AmeriCorps members arrive in Raleigh to build or repair 22 homes with Habitat for Humanity
ATLANTA (May 21, 2018) – Helping to meet the need for affordable housing in the U.S., more than 350 AmeriCorps members and 75 alumni will build or repair 22 homes during Habitat for Humanity’s annual AmeriCorps Build-a-Thon in Raleigh, North Carolina, this week.
On May 20-26, AmeriCorps members will work alongside future homeowners to help build 12 new houses and work on 10 home preservation projects in the Crosstowne neighborhood of Raleigh. Habitat for Humanity of Wake County will be hosting this year’s AmeriCorps Build-a-Thon, making it its fourth time hosting the weeklong blitz build event.
“AmeriCorps members play a valuable role in helping Habitat for Humanity serve more families in the U.S.,” said Peter Rumsey, interim vice president, Volunteer and Institutional Engagement at Habitat for Humanity International. “Build-a-Thon is a great opportunity to celebrate the remarkable impact the Habitat AmeriCorps program has made in communities across the country. We cannot begin to express our gratitude toward our AmeriCorps members for their commitment to service and the dedication they have demonstrated to helping families achieve strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.”
Habitat’s annual Build-a-Thon has brought AmeriCorps members together to bring awareness of the need for affordable housing and to build and repair homes in communities across the U.S. Since Habitat’s first AmeriCorps Build-a-Thon in 1999, the annual event has served more than 550 families in need of a safe and decent place to call home.
The AmeriCorps program is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service. For more than 24 years, Habitat and the Corporation for National and Community Service have partnered together to increase Habitat’s capacity to serve more families in the U.S. Since 1994, more than 10,148 Habitat AmeriCorps members have served 109,830 individuals and engaged more than 3.7 million volunteers to invest in their own communities.
“Each year, nearly 500 Americans pledge to ‘get things done’ for community and country as AmeriCorps members with Habitat for Humanity. Nowhere is this commitment more visible than when hundreds of them unite for Habitat’s annual Build-a-Thon,” said Barbara Stewart, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “I salute all the Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps members participating this year — I am honored to serve alongside them.”
In 2017, Habitat AmeriCorps members helped to serve more than 5,800 individuals in 32 states and the District of Columbia and provided nearly 900,000 hours of service and mobilized, trained and managed more than 226,000 volunteers in local community building efforts. To learn more about Habitat AmeriCorps and how to get involved, visit https://www.habitat.org/americorps.
About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.
About the Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the nation’s volunteering and service efforts. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.