Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Henry County to Host Legacy Build in '12

It is with great pride and honor that the Henry County Fuller Center for Housing  announces that it will be the host location for the fourth Millard Fuller Legacy Build in 2012.  David Snell, President of Fuller Center and Director of US Field Operations Kirk Lyman-Barner opened up discussions with the Covenant Partner earlier this month to see if we were willing to accept the invitation.  We are excited to say that we accepted that invitation  with open arms!! The 2012 Millard Fuller Legacy Build will take place Sept. 9-14.

The Millard Fuller Legacy Build, named in memory of The Fuller Center and Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller, is an annual, internationally recognized week of building that brings attention to the need for simple, decent and affordable housing.


Some very serious strategic planning and fundraising will take place over the next few months with the help and support of staff members from the Americus Office. They will be working very closely with our Board Members and Committee Members to ensure a successful build.  During that time our Site Selection and Construction Committees will scout around McDonough, Hampton, Stockbridge and Locust Grove in order to identify an appropriate work site that will support somewhere in the vicinity of  200 volunteers for a period of 1 week. Many of those volunteers will be flying in to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and will staying at local hotels and motels in Henry County.  Others will be coming into town with their RV's or staying with friends or family. They will  be frequenting many of our local food establishments and shopping at our local stores during their short stay here.


Similar in scope to the work we completed in Summer 2009 under the Atlanta Fuller Center and in 2010, we will be looking to partner up with some of our local churches, businesses and organizations.  If you would like to  partner up with the Henry County  Fuller Center please email us at info@hcfullercenter.org.




We will be looking to recruit local contractors who are willing to take on the role of house-captains or team leaders. Give us a call at 678-551-0800. We would love to hear from you.  To learn  more about what is being planned i n Peru follow the following link - Dates set for 2012 Millard Fuller Legacy Build.


To learn about the Fuller Center for Housing please visit www.fullercenter.org. To learn more about your local "chapter" visit www.hcfullercenter.org.


Shane A. Persaud, President/Volunteer
Henry County Fuller Center for Housing, Inc.






Saturday, September 10, 2011

Volunteers Pitch In To Help Tornado Victims

Monday, May 2, 2011

Special Photo Henry County Emergency Management Director Don Ash helped to clear fallen trees and other debris from a home in Spalding County, during a clean-up effort in the aftermath of recent tornadoes in the area.
By Jason A. Smith
jsmith@henryherald.com

More than 40 Henry residents gathered in a neighboring community over the weekend, to assist victims of storms that ripped through portions of the Southeast, including the Southern Crescent area.


Local volunteers went to School Road in Spalding County Saturday, to clear debris left by the recent tornadoes. Henry Commission Chairman Elizabeth "B.J." Mathis, spearheaded the endeavor. The team of volunteers she took to the area worked for about six hours, she said.

"The house we spent the most time on, was a couple who had no homeowner's insurance," Mathis said. "We were able to completely clear all the trees from their yard, and put them along the roadway for Spalding County Public Works to pick up later. Some of them were so large, you couldn't reach your arms around them."

Mathis said the volunteers were split among different areas in Spalding County, as well as Lamar County, which was also affected by the tornadoes.

"The bulk of the volunteers were on Old Hwy 3, in Sunnyside," she said. "Some were over on School Road, at the Christian Women's Center. Additional volunteers were at other homes on the same street, doing similar work. Thanks to three volunteers, we had three Bobcats working on [one] street, and were able to get a lot more accomplished."

Don Dunlap, a business teacher at Patrick Henry High School, was among those who volunteered for the clean-up. He and other members of the Henry team, loaded Bobcats full of heavy equipment, to be hauled away from the site.

There were lots of trees on houses," said Dunlap. "It was amazing, the amount of damage that was done to these homes."

Dunlap said the volunteers' eagerness to help the Spalding community carried over into Sunday. Some of them returned to continue their efforts.

Mathis said Henry's relief effort was sparked by a telephone conversation she had Thursday with Spalding County Commission Chairman Eddie Freeman. "He said the damage was massive, and they couldn't respond to all the areas as quickly as they wanted to," Mathis said.




