BWA Blitz Build 2008

Thank You!

2008-05-20T12:47:00.006-04:00

Thank you to all of those who participated in the BWA Blitz Build, either physically or in prayer. We are excited about being able to tangibly show Christ's love to families affected by Hurricane Rita. It was a meaningful experience for all those involved.

Allen and Shacira Savoy gather with their five children outside their new home. They can't wait to move in soon!

Suzette Bonin holds her new Bible. She and her daughter, Angelle, are excited about seeing how much of their house is already finished.

As you can see, while much has been done, help is still needed to finish the houses and to start the next phase of construction in the subdivision. If you or your church are able to volunteer, please contact Fawn Viator at fawn@habitatlafayette.org.

Dedication Service

2008-05-19T14:51:00.009-04:00

The Dedication Service for the BWA Blitz Build was held in Kaplan, Louisiana on Saturday. It was amazing to come together with many of the individuals who helped make the build possible and to see the progress made in just a few short weeks.

One of the six houses built with the almost
3,000 volunteer hours provided by the BWA.

Julie Justus, BWA Staff Member,
presenting a Bible to a new homeowner.

Melinda Taylor, Executive Director of Lafayette Habitat for Humanity,
thanks Linda Hardee, Mayor of Kaplan, for all of her help in organizing
businesses to sponsor the project.

Local pastor, Rev. Farley Painter, delivers the prayer
of blessing and protection for the new homes.

The service concludes with the Vermilion
Honor Guard performing a 21 Gun Salute.

Final Day of Blitz Build Construction

2008-05-16T12:22:00.001-04:00

Today is the final day of construction for the four-week Blitz Build in Kaplan, Louisiana.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who gave of their time and resources to participate in the build! Because of your help, six families are closer to having homes of their own after suffering the devastating effects of Hurricane Rita.

Thanks also to the BWA Global Impact Churches that, along with Baptist World Aid, contributed money to help fund the construction of the houses. Thanks First Baptist Church of Wilmington, North Carolina, Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Virginia, and Seventh & James Baptist Church, in Waco, Texas!

The six homes will be dedicated tomorrow morning at a special ceremony held at the new Remington Road subdivision. Julie Justus, who works for the Baptist World Alliance, will participate in the dedication service.

Check back on Monday for photos from the dedication service as well as photos of the houses as they stand at the end of week four!

Thanks Lafayette Habitat for Humanity!

2008-05-15T13:48:00.005-04:00

The Blitz Build in Kaplan, Louisiana, is highlighted today on Habitat for Humanity's website:

A ‘phenomenal’ response

It seems like the whole town of Kaplan, La., has gotten involved with a four-week blitz build in Vermilion Parish. Led by energetic Mayor Linda Hardee, who has now joined the Lafayette Habitat for Humanity board of directors, various groups have donated breakfast and lunch for 15 to 60 people, five days a week for four weeks.

Volunteers have included Baptist World Alliance teams, who have come from all over the United States and Canada, and local inmate teams supervised by the sheriff’s department.

At a celebration ceremony on Saturday, six homes will be blessed, and the affiliate will kick off construction on another half-dozen houses. Julie Justus of Baptist World Aid will present Bibles to the families moving into their homes. “This is the first large project we have done in Vermilion Parish,” said Melinda Taylor, executive director of Lafayette HFH. “The community has been phenomenal.”

(Courtesy of Habitat for Humanity, http://www.habitat.org/jcwp/2008/daily_overviews/day4daily_overview.aspx)

The BWA is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Lafayette affiliate of Habitat for Humanity for the Blitz Build! Special thanks go to Melinda Taylor, executive director, and Fawn Viator, volunteer coordinator.

Melinda Taylor

Fawn Viator

Carter Work Project

2008-05-14T14:35:00.005-04:00

The fourth week of the BWA Blitz Build coincides with the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project that is now taking place throughout the Gulf Coast. Lafayette Habitat for Humanity is just one of 17 different affiliates participating in the project.

Below are pictures from Sunday night's Opening Ceremony in Mississippi. We are happy to be contributing to the vision of "Going the Distance in the Gulf Coast" by helping construct six Habitat homes for Hurricane Rita victims.

Women Build

2008-05-13T15:05:00.008-04:00

On Saturday the Lafayette Habitat affiliate hosted a Women Build. According to Habitat for Humanity's website a Women Build is:

a program that trains women to make a difference by building homes and communities. Thousands of houses have been built by women crews around the world – more than 1,200 since Women Build’s official creation in 1998. Each year hundreds more homes are added as affiliates, donors and sponsors discover the impact of women volunteers and their resources.

