Habitat World

At the closing ceremony of the 2012 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Leogane, Haiti, President Carter announced the locations for the 2013 Carter Work Project. This year's event will mark the 30th year that the Carters have so generously given their time and talents to help build with families in need of decent housing. Builds will occur in New York City, Denver, and in Oakland and San Jose, California.

Habitat organizations all around the country and the world will be invited to help mark this wonderful anniversary. Habitat World invites you to share your Carter Work Project memories and photos with us. We’d love to hear your stories and include them in a future issue.

Rutgers University Habitat for Humanity has made quite a commitment: By 2014, the club will raise $100,000 to sponsor a house. Chapter president Sam Kovach-Orr got the idea at Habitat’s annual youth conference, where he heard others discussing similar projects. Since taking the project on, the Rutgers campus chapter has added members and received help with fundraising from university athletic teams, local coffee shops and pubs. Thanks to the students’ tireless efforts, they’re on track to meet their goal of raising $50,000 this school year. Ground was broken on the house in Plainfield in October, and construction begins this spring.

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity released the results of a six-year study of the affiliate’s economic impact. Taking into account jobs created, money paid to vendors, taxes and additional factors, the study estimates that Habitat New Orleans has had a total impact of more than $307 million since 2006. Because of Hurricane Katrina, Habitat New Orleans has come to be seen as an additional conduit for tourism, attracting volunteers from outside the area who then provide revenue for local businesses. Since the storm, the affiliate has built or rebuilt 557 homes and gutted more than 2,400; the affiliate currently has 17 homes under construction.

This past summer, kids ran, biked and swam to raise money for Habitat Greater Pittsburgh as part of the annual Kids Triathlon. In July, children ages 7 through 12 raced in South Park, while August’s North Park event added a Youth Race for 13- to 15-year-olds. Since it began in 2001, the Kids Triathlon has generated more than $700,000 for the affiliate.