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Celebrating 20 years of building houses and building lives!
Strengthening our Community & World for Generations to Come
Hattiesburg Area Habitat for Humanity, an affiliate of
Habitat for Humanity International, has been helping
low-income families build and own their own homes since 1990. Under the direction of a volunteer Board of Directors,
Hattiesburg Area Habitat works in partnership with low-income
families to build affordable, decent housing in Forrest and Lamar counties,
and in the city of Hattiesburg based on the
principles of the
Theology of the Hammer.
Without the help of our generous donors
and volunteers, we could not bring
the dream of a decent, affordable home to families in need. You
can participate in this worldwide effort to solve the low-income
housing crisis.
Volunteers are always needed at Habitat. Use skills you already
have, or learn new skills by helping to build a Habitat home,
working in the office, assisting with fundraising events or on a
committee. Habitat works because of the commitment of its
volunteers, businesses and organizations in the community.
For more information on how you, your corporation, church or
community organization can become a part of Hattiesburg Area
Habitat for Humanity please
contact
us at: 601-582-HOME or
email: info@HattiesburgHabitat.org.
What is the Theology of
the Hammer?
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Hattiesburg Area HFH
Participates in National Women Build Day!!
Women tackle Habitat house
LA TONYA FRELIX • American Staff Writer
lfrelix@hattiesburgamerican.com • May 2, 2010
First Photo: Habitat future
Homeowner Marcelyn Taylor hammering a nail. Second Photo:
Deanna Favre, left, and Johniece DuPree, right, wife of Hattiesburg
Mayor Johnny DuPree, set a wall in Taylor's home under construction
in the Celeste Place subdivision in Hattiesburg. The build on
Saturday was part of Habitat for Humanity's Women Build Day.
Rain intermittently sprinkled the
bedazzled hard hats of the ladies who accessorized tool belts with
pearl necklaces Saturday during Habitat for Humanity's Women Build
Day. About 40 women came out to help Hattiesburg Area Habitat
for Humanity erect the walls for a home for single mother Marcelyn
Taylor at Celeste Place subdivision.
Habitat Executive Director Andrea
Dixon said volunteers pre-built walls Friday. Taylor wasn't at the
Saturday event because her mother was ill. Taylor has two
children, Skyler, 15, and Shakyla, 11, and works full time as a
Special Care Tech at Wesley Medical Center.
Among the volunteers were Deanna
Favre, author and wife of NFL star Brett Favre, and Johniece DuPree,
wife of Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree. Favre was glad to
take part in Saturday's event because she was helping a family in
need. "I've always wanted to do a Habitat build, but every
time one happened with my church (Saint Thomas) I was up north or
something was going on," she said. "It's awesome to help families
who may not have homes of their own."
Favre said she could relate to Taylor
being a single mom because she was also a single mother before
marrying Brett Favre. "I know what that's like. I want to do
anything I can do to help families who need help in these
situations," she said. "I'm glad to be a part of this. It's going to
be fun and interesting to see if I'm capable."
DuPree said she's always had an
interest to help people find affordable housing so volunteering
Saturday was important for her. DuPree also is the spokeswoman for
the Women Build project. "I believe when a person has a home,
they take ownership in the community and makes it great for all of
us," she said.
The Women Build will continue every
weekend through May. It's a program that seeks to empower women and
girls to learn and grow on the Habitat job site. "This is to
help engage women. Women tend to come out on construction sites and
end up doing cleanup and things like that," Dixon said. "This is so
special for us because women can take charge. We are going to hone
into those skills you already have and also learn some new ones."
Lee Ann Venable, Habitat board
president, said Saturday also marked the 20th anniversary for
Hattiesburg Habitat. "Twenty years ago people just like you
looked at poverty housing in Hattiesburg and had enough and decided
to do something about it," she said. "Today you're following in
their footsteps and hopefully we will continue for another 20
years."
Andrea Dixon, Director of HAHFH,
Deanna Favre, Johniece DuPree and Lee Anne Venable, Board President
of HAHFH pictured above on Saturday was part of Habitat for
Humanity's Women Build Day.
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Harlem Ambassadors
vs.
Hattiesburg Habitat
Hoopsters
Thanks to
all who helped to
make the Harlem
Ambassador basketball
fundraiser a fun &
successful evening!
Special thanks to
William Carey University
for use of its
facilities!! We
were able to raise just
over $10k to help build
Melissa Carpenter's
house! We are, however,
still short of our $70k
goal for the Carpenter
House! Any amount is
appreciated to help us
make Melissa Carpenter's
dream of homeownership a
reality! To donate
towards Ms. Carpenter's
house, please click
here.