Below are some of the pictures from the day. Thanks to all of the women from the local area who gave of their time to help work on the six houses!

Week Three Wrap-Up

2008-05-12T15:20:00.008-04:00

Week Three of the Blitz Build came to a close on Friday afternoon as volunteers put finishing touches on their work for the week, packed up their tools and prepared to head back home.

The six new homes line Remington Road in Kaplan, Louisiana

Week Three participants gather at the beginning of the final day of construction

Richard Buerkle from Memorial Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, displays the church's certificate of appreciation from the Baptist World Alliance and Habitat for Humanity for participation in the Blitz Build

On Friday morning, Suzette Bonin, one of the Habitat homeowners, shared with volunteers pictures of her home destroyed by Hurricane Rita.

Volunteers that have come to Kaplan over the past three weeks from churches across the US and Canada have brought Suzette and five other families closer to having simple and decent places to live.

Construction will continue this week. Check back daily for updates and photos!

Week Three is Complete

2008-05-09T15:59:00.003-04:00

Today volunteers in Kaplan, Louisiana completed the third week of the BWA Blitz Build. We are grateful for all those who gave their time and energy to come and work on the six Habitat houses. This Monday starts the last week of the project. It is exciting how quickly homes can be built when we work together!

There is an open invitation for the dedication service:

Saturday, May 17, 2008
10 a.m.
Remington Road Subdivision
Kaplan, Louisiana

Please RSVP by email to fawn@habitatlafayette.org.

Check back next week to see more pictures from the construction site!

Day Four - More Headway on Houses

2008-05-08T21:36:00.012-04:00

Teams of volunteers continued work today in Kaplan, Louisiana, on the six homes being constructed during the BWA Blitz Build.

Volunteers pray together at the start of day four

Allen and Beth Garner of First Baptist Church of Lee's Summit, Missouri, work on the interior of a house

By the end the day, siding was nearly complete on two houses

Susan Gibson stands in front of her new house

Susan and her husband James lost their home and all of their belongings in Hurricane Rita. They moved in with their son, but his trailer was destroyed by a tornado, and the couple was again forced to relocate. The Gibsons are grateful for the many volunteers who are helping to build their new home.

In addition to the BWA volunteers involved in the Blitz Build, local volunteers are also helping to construct the six homes. College students from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, high school students, employees of local businesses, and others are contributing time to the construction efforts. Local businesses and government agencies are supporting the Blitz Build by providing breakfast and lunch for volunteers each day.

College students involved in the AmeriCorps program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette work on the roof of a shed

Employees of the sheriff's department cook breakfast for volunteers

Day Three - Construction Continues

2008-05-07T22:22:00.004-04:00

Progress was made on the six houses today as volunteers continued to prepare houses for siding, install front porch posts, build sheds, add siding, and numerous other jobs.

Volunteers meet for prayer and for a safety discussion at the beginning of the day

Ken Vaughn and Doug Jaeger of Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Virginia, stand in front of the house that Columbia helped to fund. Ken and Doug spent the day working on this house that will be the future home of Annique Watson's family.

Annique and her three children, ages nine, six and three, were living with Annique's grandparents when Hurricane Rita hit and did damage to the home. Subsequent problems with mold and mildew forced them to relocate, and the family has been staying with friends in a mobile home, where the three children share a bedroom and Annique sleeps on the sofa. The family looks forward to moving into their new home soon.

Hubert Yu of the Toronto Chinese Baptist Church, Toronto, Ontario, works on the interior of a house

Brad and Kelly Tomas of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, tape the seams of a house in preparation for siding

Tim Burke from Memorial Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia

A team puts siding on a house

Lore Lynch of the Church at Clarendon in Arlington, Virginia, and Lauren Weaver, who works in the communications division of the Baptist World Alliance, add trim to a shed

Day Two - Sheds and Siding

2008-05-06T18:57:00.009-04:00

During the second day of construction, Week Three volunteers divided into small groups to work on projects at five of the houses.

A couple of groups began constructing doors and adding roofs to the storage sheds that accompany each Habitat house.

Lore Lynch from the Church at Clarendon in Arlington, Virginia, builds a shed door

Several other groups prepared homes for siding or began attaching siding. By the end of the day, siding was almost complete on one of the houses.

