The Johns Hopkins Gazette: August 20, 2001
August 20, 2001
VOL. 30, NO. 42

  

A Different Way to Help Habitat

Johns Hopkins Gazette Online Edition

Work continues on the Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity house co-sponsored by Johns Hopkins on Rose Hill Terrace in the city's Pen Lucy neighborhood. Volunteers from across the university have helped demolish the interior of the two-story rowhouse and are now framing new rooms within.

To help fund part of the estimated $60,000 cost of the project, additional volunteers are being sought to pour beer and raise money for the Hopkins Habitat house on the weekend of Sept. 8 and 9. Fifteen adults age 21 or older are needed each day to volunteer at one of five beer booths at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, Md. The equivalent of each volunteer's daily wage, plus his or her portion of any tips received, will be donated to the Habitat project. Organizers of the event hope to raise $2,000 and increase awareness of the Habitat project during the two-day effort. Volunteers do not have to be Hopkins employees, and couples or groups are encouraged to sign up.

"We are always happy to have volunteers help build our houses," says Jenny Hope, Chesapeake Habitat's executive director, "but we always stress to our volunteers that it takes money in addition to manpower to build our homes. Swinging a hammer can be great fun, but raising money to pay for the nails is often the more difficult task. We're especially grateful whenever anyone steps forward to help raise the funds that enable us to build."

Habitat for Humanity is a worldwide nonprofit organization that builds simple, decent housing for those in need. Chesapeake Habitat was founded in 1982 as one of the first urban affiliates of the organization. It strives to renovate vacant houses in Baltimore City for home ownership and sells them at cost or at fair market value, whichever is less, to lower-income families. The families who purchase the homes are regarded as partners. They are required to assist in the project before and after they move into their homes, and subsequently they must make regular and timely interest-free payments to cover the cost of their home so that funds are available to build more houses.

For information about volunteering or helping to raise money for the Hopkins Habitat house, contact Mike Field at 410-516-8997 or pmf@jhu.edu.


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