The tornado entered the southwest corner of Spalding County around midnight Wednesday, heading northeast, said Freeman, in an interview with the Henry Daily Herald last Friday.

Freeman said the destruction was "tremendous," and that an elderly man and his caregiver perished in the storm.

"We have 400 homes that are either, damaged or destroyed, and 14 businesses that are damaged or destroyed," said Freeman.

He added that firefighters from Clayton County came to Spalding to provide assistance, in the wake of the tornado.

Elsewhere in the Atlanta area, Kroger grocery stores are encouraging customers and employees to contribute to tornado-relief efforts, by making donations to the American Red Cross. Customers can round up their purchases to the nearest whole dollar at all Atlanta Division Kroger locations, which include stores in Georgia, South Carolina, northern Alabama and eastern Tennessee.

"Our hearts are with our friends and neighbors in north Georgia, Huntsville, [Ala.], and across the Southeast, who have been devastated by this horrendous natural disaster," said Glynn Jenkins, director of communications and public relations for Kroger's Atlanta Division. "Our customers and communities come together during times such as these, and we are so appreciative. Their generosity truly makes a difference in the lives of so many people."

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Students get lessons in citizenship, service

Article Courtesy Of Clayton News Daily©
Photo by Johnny Jackson
Joni Barlow gives a presentation, using a projector slideshow, as she shares with classmates her experiences in the community service learning course at Patrick Henry High School.

By Johnny Jackson

jjackson@henryherald.com

Joni Barlow was visibly emotional as she shared the lessons she had learned over the past semester at Patrick Henry High School, in Stockbridge.

"Even though you think you don't deserve it, because of the bad things you did," said Barlow. "God believes you do."

This, the student said, is what she takes away from the school's community service learning class. The class is now two semesters old, and has graduated roughly two dozen students, who are progressing toward becoming active citizens and community leaders, according to the school's community service learning instructor, Don Dunlap.

Some did not make it this year, but most did, said Dunlap. He said a dozen of the 18 students who signed up this semester for Patrick Henry's community service learning class, will graduate Wednesday, April 27.

"It's much greater than the sum of its parts," he said. "They really have been transformed in learning about the opportunities in the community for them to give of themselves."

Dunlap said the community service learning class is built on national standards, so students earn academic course credit for taking it. However, it was born out of a collaboration between the school and the Turning Point Church, an 8-year-old, 700-member McDonough congregation.

"It was just an open door," said Turning Point Pastor Michael Turner, as he recalled the process of partnering with the school to provide no-cost mentoring, and volunteer opportunities, to students at the alternative school.

The partnership to build community leaders at Patrick Henry began with a challenge Turner said he posed to his youth minister, Brad Post.

"I sent Brad on an assignment to find out what are the needs of our community," Turner said. "A common thread was a need for teen mentoring. We call it 'Dream Builders' at our church.

"What's cool is that I was this kid in high school," he added. "I came from a single-parent home, and almost every young man here does not have that relationship with their father."

The partnership began during the 2010 Spring Semester at Patrick Henry. Students voluntarily met after school with members of Turning Point and volunteered on weekends for various community service projects.

Dunlap said the school began to implement the class during the 2010 Fall Semester. The Patrick Henry instructor said he has seen some students transform from apathetic individuals, into community-oriented citizens who value and care for other people in need. For those students, he said, the community's needy become less like distant objects, and more like three-dimensional people worth being helped.

"I talk about our students graduating and becoming good, contributing members of our community. I think that's the goal of education," said Dunlap, of his motivation to create the partnership.

Some students, like Jon Wilson, Trey Johnson, and Kameron Thacker, acknowledged the obstacles they were asked to overcome in order to become better citizens. Many of them related to the community leaders who were invited to speak to the class this semester.

"Everyone has a purpose in life, even though you don't see it at the moment," said Thacker.

Henry County Board of Commissioners Chairman Elizabeth 'B.J.' Mathis and Stockbridge Mayor Lee Stuart spoke of their respective pasts in the youth ministry and the military, and what inspired them to become public servants.

