Connecting with Community: Summer 2008 Legislative Build
CELEBRATION DAY: August 19, 2008
On August 19th, 2008, over 15 state senators and representatives volunteered on community projects in Benton Harbor, Boyne Falls, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Livonia, Muskegon, Pontiac, and Port Huron.
These efforts were the final push of Michigan's 2008 Legislative Build - where a majority of the state's legislators got out of their suits, put on some gloves and a hardhat, and WENT TO WORK IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
Read the Yahoo! News write-up of the day's events!
The legislators who volunteered on August 19 included:
Representative John Proos, Representative Lee Gonzales, Representative Ted Hammon, Representative Richard Hammel, Senator Deb Cherry, Senator Mark Jansen, Representative Jacob Hoogendyk, Representative Robert Jones, Representative Rick Shaffer, Representative John Pastor, Representative Mary Valentine, Senator Mike Bishop, Senator John Pappageorge, Representative Tim Melton, Senator Jud Gilbert, Representative Phil Pavlov, Representative Gary McDowell, Senator Mike Prusi, Senator Mark Jansen, Senator Mike Bishop, Senator John Pappageorge, and Representative Tim Melton.
THANK YOU LEGISLATORS! See below for pictures/captions of the day.
Picture: Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County's Celebration Day in Pontiac Click here to view the 181 pictures taken that day, many with the legislators! Read below for more information on the day.
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On August 19, Senator Mike Bishop, Senator John Pappageorge and Representative Tim Melton worked with volunteers from Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County to help make a dream come true for a single mother of two children by pitching in to build them a home in Pontiac. These legislators worked on the General Motors 100th Anniversary home sponsored by the Suburban Collection headquartered in Troy, Mich. Amy Perry, the single mother of two children, has always dreamed of owning a home to make life better for her nine-year-old son, De’Viante, and 4-year-old daughter, Tiasia. Not only is their current house too small for the family, with the son’s bed in the basement with no exit, the neighborhood also has little space to play outside and drug and prostitution traffic occurs regularly in the front of the house. De’Viante typically spends the night on the floor in the living room. But on Tuesday, August 19, Sens. Bishop and Pappageorge and Rep. Melton picked up the tools to hammer out a better life for Perry and her children. The house will be a two-story, 1200-sq.-ft. home, with three bedrooms and one-and-a-half baths. “Legislative Build 2008 is an opportunity for legislators to see what is going on in the area of affordable housing and community improvement right in the districts they serve,” said Sally LePla, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County. The collection of Suburban automobile dealers based in Troy provided the funds and most of the volunteers to build this home for the Perry family in honor of GM’s 100th anniversary on Sept. 16. This is one of 12 houses Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County will build this year in partnership with families in need of safe, decent affordable housing (see picture below). As part of the Legislative Build 2008, nearly 90 percent of the Michigan Legislature signed on to work on an affordable housing or community development project in or near their district sometime this summer. The Legislative Build 2008 is a partnership between many statewide groups who work for affordable housing, neighborhood improvement and community development. The partners include Habitat for Humanity of Michigan, Community Economic Development Association of Michigan, Community Economic Development Association of Detroit, Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, Michigan Association of Home Builders, and Michigan Community Action Agency Association and Michigan Housing Council. |
All four of these houses were built by HFH of Oakland County's Blitz Build this August in an attempt to stabilize the block and neighborhood. |
Legislative Build Co-Chair Senator Mark Jansen lent a hand with Habitat for Humanity of Kent County in Grand Rapids on August 19. The affiliate was building the first Habitat condominium project in the state of Michigan. The condos are being built with green build methods and will be LEED certified, so they are as energy efficient as possible. According to Ken Bensen, CEO of Habitat Michigan, Habitat is committed to building all its houses in Michigan with green build methods by October of 2009. “When homes are built with the best energy efficient methods, they are more affordable in the long run for our Habitat families," Ken said. |
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From left to right: Lindsay from Representative Hammon's office, Representative Ted Hammon, his grandson, Senator Deb Cherry, and Representative Richard Hammel. |
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Representative Ted Hammon worked at a Habitat for Humanity of Genesee County house located on Byers Road, off of Center Road just north of Atherton Road in Flint. He was joined by his grandson, a staffer, and two of his fellow legislators. |
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Celebration Day - August 19 - happened to be Senator Deb Cherry's birthday! She worked to clean out the basement of the house, handing pieces of trash to Representative Richard Hammel. |
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Representative Richard Hammel was hauling debris away from the house. He talked about the importance of community groups continuing to teach financial education classes for people, to help stop the foreclosure crisis "at the local level." |
| Josh from Senator Gleason's office volunteered at a different Habitat for Humanity of Genesee County site in Flint - a house on Stockton Road, just west of Grand Traverse and 7th. | There were many volunteers at the Stockton site working together to make Flint a stronger community! |
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Staffer Lauren Hagar representing Senator Gilbert's office. Lauren volunteered on Monday afternoon - August 18, 2008 - as the Port Huron Celebration Day event was 2 days long! |
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The Salvation Army joined the event for a kick off in the morning on Tuesday. Captain Tim Meyer lead the group in a prayer for safety and success of the project to provide affordable housing within our community. |
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The Army was back to provide lunch for the volunteers! |
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Representative Phillip Pavlov volunteered on Tuesday with Blue Water Habitat for Humanity and the Port Huron Neighborhood Housing Corporation. |
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| Two of Representative Pavlov's staffers, Megan Richardson and Kristen Turnbull, joined him at the build! |  |
| Additional help came from a group of youth from a local church... |  |
...as well as a group of enthusiastic volunteers from Chase Bank!! |
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| Legislative Build Co-Chair Representative John Proos lended a hand on Thursday, August 21 at Harbor Habitat for Humanity in Benton Harbor. The affiliate is constructing an entire subdivision of Habitat Homes on Crystal Ave. in Benton Township. Twelve homes are being constructed in the Crystal Estates Subdivision this year, with an additional nine homes planned for next year. |  |
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| Representative Proos spoke to the crowd at a home dedication as part of the Harbor Habitat for Humanity Legislative Build Celebration Day event in Benton Harbor. |  |
Coming Soon: Pictures from the Legislative Build Event hosted by Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County - 362 Ferry Street, Pontiac
