THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 7, 1996 TAG: 9609060031
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 92 lines
If there is an American success story in the late 20th century worth celebrating, it is the birth and growth of Habitat for Humanity.
Adopting what founder Millard Fuller calls ``the theology of the hammer,'' the volunteer Christian ministry has brought tens of thousands of people around the globe new or improved homes. Perhaps equally important, it has given spiritual uplift and a tangible focus to hundreds of thousands of others wanting to do good.
As Habitat celebrates its 20th anniversary, the organization has grown into the nation's fourth largest home builder. Teams of volunteers wielding saws and nails and paintbrushes constructed or rehabilitated about 10,000 homes in 1995. About 3,300 of those were in the United States and about 386 were in Virginia.
The miracle of Habitat's success is underscored by the diversity of the company it keeps. Politicians from President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore to Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Housing Secretary Jack Kemp are among those who've been photographed with an electric drill or a carpenter's square in hand. Former President Jimmy Carter is the organization's best-known cheerleader.
Two decades of growth have not been without their bumps. A few years ago several female employees accused Fuller of sexual harassment. No formal charges were brought. Fuller, a former millionaire who at 29 gave up most of his assets and committed himself to public service, said he had been misunderstood.
For a time, the turmoil hampered fund raising and divided the organization. Eventually, the controversy was settled with Fuller turning over day-to-day management duties and assuming a more strategic and fund-raising role.
Habitat officials also have voiced concern about their failure to penetrate the inner-city housing market. The organization's presence in cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles is minuscule. One of the focuses of the next decade will be to fill that gap.
Some within Habitat have warned against the organization become so far-flung that it loses control of individual projects and actions. But admitting impediments does not appear to be part of Fuller's makeup.
He has launched a crusade to eliminate poverty housing in Sumter, Ga., by the turn of the century. Not some substandard housing, but all.
And that is only a first step toward his ultimate goal to ``eliminate poverty housing from the face of the earth.''
As birthday wishes go, it's a doozy.
But, who knows. Perhaps, as the folk song says, ``if two and two and fifty make a million, we'll see that day come round. We'll see that day come round.''
If there is an American success story in the late 20th century worth celebrating, it is the birth and growth of Habitat for Humanity.
Adopting what founder Millard Fuller calls ``the theology of the hammer,'' the volunteer Christian ministry has brought tens of thousands of people around the globe new or improved homes. Perhaps equally important, it has given spiritual uplift and a tangible focus to hundreds of thousands of others wanting to do good.
As Habitat celebrates its 20th anniversary, the organization has grown into the nation's fourth largest home builder. Teams of volunteers wielding saws and nails and paintbrushes constructed or rehabilitated about 10,000 homes in 1995. About 3,300 of those were in the United States and about 386 were in Virginia.
The miracle of Habitat's success is underscored by the diversity of the company it keeps. Politicians from President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore to Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Housing Secretary Jack Kemp are among those who've been photographed with an electric drill or a carpenter's square in hand. Former President Jimmy Carter is the organization's best-known cheerleader.
Two decades of growth have not been without their bumps. A few years ago several female employees accused Fuller of sexual harassment. No formal charges were brought. Fuller, a former millionaire who at 29 gave up most of his assets and committed himself to public service, said he had been misunderstood.
For a time, the turmoil hampered fund raising and divided the organization. Eventually, the controversy was settled with Fuller turning over day-to-day management duties and assuming a more strategic and fund-raising role.
Habitat officials also have voiced concern about their failure to penetrate the inner-city housing market. The organization's presence in cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles is minuscule. One of the focuses of the next decade will be to fill that gap.
Some within Habitat have warned against the organization become so far-flung that it loses control of individual projects and actions. But admitting impediments does not appear to be part of Fuller's makeup.
He has launched a crusade to eliminate poverty housing in Sumter, Ga., by the turn of the century. Not some substandard housing, but all.
And that is only a first step toward his ultimate goal to ``eliminate poverty housing from the face of the Earth.''
As birthday wishes go, it's a doozy.
But, who knows. Perhaps, as the folk song says, ``If two and two and fifty make a million, we'll see that day come 'round. We'll see that day come 'round.'' by CNB