Winston-Salem, NC — More then 500 volunteers will help Habitat for Humanity homeowners and staff complete the Greeley Street neighborhood in southeast Winston-Salem during the 2006 Jimmy Johnson Labor of Love Building Blitz, Aug. 30-Sept. 2.
Seven houses will be started during the four-day blitz, including one sponsored by Dell Inc., in its first Forsyth County Habitat project. “We have some very strong partners working with us on the blitz, and we are especially glad to have one of Forsyth County’s newest corporate citizens,” said Sylvia Oberle, executive director of Habitat.
Also being built is a house sponsored by friends and long-time Habitat supporters in honor of Kay Lord, a former executive director of Habitat from 1997-2004.
Work on the Greeley Street neighborhood began in 2004; it was part of last year’s Labor of Love Blitz and building has continued throughout the year. A total of 13 families will live there when the work is completed. “Greeley Street is an excellent example of Habitat not only building houses, but helping to build a community as well,” said Oberle. “We plan to continue working with the homeowners by providing educational and support activities once they are in their homes.”
During Mrs. Lord’s tenure as executive director, Habitat Forsyth first started the concept of building neighborhoods of houses. She was also instrumental in Habitat’s first interfaith build, and in the “Building Homes, Changing Lives” program, for which the local affiliate won the Clarence Jordan award from Habitat for Humanity International in 2000.
Other house sponsors participating in this year’s blitz include: Southern Community Bank teaming with Greater Cleveland Avenue Christian Church; First Christian Church and 84 Lumber; the Women Build House; the Forsyth Tech Voc-Ed house; and BirdFest 2006.
Throughout the fall, participants from the Darryl Hunt Justice Project, which provides work experience and job training for returning prisoners, will be building on several of the houses.
The Labor Day blitz is named for the late Jimmy Johnson, a long-time Forsyth County builder and former Habitat volunteer and board member. He was instrumental in forging a lasting partnership among the Home Builders Association of Winston-Salem, Forsyth Technical Community College, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Career Center and Habitat. After his death in 2004, the annual blitz was renamed for him and the Jimmy Johnson Voc-Ed Fund was established to fund two houses each year built by Forsyth Tech and Career Center students. The Voc-Ed Fund also supports the Jimmy Johnson scholarship for a WS/FCS Career Center student to attend Forsyth Tech and intern at Habitat.