Allen and Beth Garner of First Baptist Church in Lee's Summit, Missouri, spent the day preparing houses for siding

Doug Jaeger of Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Virginia, adds siding to a house

Adam Williams, Richard Buerkle and Bill Wodatch from Memorial Baptist Church in Arlington, VA, attach a piece of siding

Suzette Bonin stands in front of her house built by Habitat volunteers and funded in part by the Baptist World Alliance and First Baptist Church of Wilmington, North Carolina. Suzette and her family were living three miles from Vermilion Bay when Hurricane Rita hit, inundating their home with 17 feet of water and destroying all of their belongings.

Like all the other future Habitat homeowners, Suzette must contribute 300 hours of "sweat equity" by helping with the construction of her own home or other Habitat homes. She also fulfills her hours by volunteering at the Habitat ReStore in Lafayette, Louisiana.

She is excited about the progress on her new home and looks forward to moving in soon.

Day One - Raising the Roof

2008-05-05T18:14:00.006-04:00

Volunteers from Alabama, Missouri, Virginia, North Carolina, and Ontario arrived to the construction site on Monday morning eager to continue the work begun by teams during the first two weeks of the Blitz Build.

With the aid of many local volunteers, the teams spent the morning putting roofs on two of the houses. Afternoon rain brought an end to the roof construction, so teams turned their attention to installing windows and other jobs.

Kelly Tomas from the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, measures a piece of plywood for the roof

Richard Buerkle from Memorial Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, and local volunteers work on the roof of the Shavoy's future home. The apartment of Allen and Shacira Savoy was flooded during Hurricane Rita. The sewers backed up, and most of their furniture and other possessions were lost. The Savoys and their five children, ranging in age from eight months to nine years old, have been living in a FEMA trailer.

Brad Tomas from the Church at Brook Hills, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Kenneth Vaughn from Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Virginia, work on the roof

Tim Burke and Bill Wodatch from Memorial Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia prepare to cut a piece of plywood

Check back tomorrow to see the construction progress as Week Three teams help six families come closer to home ownership.

The Third Week Begins

2008-05-05T13:20:00.002-04:00

For the third Monday in a row, BWA Blitz Build volunteers reported at 7:30 am to the build site in Kaplan, Louisiana.

This week's participants are from the following churches:

Columbia Baptist Church, Falls Church, Virginia
First Baptist Church, Lees Summit, Missouri
First Baptist Church, Springfield, Virginia
Memorial Baptist Church, Arlington, Virginia
The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama
The Church at Clarendon, Arlington, Virginia

A special thank you to Columbia Baptist Church for providing $10,000 as seed money for one of six houses being built. What a wonderful gift to a family affected by Hurricane Rita.

Please check back later for daily updates on the construction progress!

Week Two Finishes

2008-05-02T13:43:00.007-04:00

The BWA Blitz Build is half over as Week Two comes to a close. At this point, all six Habitat houses are standing. Thank you to the seven churches that sent teams this week. The pictures below show some of the volunteers with their certificate of participation and what the houses looked like on Friday morning.

Safe travels to all those that worked this week and also to the new group of volunteers that will be arriving in Kaplan on Sunday. Please continue to watch the blog as the building continues next week. The word is that the six homes will soon have shingles and siding!

Meet Nicole

2008-05-01T15:11:00.003-04:00

One of the best parts of participating in the BWA Blitz Build is the opportunity to work alongside the future homeowners. The picture on the right is of volunteer Sue Kunihiro (right) from Gainesville, Virginia hammering next to Nicole Fielder who will be moving into her new Habitat home very soon.

Here is Nicole's story:

Nicole was renting a home on Constance St. in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. She and her family evacuated to Vermilion Parish, where her brother-in-law’s family in Abbeville took them in – along with more than twenty other family members fleeing the storm. Nicole was finally able to find a place to rent in Abbeville and she works nearby at the Eastridge Nursing Center. She finds it difficult to talk about her experiences after the storm – as she puts it, “it still hurts my heart” – but after struggling with some stress-related health problems she’s ready to move on with her life and looking forward to providing a better home for her son Earl (10) and daughter Janae’ (1). Her sister Valerie Sturgis is also a Habitat homeowner in the E. Gilman neighborhood in Lafayette.

We're excited to help Nicole build her home!

Three More Houses Started

2008-04-30T15:19:00.006-04:00

The teams this week have begun construction on three more houses. As you can see in the pictures below, the volunteers are working hard in Kaplan, Louisiana. Yesterday they started with concrete slabs and by the end of today both the exterior and interior walls will be framed. Great job, everyone!