Secondary Event
Sponsors: 
Quarter Sponsors:
 
 
Player Sponsors: 
Post-Game Meal Sponsor: 
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Habitat for Humanity Builds for Southern
Miss Employee
University of Southern Mississippi employee
Melissa Carpenter has mountains of praise heaped on
her practically every day.
What she does not have is a home of her own. But
that’s all about to change.
Carpenter, who serves as a secretary in the
Student Activities Office at Southern Miss, will get
to see a lifelong dream come true as the owner of a
new home courtesy of Hattiesburg Area Habitat for
Humanity. Construction is currently underway at Celeste
Place in Hattiesburg with
completion scheduled for sometime in April.
“When I found out I almost screamed,” said
Carpenter. “I’ve cried many tears of joy over this.
Habitat for Humanity does so much for people in
need. I feel so blessed that they are helping me
become a homeowner for the first time.”
“In Melissa’s tenure at USM she has dedicated
countless hours to students and their success,” said
Josh Duplantis, interim director of the Office of
Community Service Learning at Southern Miss. “In addition to her work here, she also
serves several community agencies including Civitan,
United Way, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters just to
name a few. With all that she gives, we are humbled
to have the opportunity to give something back to
her and make her dream of home ownership a reality.”
Carpenter’s home will be the sixth to occupy
space in Celeste Place off Edwards Street in the
Southeast part of Hattiesburg. The three-bedroom,
one-and-a-half bath dwelling will include a front
porch, laundry space, refrigerator, stove, driveway
and storage shed.
According to Andrea Dixon, executive director of
Hattiesburg Area Habitat for Humanity, applicants
are required to complete 450 “sweat equity” hours
and provide a down payment of $500 before moving
into their new home. The recipient may then purchase
the home from a Habitat for Humanity affiliate
through a zero-percent interest, 20-year loan.
“The work Habitat does in the Hattiesburg
community is so vital because it brings people
together in a way that unites us,” said Dixon.
“Everyone understands shelter. It’s a common need
that we all have.
“Habitat joins families, volunteers and donors,
all who make up Hattiesburg’s churches, schools,
corporations, businesses, civic groups and local
governments together to declare that affordable
housing is necessary in our community and poverty
housing has no place here.”
University of Southern Mississippi employee Melissa
Carpenter, left, will receive a new home courtesy of
the Hattiesburg Area Habitat for Humanity. Pictured
with Carpenter is area Habitat director Andrea
Dixon. (Office of University Communications photo by
Van Arnold)Click the link
below for more information on how you can
participate in raising additional funds to help
build Melissa's house:
http://southernmissgreeks.com/page.php?page_id=121395
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Hattiesburg Area
Habitat for Humanity's Blitz Build Weekend: 5-Houses in 3 Days!
Hattiesburg Area Habitat hosted nearly 1,700 volunteers,
including a number of service men and women from Camp Shelby, this
past weekend. These volunteers built the first
five houses in the 10-house Celeste Place subdivision, located at
1741 Edwards Street, Hattiesburg, MS to near completion. Through partnerships with
over sixteen community churches and additional funding through
Habitat for Humanity International from the People of
Qatar, five of the ten houses have been fully-sponsored
and were built with volunteer labor from the churches and others
in the community. There was also an enormous amount of support
through donations of materials, food and services from area individuals,
businesses, schools and civic organizations.
On
Sunday evening at 6:00p.m., all of the Habitat
volunteers, families, sponsors, staff and supporters gathered together at
West Point Church to celebrate the
accomplishments of the weekend build with food, singing, special
presentations and a showing of video footage of the build.
The families selected for Habitat houses have incomes
within the low-income range of 30 – 60% of the area median income
and are in need of simple, decent and affordable housing. Each
partner family is required to complete a total of 450 sweat equity
hours and provide a $500 down payment prior to closing. The houses
will be sold to the partner families at no profit – no interest.
The mortgage payments made by homeowners are used to build more
houses.
“I am standing
here today because Habitat gave me and my family a chance,”
said
Bridgette Ferguson, Habitat partner family whose house is being
sponsored and built by First Baptist Church of Hattiesburg, Sacred
Heart Catholic Church and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.
“Soon my children will have a place they can truly call ‘home’.”
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Hattiesburg Area HFH is a United Way agency.
 
P.O. Box
1092, 5191 Hwy 42, Hattiesburg, MS 39403
© 2005-2006 Hattiesburg Area Habitat for Humanity
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