has made all the difference in their life. Until next time, What Will You  Build?

• 1 in 5 US homeowners may default on their mortgage.
• That means out of the 55 million people who currently own a mortgage, 10.4 million will lose their home over the next few years.
• This number is more than double the number of current homes in default, 4.5 million.
• The company’s most conservative estimates are that 8.3 milliion homes will be lost to default in the next 6 years. (*Statistics taken from www.responsiblelending.org )
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Stark & Carroll Counties works to help stabilize and improve these kinds of conditions every day.
• Since 1988 we have built or rehabilitated just under 400 houses.
• We have helped house approximately 2000 individuals.
• Approximately 1,400 of those housed are children.
• We continue to work with local government, banks, real estate agencies and other groups to secure viable abandoned houses throughout Stark and Carroll counties to improve the available housing stock.
• We don’t just build houses but people. Neighborhoods are transformed!

There is so much opportunity to do so much good for people living in critical housing – we dare not ignore the need. One creative way we will address this issue is by participating in Canton, Ohio’s very first marathon.

The setting will be Father’s Day weekend, June 17th, 2012. Participants from

all over will come to run, walk or even cycle in what promises to be an exciting event. 

Habitat for Humanity was chosen as one of the local charities who will benefit from the race. Anyone who signs up to participate will have the opportunity to select the charity of their choice to receive a portion of the registration fee.

An additional way you can participate is to go to Facebook and spread the word by sharing the ‘Outrun Poverty Housing’ link.  Or, visit our fundraiser page for more details. Our goal is to raise $5,000 during the marathon to help fight poverty housing here at home. Share the links with your  friends and spread the word about this worthy event.

According to legend, the marathon commemorates the run of soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield at the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C. Legend has it that upon declaring the message “Niki!” (victory), he collapsed and died.

The Habitat ministry embodies the spirit of that word, Niki! We celebrate victories every day as lives and neighborhoods overcome the enemy of poverty housing. You can join this fight, which is not a sprint but a marathon race against the obstacles that prevent so many from achieving secure housing.

Join us as we out run poverty housing in 2012. What Will You Build?

Welcome to a Habitat House Dedication.

Brandon and Crystal Chambers and daughter, Payton, have rented a small house in a rural portion of Stark County for some time. The rent is high, the roof leaks, the plumbing and electric – faulty. Brandon and Crystal both work 12 hour shifts at a factory in Massillon yet their resources are depleted each month by their current housing.

All that is about to change in a few hours.

I often invite volunteers to come to a dedication to witness firsthand the result of the labor of love that is Habitat. Good stories and memories are shared by people who, once strangers to one another, now bound by the chord of friendship.

If you listen you can hear the joy and thankfulness in the voices of our partner families who are receiving the keys to their home. Hope is tangible at all our dedications! The Chambers have been in our program about a year and have completed a plethora of classroom work as well as over 500 hours of sweat equity; they’ve worked on budgeting and financial responsibility and have framed walls and hung drywall.

They will spend the remainder of today moving all their packed belongings into a brand new house. Crystal will undoubtedly arrange each room with care as she moves from having a picture in her mind of what each room might look like to the finishing touches of love. Those touches will build upon each other and the house will become a home.

In a world where the media seemingly attempts to saturate us with bad news this should take center page. This is not just good news, it’s awesome news! People working together, serving others with no ulterior motivation, other than to simply help a family succeed.

That my friends is dedication, and this was one of many more dedications to come in 2012. What will you build?

• Fourteen more families have completed the journey of building and purchasing their own simple, decent home, including participating in homeownership classes and earning hundreds of sweat equity hours constructing their own home and the homes of other families. In addition to gaining a safe, affordable place to live, these families have also forged new friendships and learned new skills which will last a lifetime.
• Habitat sponsors, volunteers & homeowners continue to make a difference in Massillon, Waynesburg, Malvern, Carrollton and Canton, helping their communities to grow and thrive. God is truly good!
• Habitat volunteers and staff, Malone University art students, youth from the J.R. Coleman Center and families from Canton’s northeast side have joined forces on “The Love Train,” an exciting mural project that began this summer , picking up steam through the fall. The mural bears the simple message that great people live in and care about their neighborhoods in the city, a sentiment that Habitat stands behind and seeks to instill in our homeowners. We’ll have more to share once spring roles around when we’ll continue working on the mural.
• Our partnerships with affiliates in El Salvador and Ghana continue to grow as we tithe our dollars to provide a multitude of housing solutions for families in need overseas. 2012 marks a major milestone for the El Salvador affiliate which will celebrate 20 years of committed ministry with a major accomplishment – 10,000 families served! Well done, good and faithful servants.
• The Habitat ReStore continues to serve the community and the environment by reselling usable items at discounted prices and recycling a variety of other materials. In addition to keeping these things out of landfills, they are also earning funds to build more Habitat homes with families in need.