More Pictures

2008-04-29T15:53:00.010-04:00

Here are more pictures from last week. Please check back later this week to see the great work this week's teams are doing!

Start of Second Week

2008-04-28T13:43:00.008-04:00

The second week of the BWA Blitz Build began this morning in Kaplan, Louisiana. After arriving yesterday, the volunteers got a chilly start on the six houses they will be working on this week.

A special thank you to the churches that sent this week's participants:

Harvest Pointe Community Church, Charles Town, West Virginia
First Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina
First Baptist Church, Sun City West, Arizona
Mt. Zion Fellowship, Charles Town, West Virginia
Potomac Heights Baptist Church, Indian Head, Maryland
Vienna Baptist Church, Vienna, Virginia
Toronto Chinese Baptist Church, Toronto, Ontario

Check back tomorrow to see pictures of their progress!

Great Week One

2008-04-25T17:50:00.006-04:00

Week 1 of the BWA Blitz Build is complete! Before finishing the last work day, the participating churches that sent volunteers were thanked on behalf of the Habitat for Humanity affiliate and BWA for a great job done! On the right is a picture of BWA employee, Julie Justus, presenting a plaque to a member of First Baptist Church of Wilmington, North Carolina in recognition of their $10,000 contribution for one of the houses.

It is amazing to see how much was done in just a few days. We started with concrete slabs and now there are three houses standing. Next week will bring more volunteers who will start the second group of houses and others who will continue to work on the homes pictured below.

A huge thank you to all that worked this week and a special thanks to Lafayette Habitat for Humanity and Kaplan, Louisiana for hosting us. Check back next week as the construction continues!

Work Continues!

2008-04-24T18:25:00.008-04:00

The volunteers did another great job today! It is fun to see how much can be accomplished by working together. There is an overwhelming sense of teamwork as strangers serve alongside each other and quickly become friends. The shared goal of putting together homes for 3 Hurricane Rita affected families is creating a bond that will continue far past this week of the build.

As the construction proceeds, many more tasks can be tackled simultaneously. The picture on the right depicts this quite well. One team of BWA Blitz volunteers is working on raising the trusses for Michelle Vice's new home. At the same time another group is laboring below, covering the outside of the house with the foam board that will hold the siding installed next week. So much more can be done now that the basic frame of the house is complete and yet there is still a lot that needs to be finished before Michelle can move in.

Two churches from Arlington, Virginia sent volunteers to the build this week. The team from Memorial Baptist Church is a father/daughter team that is doing a great job on the house on lot 3. Working on Michelle's house is The Church at Clarendon group. Many of the participants from all of the churches are using their limited vacation time from work to come and help build the homes. This sacrifice is much appreciated! Below is a picture of the team from The Church at Clarendon and Michelle standing outside her house at the end of today.

It is hard to believe that the end of week one is tomorrow. Time is certainly flying by! We all look forward to seeing how much we can accomplish before many of us have to travel home.

Wonderful Wednesday

2008-04-23T18:26:00.006-04:00

The sun was brutal today in Kaplan, Louisiana at the site of the BWA Blitz Build. However, the weather did not stop the more than 30 volunteers from continuing their work. The build must go on! While there were many water breaks and rests in the shade to keep everyone safe, all three of the houses made great progress.

While it is not a competition between the three houses, as the important part of Habitat's construction plan is to make sure everyone is a part of the team and participating regardless of skill level; there is still one house that seems to be coming together quite quickly! On lot four, the future home of Suzette Bonin, the volunteers are men from First Baptist Church, Wilmington, North Carolina and Shades Crest Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama. Under the direction of House Leader, Gary Wilcox, the group is a building machine! The picture on the right is the men raising a truss in the morning. Working skillfully and quickly, the men were able to complete this part of the construction progress by the end of the day. Great job, guys!

Everyone is excited to see how much can be done by the end of the week. However, it is nice to know that another group of eager volunteers are getting ready to travel to continue the BWA Blitz Build next week. We are all planning to rest up tonight to be ready for another great day tomorrow!

Successful Day 2

2008-04-22T18:39:00.005-04:00

Today was another good, but hot, day in Louisiana for those participating in the BWA Blitz Build. We worked hard but the results were well worth it! By the end of the afternoon all three houses had made quite a bit of progress, and volunteers left both tired and happy with all that they had accomplished.

