We are roughly half way toward raising our $20,000.00 commitment. I have raised half of that through the sale of memo pads and the rest has come from straight money donations. We will have a second garage sale later this summer and continue to make pads or anything we can to bring in the money.

What does $20,000.00 do toward buying a house? A Sandtown Habitat brochure says:

The cost to renovate a Habitat House in Sandtown is approximately $50,000.00 including property acquisition (averaging $7,500.00) and $10,000.00 in lead abatement. We secure financing for a portion of the house costs and ask house sponsors to contribute the remaining $20,000.00 necessary to complete the house. Additionally once a owner has applied and been chosen, they need to contribute 350 hours of 'sweat equity' work on their house.

I can understand why people keep coming back year after year after year to work for Habitat and particularly during the Blitz Week. It's invigorating and satisfying. It's a chance to make a big difference in people's lives. And it has a spiritual impact on you that words cannot explain. I guess it's like a ministry. It's quite contagious.

Friday afternoon we ended early. At 3:30 there was a dedication of one of the houses that had been completed earlier in the week and they were turning the keys over to the new owners. These new owners were a mother and 3 young kids moving into a beautiful new, 3 story, 4 bedroom home. It looked brand new. But it wasn't; right next door was a boarded up home needing a tremendous amount of work. But it can be done and this house stood as a testimony to that. It was a deeply spiritual service with speeches of thanks and praise for what had been done. Everyone was thrilled and proud. A new home and a new start and another one crossed off the list to be completed. Sandtown is coming back. One house at a time. It was an honor to be a part of it.

Tom Klamm
July, 2002