Most importantly, we remain true to our mission. Here at Habitat for Humanity we have one goal – eliminating poverty housing. Economic uncertainty continues to affect us all, yet we still strive to offer a hand up rather than a hand out to the individuals and families who come to our ministry for help. Through a practical presentation of God’s love and grace, we seek to equip them to face the challenges of life by providing the foundation of a stable home in which they can live and work.

Part of our mission has always included rehabilitation of current housing stock. 2012 will be a busy time for our affiliate as we expand and develop models that will help our Habitat home owners and surrounding neighbors improve their existing homes. You’ll start to see and hear about such things as ‘A brush with kindness’, ‘weatherization’, and ‘critical home repair.’

These are all a part of a broader model known as neighborhood revitalization and we are going to be doing even more to offer existing home owners viable, affordable housing solutions right where they live.

We offer you our deepest gratitude for your part in making the above possible! Thank you for your financial support, without which we would not be able to do what we do. Thank you for your prayer support without which we would not exist. Finally, thank you for working at our ReStore, preparing meals and swinging hammers. Without your hands and hearts we would not be able to build or repair homes or ignite hope in the lives of families in need.

While in the planning stages for this project (and by the way, no leaks anywhere!) I had the foresight to install a whole house water purification system. Not very expensive with some real benefits for both the plumbing and for the personal health of my family.

Ok, I know this is beginning to sound like a blog for a home improvement show, right? And you’re probably wondering when I’m going to drop a product name, but I began this article in this way for a reason, so let me get to it.

I was able to do this because I have the resources to do so. Money, friends with experience, and tools to get the job done. What about people living in substandard housing who don’t have the same resources I have? What do they do when they go into the basement of their current residence, look at rusty, leaking copper or galvanized pipes? Call a plumber? Maybe. If they have money.

What happens when they draw water for a bath at the end of a hard day of working at a job that pays minimum wage (if they’re lucky), only to discover their hot water tank just blew up?

Far too many people live in conditions that are beyond their control due to minimal resources – human, financial, or simple know how. I’m not talking about people who make poor choices leading to things like excessive debt, but those who do live and work vigorously, honestly, just managing to get by.

I’m so thankful to be part of a ministry that helps people like these each and every day. We aren’t in the business of perpetuating problems or habits, but in equipping individuals and families to purchase and maintain safe, secure, affordable housing.

Our ministry is a hand up not a hand out, and we regularly celebrate with new home owners who have worked (hard) to find a different path to walk on, creating resources they once did not have.

Remember the water filtration system I put in? Well, last month I began to notice a gradual decrease in water pressure throughout my house. What in the world was happening? I just installed this thing three months ago! Turns out, it was time to change the filter, which I did. It was disgusting. The filter weighed about five pounds and was completely black from the crud coming in from the city water lines. Once I put the new filter in the water pressure was once again back to normal.

The water has never tasted or smelled better!

A desired outcome achieved by an easy solution. Resources. Poverty housing is an ugly problem in our society but we provide a solution that entire communities can embrace. Come be a part of the solution and make a real difference in the life of someone today. Your resources and our dedication to excellence and integrity will result in lasting change for a family in need.

In order to give ourselves to others as a loving expression of our faith in Christ we must first make sure he is filling us up with the tools and resources we need. Otherwise, we become like the foolish builder who built a house on a foundation of sand. Storms come and the house crumbles.

I recently read this excerpt and thought it worthy of consideration. Enjoy!

