News & Updates

Back in the day, Habitat for Humanity staged numerous long walks to bring attention to this new ministry. There was a 700 mile walk from Habitat’s headquarters in Americus, Georgia to Indianapolis to celebrate Habitat’s 7th Anniversary. There was a walk from Portland, Maine to Atlanta celebrating the 12th Anniversary in 1988. I joined this particular walk for a day in 1988 in Richmond, Virginia as we were launching our new Habitat affiliate in Lynchburg.

Last Wednesday, we had the privilege of dedicating our most recent new home in Augusta Crossings that was built in partnership with the Ali/Karim family and our sponsors from Red Hat, WalMart, and Grifols.

Tomorrow, Norma Smith is retiring after serving 16 years with Habitat Wake.  Norma is Habitat Wake’s longest tenured staff member in our history.   Thousands of volunteers from near and far have interacted with Norma over the years and have been greeted by her as they came out to volunteer.  I always tell our staff that we are here to set the stage and enable the work of volunteers.   Norma’s work embodied that.  Everyone is welcome and everyone has something to give.

I hate it when I have to miss a house dedication.  They are such beautiful celebrations of an act that provides a life changing opportunity.  Last Saturday, I had a family graduation celebration in Virginia and I was unable to attend the dedication of our most recently completed home in Augusta Crossings.  I reached out by e-mail to our homebuyer partner, Ty, to tell her I was sorry to miss her big day.

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”     Matthew 21:21-22

…walk into a bar.  No, seriously.  Last Friday, we hosted the Triangle Business Journal’s (TBJ) annual 40 Under 40 leadership award winners.  I had the opportunity to work on our Apex build site with these young leaders from throughout the Triangle region.  My afternoon crew consisted of the aforementioned pair of lawyers, a marketing professional, and a pharmacist.

Professional builders would rather build than talk, so in that spirit, I’ll keep this short.  Thanks to Savvy Homes, Regency Centers, A.R. Nix Construction, Williams Realty & Building, and the Triangle Builders Guild for showing up with their subcontractors and suppliers last week on our sites in Augusta Crossings in Raleigh and leaving the week with four completed and beautiful homes.  Several other companies also  participated by supporting all 4 homes:  Stock Building Supply, PlyGem, and Baker Roofing.

Last April, when I participated in a Habitat Wake work team to Honduras, I met a 13-year old boy named Junior.  Though we spoke different languages, I learned a fair amount about Junior and enjoyed the time we spent together on the work site.  Junior was the unofficial leader of all the kids who would come to visit our work site after school.