"We learned that the choices you make now affect your future. And if you're passionate about something, you'll do it for free," noted student, Brandi Hargis.

Students freely volunteered their Wednesday afternoons to listen to the community leaders. On weekends, they helped to repair homes through the Henry County Fuller Center for Housing.

"It's more than a community service class," declared student, Ashley Swint. "You learn a lot more than that."



Click here to read a little about Don Dunlap


Click here for Turning Point Church on Facebook


For PHHS On Facebook Click Here

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Meet "Big Red"...


Trailer Donated to the HCFC by Ms. Joyce
A few weeks ago I was carrying on business as usual, and as I walked over to Ms. Joyce's desk (she volunteers over at Connecting Henry), she looked up from her computer and said to me in her sweet southern voice, "I noticed that y'all were looking for a Trailer for the Fuller Center......it's not an enclosed one but I believe I have a 4x8 in the garage that y'all can have. It's just been sitting there for God knows how long."  - I almost spilled my coffee!


Thanks to the wonderful and generous Ms. Joyce Rodgers, the Henry County Fuller Center now has a small trailer that we can use to load up with tools and building materials as we head over to our next project(s).  In the short time that I have lived in Henry County, I have met some of the most passionate & caring people who are always looking out for you and always looking to make a difference in their own way.  And if you know this family, you know that the apple does not fall far from the tree! Both Ms. Joyce  and Denese have been the HCFC's biggest supporters and cheerleaders from Day One. We would like to say THANK YOU to the Rodgers, from the bottom of our hearts!

For more information about Fuller Center and the Henry County Fuller Center, please visit www.fullercenter.org and www.hcfullercenter.org.

Shane A. Persaud
(678) 699-2308 or info@hcfullercenter.org
President/Volunteer, Henry County Fuller Center for Housing, Inc.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Stockbridge teen benefits from Henry County Fuller For Housing, Inc.Center


Article courtesy of Henry County Times©

Jacob Adams with 4-year-old sister Avery enjoy a day out at Stone Mountain.

By Cristy Smith
Staff writer

Most all of us know what it is like to be a teenager eager for more independence and so badly wanting to inch further and further away from the nest. But what if you were a teenager unable to walk?

Jacob Adams, 14, was diagnosed before birth, with Spina Bifida, a condition where the backbone and spinal canal do not close, and he has never known that independence.

“He is unable to go outside by himself, and he has to crawl to get to his bathroom,” explained Carrie Adams, Jacob’s mom.

But thanks to the Henry County Fuller Center, a non-profit housing organization, and the employees from the True Value Regional Distribution Center in Jonesboro, Jacob now has a direct route from his bedroom to his bathroom. A wheelchair friendly door was added to Jacob’s bathroom entrance from his bedroom, handicap bars were added to the bathroom, and a wall-hung sink in the kitchen that he can access easily, and a 10’ by 10’ deck with ramp were constructed on the rear of the Adams’ home.

Henry County Fuller Center volunteers partnered with the True Value employees this past weekend to upgrade Jacob’s home to American Disability Act (ADA) standards.

Not only does Jacob have to go through extreme measures to do what most would consider being simple tasks, but it has also been taking a toll on his body and even more importantly, his spine, making this project that much more urgent. These additions will give Jacob more independence and lessen the stress on his spine.

“Jacob has scoliosis and has had a complete spinal fusion where they straighten the vertebrae and insert a rod and wiring which is tough on his spine… usually it’s just a portion of someone’s spine that this is done to, but this had to be done to his entire backbone,” said Carrie. “I really worried about him crawling from his bedroom to the bathroom.”

Now that Jacob is able to get himself around, his 4-year-old sister Avery will not have as much fun pushing him around in his wheelchair inside the house.

“Avery really enjoys pushing her big brother around and helping him out,” said Carrie. “Even though they’re 10 years apart they are very close.”

The modifications made to his room and bathroom have Jacob enjoying his teenage independence and has allowed him more time to do activities like watching wrestling, listening to music, playing guitar and drums, playing on his PlayStation and facebooking.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

“Jacob keeps telling me he loves his new bachelor pad,” laughed Carrie. “It really is quite amazing what they did. It’s perfect.”

