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Local Habitat becomes official

The Williams area Habitat for Humanity became an official affiliate of Habitat International Thursday.

“I’m really grateful for the people here and the people who were here four years ago,” said Charles Lord, president of the local Habitat chapter. “They really did all the ground work.”

The group formed years back but was then disbanded and has now come back to life.

“I’m anxious about Habitat getting back off the ground,” Lord said. “I’m hoping, within a few years, we can build a house.”

In town from California for the celebration were Ginny Sargent, from Habitat West, and Nancy Nielson, Habitat for Humanity church relations director.

“Habitat for Humanities is a people-to-people partnership drawing families and communities in need together with volunteers and resources to build decent, affordable housing for needy people,” said Sargent. “Thank you for the hard efforts of bringing this affiliation back to life. We’re really happy for you.”

The key to Habitat for Humanity is home ownership, said Sargent. She said there are 14 affiliates in Arizona and even though Williams is small, everything the club does will make a difference.

“Collectively we’ve built 100,000 homes across the world and millions of people have benefited,” she said. “We’ve done it one home at a time.”

Sargent told the group the majority of homes are built by small organizations.

“Seventy-five percent of the homes built were done by one-home-a-year clubs,” she said. “Take great pride in what you do.”

The number one goal of Habitat is to “put decent housing on the minds of the city.”

“Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with God and people everywhere, from all walks of life, to develop communities with God’s people in need by building and renovating houses, so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which God’s people can live and grow into all that God intended,” she said. “While Habitat is a Christian organization, it invites and welcomes affiliate board members, volunteers and donors from other faiths actively committed to Habitat’s mission, method of operations and principals.”

Sargent said Habitat is the last resort of the many resources available. That is one of the reasons the homeowners of Habitat homes must put in 500 hours of volunteering.

“All homeowners contribute sweat equity, they work as partners with the affiliate and other volunteers to accomplish Habitat’s mission, both locally and worldwide,” Sargent said. “It’s not just swinging a hammer. It’s filing paperwork, calling people ó there is many ways to do sweat equity.”

Getting volunteers to help out during projects and fund-raisers is a goal of Nielsons’.

“My passion is what is the role congregations play to improve community housing,” she said.

The American Bible Society donates Bibles for each of the homes built by Habitat. Nielson presented Lord with a Bible to hold until the local affiliation is ready to build.

“I appreciate your efforts to improve our community,” Lord said to the members. “We are here to build, renovate and do repairs for people who are limited in adequate housing.”


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