Storing Up to Overflow

If then you are wise, you will show yourself rather as a reservoir than as a canal. A canal spreads abroad water as it receives it, but a reservoir waits until it is filled before overflowing, and thus without loss to itself [it shares] its superabundant water. (Bernard of Clairvuex)

A beautiful picture. The canal runs dry so quickly, shortly after the rains subside. Like a dry streambed in the desert. But a reservoir is a vast and deep reserve of life. We are called to live in a way that we store up reserves in our heart, and then offer from a place of abundance. As Jesus said, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old” (Matt 13:52). I’m thinking, Storeroom? What storeroom? “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart?for out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45 emphasis added).

I’m afraid I live spiritually like I live financially – I get a little, and go spend it. I live like a canal. I look like a reservoir when the rains come, but shortly after, I’m dried up again. (My financially responsible readers have just congratulated themselves on living a more disciplined life. But may I ask, are you using those reserves to do things that nourish your heart? Many a Scrooge has filled his coffers while starving his soul). “There are very many canals in the church today,” laments Julia Gatta, “but few reservoirs.” One woman deeply involved in ministry wrote to me recently that she is “burned out to a crackling crunch.” She has been a canal. She hasn’t cared for her heart. She is not alone.

How would you live differently, if you believed your heart was the treasure of the kingdom?

(Waking The Dead , 199, 200 ) John Eldredge

Recently Habitat interviewed Bradley Pederson with The Timken Company.   What follows is the interview with Brad who shares his thoughts on the importance of the mission of Habitat and the strength of the partnership we share with The Timken Company.

Why are you personally involved with this build?

To support the vitality of the Canton Community for future generations.  As an individual volunteer, Habitat for Humanity provides the opportunity to immediately capture the direct impact of my efforts on the community.  It is knowing that the completion of each build sits on the road to new hope for two great partner families and being a part of that journey fulfills me with a great sense of pride.  Beyond the impact to the partner families, it is rewarding to work with some amazing volunteers and site supervisors who provide memories that are certain to last a lifetime.

Why is this kind of community involvement important to Timken?

Many of The Timken Company associates work and live in Stark and Carroll Counties and it is the people, like the associates from The Timken Company, that make it great.  This is just one of many opportunities that The Timken Company provides to its associates in support of the community and the associates respond by contributing a tremendous amount of their time.  In 2011, Timken associates will contribute 4,000+ hours to build two Habitat for Humanity houses in Stark County. 

Any good or surprising stories/experiences to share from the build?

In 2011, Timken doubled their efforts with Habitat for Humanity to build two houses in the Canton Community.  This is a great story not only because we are returning to the same neighborhood where the 2009 Timken Habitat for Humanity house was built, but it is also the first time Timken has organized two builds in one year in Stark County.  In order to meet this challenge, we’ve energized a new base of 1^st year volunteers at The Timken Company and as a result our volunteer numbers are up 65% year over year.  We are surprised and proud to have such tremendous support from the associates, family members, friends, and retirees.

Why is this partnership between Timken and Habitat so vital?

Timken and Habitat for Humanity of Stark and Carroll Counties have been long time partners on the mission to provide quality, affordable housing in Stark and Carroll Counties.  Together, we have built 12 houses in Stark County over the last 12 years and will finish the 13^th and 14^th houses this fall.  The contributions of The Timken Company enable Habitat for Humanity to extend their mission further than what could be achieved alone, and vice versa, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Stark & Carroll Counties enables associates from The Timken Company further enhance the community that many of us call home.

MY COLLEGIATE EXPERIENCE WITH HABITAT

In December of 2008, I crammed into a van with a group of students and faculty, and drove down to New Orleans, Louisiana.  I had just finished my first semester at Walsh University and I decided that instead of going right home for Winter Break, I would go on a campus-sponsored mission trip.  The trip was sponsored jointly by the Youngstown Diocese and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity.  About twenty hours later, four van loads of noisy students and tired faculty pulled up to Camp Hope.

We spent about a week in New Orleans, working in the Lower Ninth Ward and surrounding areas.  I did everything from roof work, to landscaping, to painting.  One of our days was spent in Musicians Village – a building project that was designed to provide housing to local musicians to keep the musical heritage of the city intact.

The trip stopped being about building with my friends and seeing a new city when I got to meet Habitat homeowners.  I remember three of the families – each one with their own story, but all with a profound love for their homes and the people who helped rebuild them.  First there was a woman in the Lower Ninth Ward whose duplex was under renovation.  Her side of the home had been completed, but we worked on stripping the waterlogged wood from the ceiling of the other side.  Once remodeling was finished on the other side, her mother was going to move in.  She spoke about how even though she was thankful she had her home back, she wanted neighbors again. 