According to Shane Persaud, President of the Henry County Fuller Center, anyone living in substandard housing is eligible to apply for assistance from the organization.

For more information on The Henry County Fuller Center, to inquire about a housing application, or to become a volunteer, visit their website at http://www.fullercenter.org or http://www.hcfullercenter.org.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

True Value regional distribution center gives Henry County a big boost in volunteers



Fuller Center for Housing Henry County is helping 13-year-old Jacob, right, become more independent with its work at Jacob's home this Saturday.



The Fuller Center for Housing Henry County already had big plans this weekend – a roof repair in McDonough, Ga., and a project to make a Stockbridge home more accessible for a wheelchair-bound 13-year-old named Jacob.

Shane Persaud, director of the Henry County covenant partner, said Tuesday he is still drumming up funds for the two projects. But Persaud doesn't expect to expend a lot of effort trying to find volunteers to work this weekend.

The volunteers found him.

The True Value regional distribution center in nearby Jonesboro, Ga., contacted the Henry County FCH and said they were looking to do some volunteer work as part of the company's Day of Caring.

They called the right place.

“It's a huge deal,” Persaud said. “They are going to send 40 volunteers our way Saturday. So we're gonna split them up – send 20 to the roofing project and 20 to the ADA project.”

Persaud made that statement about 4 p.m. By 5 p.m., the number of volunteers looked to be around 45, according to Tony Carver, warehouse superintendent at the distribution center.

"The company has had the Day of Caring for a while, and we've been looking to get the distribution centers involved," said Carver, noting that other efforts to find volunteer projects garnered little response before someone told him they had heard UPS had enjoyed good working experiences with the Fuller Center. "So we called the Fuller Center, and they were very responsive."

Carver said that Persaud seemed overwhelmingly delighted with the volunteerism offered by the True Value RDC.

"I think Shane was expecting maybe 25 or 30," Carver said with a chuckle. "I've been pleasantly surprised with the participation. It looks like we'll have around 45, which is almost 50 percent of our workforce here. Coming out on a Saturday in the heat with kids starting school and some employees having to take kids off to college and such, I'm just real happy with the participation rate."

The family partnering to have the roofing work has informed Persaud that they would have family and friends do the work of tearing off the old roof Friday so that volunteers can get straight to work putting on the new roof Saturday.

“I got a good quote today (on the shingles),” Persaud said. “And I'd think with 20 volunteers and maybe 10 on the roof and an air compressor gun that we ought to be able to get that new roof on in two or three hours.”

As for the ADA project in Stockbridge, the team will be tackling three tasks: adding a kitchen sink at wheelchair height, widening a bathroom doorway and refitting the toilet, and building a wooden deck that is level with the hohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifuse and has a ramp.

“At 13, he's becoming more independent,” Persaud said of Jacob, who suffers from a fused spine and was supposed to be undergoing surgery Tuesday. “They have a concrete back deck now with about a 12-inch dropoff. We're going to replace it with a wooden deck flush with the main floor so that he can more easily get outside.”

Headquartered in Chicago, True Value Company is one of thhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife world's largest retailer-owned hardware cooperatives with more than 5,000 independent retailers. The Fuller Center for Housing would like to thank the company and its generous team in Jonesboro for their outstanding support.

For more information about True Value, click here.

Want to get involved with Shane Persaud and FCH Henry County or donate to this weekend's work? Click here.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Group helps family rebuild


Article Courtesy Of Griffin Daily News©

by Ray Lightner
07.16.11 - 05:54 pm
Bobby and Anita Simpson were able to move back into their Sunny Side home last Saturday, thanks to a lot of help from a group of volunteers from Henry County.

The Simpsons’ home was damaged in the April 28 tornado. Volunteers from the Fuller Center of Henry County came in that weekend to help clean up. Board member B.J. Mathis, the Henry County Commission chairperson, had called her counterpart in Spalding County to offer help.