One highlight of the day was spending more time working alongside the homeowners. Those who will move into the houses are required to do "sweat equity" hours, a way for the owner to give back to Habitat and to participate in the building process. Michelle Vice, one of the homeowners for the houses being constructed this week, is pictured on the right. After finishing her job delivering mail for the post office, Michelle came by her future home, sponsored in part by Baptist World Aid, to help with the work being done. A true delight to meet, she is a hard worker and is becoming quite a skilled carpenter. She is also giving those who are volunteering an insiders guide to the good places to get authentic Cajun cooking for dinner. Michelle shared that she is currently living in a camper on her mother's property and is looking forward to moving in as soon as the house is complete. The picture below shows all the work that has been done on Michelle's house so far. It looks like she will be moving in very soon!

Tomorrow we are looking forward to making Michelle's hope for a simple and decent home one step closer to reality.

First Day Complete

2008-04-21T21:31:00.007-04:00

Hello from Louisiana! Today was the first day of our BWA Blitz Build and what a day it was! We started with concrete slabs on three houses and by the end of the day we had constructed and raised exterior walls for all three.

The morning was an early one as we met at 7:30 for a time of prayer and reflection. The Habitat affiliate greeted the volunteers from Alabama, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia churches warmly and shared with us a bit about the destruction that occurred in Vermillion Parish during Hurricane Rita. After the time of introductions, the more than 30 participants were invited to write a blessing on the front door headers that will be hung above the three homes we started today. It was a meaningful experience as we thought of all the dreams and hopes the families have wrapped up in the homes that we are helping to build.

One of the churches that is participating this week is First Baptist Church, Wilmington, North Carolina. This Global Impact Church has provided the seed money for one of the homes that was started today. The team is energetic and was actually the first construction group to raise all of their walls! Below is the picture of the team standing in front of the house that they helped sponsor and will help build all this week. Thank you First Baptist Church!

Check back tomorrow to see the progress that we make on Day 2!

Blitz Build construction begins

2008-04-21T10:51:00.004-04:00

The BWA Blitz Build got underway this morning as volunteers began construction in Kaplan, Louisiana. Over the next four weeks, participants will build six homes for families affected by Hurricane Rita. Check this blog regularly for updates and photos from the Blitz Build.

Home Dedications

2008-04-15T10:21:00.002-04:00

You are invited to participate in the dedication service for the 6 homes we will be building!

Saturday, May 17, 2008
10 a.m.
Remington Road Subdivision
Kaplan, Louisiana

Please RSVP by email to fawn@habitatlafayette.org.

Baptist World Alliance to build houses in Louisiana, seeks volunteers

2008-04-14T14:54:00.003-04:00

The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is joining together with the Lafayette affiliate of Habitat for Humanity to build six homes in southwest Louisiana for families affected by Hurricane Rita, a category five storm that hit the Gulf Coast of the USA in September of 2005.

More than 250 volunteers are expected to participate throughout the course of the four-week “BWA Blitz Build” in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, from April 20 to May 17, 2008. Nearly one-third of the homes in the parish were destroyed by Hurricane Rita, and many people remain in temporary housing or live in homes still damaged by the storm.

Suzette Bonin and her young daughter were living three miles from Vermilion Bay when the hurricane hit, inundating their home with 17 feet of water, and destroying all of their belongings.

The apartment of Allen and Shacira Savoy was flooded by the storm. The sewers backed up, and most of their furniture and other possessions were lost. The Savoys and their five children, ranging in age from eight months to nine years old, have been living in a FEMA trailer.

James and Susan Gibson lost everything they owned in the hurricane. The couple moved in with their son, but his trailer was destroyed by a tornado and they were forced to relocate again.

These families, and three additional families, will be beneficiaries of the homes constructed during the Blitz Build. As part of the Habitat program, the new homeowners will contribute “sweat equity” by helping to build their home, by volunteering at the Habitat ReStore, or by taking classes about home ownership.

Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the BWA, provided funds toward the construction of three of the homes to be built during the Blitz. Three BWA Global Impact Churches, First Baptist Church of Wilmington, North Carolina, Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Virginia, and Seventh & James Baptist Church, in Waco, Texas, contributed money needed for the additional three homes. Volunteers from several Baptist churches will help with the building.

This year’s Blitz is the second in which the BWA has participated. In the 2007 Blitz, volunteers constructed 12 homes in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for victims of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

Volunteers are still needed for the 2008 Blitz Build, especially for the weeks of May 4-10 and May 11-17. Both individuals and church groups are encouraged to participate. For information about volunteering, contact jjustus@bwanet.org.