Here I am working on a house in Musician's Village.

It was shocking to look into the window frame of the house beside her and see the five-foot-high water marks on the walls from Katrina that were three years old.  The work still left to do haunted me, but I realized that every person, every day, was aiding in the effort to rebuild this soulful city.

And then there was this unflinching spirit of a woman who had the whole group over to her home for dinner.  It was a Monday, so of course we ate red beans and rice, and she told us that we were guests of the first party she had in her new home.  She told us about living in a FEMA trailer, the death of her husband, and the near impossible task of getting medication for her severely diabetic daughter during a natural disaster. 

The more I think about this trip, the more memories come surging back.  New Orleans is a city that, to me, seems to embrace the spirit of Habitat: hope, love, resiliency, and strength.  The people I met revitalized me.  By the time I left I had developed a profound love for the city and a deep connection with the mission of Habitat for Humanity.

Let’s fast forward to June 2011, shall we?

I found out about the opportunity to intern with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Stark and Carroll Counties through Walsh University.  The minute I read the email I pulled up my resume and emailed the contact for the position.  Two months later, I sit at my desk working on my final project: this blog.  Throughout my internship I have conducted interviews of homeowners and volunteers, traveled to construction sites, written blogs, and so much more.  I have met many wonderful people who are committed to making God’s work their work.

Here I am with Ryan and Anna (left) building at a Habitat site in Columbus this summer. Anna biked across the United States this summer with Bike & Build, raising awareness about the issue of affordable housing.

Witnessing the dimensions of this organization, from applicant to homeowner, from Executive Director to first-time volunteer, has been a profound experience.  I cannot say enough about the necessity of Habitat for Humanity and the urgency of its mission.  One does not have to visit the site of a natural disaster to encounter sub-standard and unsafe housing.  A decent home is so much more than a space to occupy – it is the epicenter of family life, the building block of community, and for Habitat homeowners, it is a manifestation of hope and love.  I had one homeowner tell me, ”Besides my boys, my home is the most precious thing in my life.”

When I look back at my four years of college I believe that I will see the recurring presence of Habitat for Humanity.  It was that trip in 2008 that set me on my course at Walsh University.  In New Orleans I met people who became friends, mentors, and even one who persuaded me to join the choir.  Three years later, fresh off a two-week choir tour in Rome, Italy, I began my internship at Habitat for Humanity.  What that service trip gave me was a direction for my collegiate career, and this internship has oriented me for my professional life.  Upon graduation in May 2012, I plan to pursue an MBA in Non-Profit Adminstration so that I can dedicate my life to improving the lives of others.

I want to build a life where I can help people live and grow into all that God intended.

What will you build?

Pastor Jeff Knori

What prompted you to build with Habitat?

I had heard a lot about Habitat, but had never had the pleasure of serving with the ministry.

What lesson can high school students learn from volunteering on a build site?

Students can learn about the construction process, from start to finish.  They learn a little more about themselves, their capabilities, their likes and dislikes. Students can learn to be more confident in their abilities to meet challenges.  They learn how to follow directions, and how to work within a team.  Finally students learn how to serve their community.

Why is it important to serve, both as a teen and as an adult?

As a follower of Christ I am compelled to serve others, it’s part of what I am.  Service is simply a part of my daily offering to the Lord. I feel it is necessary for Christian adults to model service before our teens to demonstrate this facet of the Christian life. Teens likewise can demonstrate a facet of their Christian life by what they do, and influence others in the process.

What impact do you see your service having? How does it impact your life?

When I serve with my hands I can see with my eyes the difference my life is making, even if it’s just lumber and nails, drywall and screws. Not all acts of service are demonstrated in such a tangible way. I think it’s important for everyone to see a dent they make in the world once in a while.

How does building in your community become a spiritual exercise?

Jesus was the perfect demonstration of servant hood. Though being in very nature God, He took on the form of a servant, and He calls us to do the same. When I serve in His name, the work of my hands, heart, and mind become an offering to the Lord, just as acceptable as any other offering given in faith. I know service pleases the Lord and impacts others for His Kingdom.

Until next time … What will you build?