Building Homes & Hope with God's People in Need...

For Immediate Release

Contact:         Christa Lewis, Advancement & Communications Manager

                      (843) 768-0998 ext.112     

Sea Island Habitat for Humanity is

‘Building on the Dream’

To Honor the Legacy of Dr. King, Sea Island Habitat Will Host a Blitz Build

JOHNS ISLAND, SC –  The dream keeps getting bigger each year!  Initially, Sea Island Habitat for Humanity celebrated MLK Day with a one-day build.  Last year they celebrated with an entire house build in Hollywood, SC.  This year’s ‘Building on the Dream’ project will last an entire week and the goal is to frame up four homes! 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as we all know so well, had a dream.  His dream of equality transcends racial barriers and addresses social injustices.  Sea Island Habitat for Humanity fights the curse of poverty and the deplorable housing situations families under this curse are subjected to.

“The curse of poverty has no justification in our age…The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty,” is a quote from MLK’s “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” speech in 1967.  To the Habitat for Humanity community, this is our calling to stand for what Dr. King stood for, thus the creation of the “Building on the Dream” project.  Since its inception in 2003, Sea Island Habitat has participated each year. 

Volunteers are encouraged to sign up for one, two or even more days and can bring a group or work as an individual.  The dates of the blitz build are January 19, 21-26, 2008 and work commences at 8:00am each day.  To volunteer, you must register in advance by contacting Becca Harrison, Sea Island Habitat’s Volunteer Coordinator, at: 843-768-0998 or: volunteer@seaislandhabitat.org.  

Each day during the build, volunteers can expect to start their day with a reflection on Dr. King’s life and the causes he stood for.  No experience is necessary, as there will be nine AmeriCorps members on site to teach and supervise all work.  AmeriCorps volunteers serve as construction supervisors for one year in an effort to reduce poverty in America’s communities.

In calendar year 2008 – Sea Island Habitat for Humanity plans, God willing, to build 30 homes for their 30^th Anniversary.  For more information, visit the SIHH website, www.seaislandhabitat.org, or call (843) 768-0998.

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Sea Island Habitat for Humanity, the third oldest Habitat for Humanity Affiliate, is an ecumenical, Christian housing ministry open to all.  The mission of Sea Island Habitat is to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, and to make decent housing a matter of conscience in our community.  Established in 1978, Sea Island Habitat for Humanity has built more than 230 homes serving 1,100 children and adults.