That started cleaning up debris in Sunny Side and at the Patterson Road mobile home park.

“We came over and were cleaning up yards. Bobby almost ran them off,” said Fuller Center Board member Don Dunlap. “He didn’t know who they were.”

After meeting the family, the group took on the Simpsons’ home as a project, beginning work on the house May 14. Working every Saturday since then, volunteers with varying levels of expertise helped clean up and repair the home enough so the family could move back in July 9.

Volunteers included experienced and working contractors as well as students.

The project is still not completed, said Fuller Center of Henry County President Shane Persaud, “but the family can move back in. That is our goal.”

Volunteers turned out Saturday to work some more and dedicate the house back to the Simpsons. As part of the ceremony, as is their tradition, Persaud presented the family with a Bible signed by many of the volunteers and a “greater blessings box,” made from wood from the Fuller farm in Americus. The box contains envelopes to make donations when they can.

The Fuller Center for Housing was founded by Millard Fuller, who also founded Habitat for Humanity.

The Simpsons thanked the volunteers for their work.

“This is a blessing we don’t deserve,” said Bobby Simpson. “We moved back in this past Saturday. It would would been months more without your help.”

Anita Simpson said, “the Lord brought us all together for a reason. Not sure what it is yet, but once we’re back up, we’ll be helping too,”

The house has been in their family for a some time. The Simpsons bought it from Anita’s parents, who bought in from her uncle in 1994. Her mother, Becky Channell said, “The lumber in the attic of the home came from granddaddy’s property.”

Shane A. Persaud, Volunteer & President of Henry County Fuller Center For Housing, Inc*. presents an overjoyed Bobby & Anita Simpson with their Bible & Greater Blessing Box on Dedication Day-July 16, 2011

*Over 50 home repair projects have been done, at this date, by the Henry County Fuller Center For Housing, Inc. for Georgia residents, since it's inception.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Local agency needs utility trailer donation


Article courtesy of Johnny Jackson, Henry Daily Herald Staff Reporter©

Posted: 9:30 PM Jul 15, 2011http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Local agency needs utility trailer donation
Volunteers working with the Henry County Fuller Center for Housing, Inc., are calling on community members to help the local organization in providing for the area’s needy in home repairs.

By Johnny Jackson
jjackson@henryherald.com

Volunteers working with the Henry County Fuller Center for Housing, Inc., are calling on community members to help the local organization in providing for the area’s needy in home repairs.

The non-profit affiliate of the Fuller Center for Housing is in need of a two-axle enclosed utility trailer, according to organization officials.

Volunteer John Quinn said the needed trailer dimensions measure 6-by-12 feet. It would be used to store and haul tools and building materials for various area home repair projects.

“We would possibly like to have a new one donated,” said Quinn.

The volunteer said a new mobile utility trailer would cohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifst about $3,195.

Quinn acknowledged it has been a challenge finding an affordable trailer to house the tools and materials. He said it also has been a challenge for volunteers to transport construction materials from site to site for the more than 50 home repair projects since 2010.

“We always need sponsors and volunteers and donations as there are always people in need of home repairs,” he said.

To learn more, visit the Henry County Fuller Center web page at http://www.fullercenter.org/henrycountymcdonoughga.




Please click photo to enlarge picture

http://www.mycountypaper.com/henrydailyherald/headlines/Local_agency_needs_utility_trailer_donation_125672768.html

Thursday, June 16, 2011

People making a difference in McDonough

Article Courtesty Of Henry County Times©

http://www.henrycountytimes.com/Current%20Pages/feature.htm




Armie Robinson, right, discusses what’s next for the Simpson St. house with fellow volunteer Walter Lee Watson. Watson brings 40 years of construction knowledge to the project.

Photo by Nick Vassy, Henry County Times©

By Melissa Robinson
Contributing Editor

Betty Thompson spent most of her life cooking for others. For 35 years she worked as a cook at a nursing home in Stockbridge, but as much as she loves to cook for her family and friends, she’s restricted to a small part of her porch due to the condition of disrepair her home has fallen into.


She has lived in her house on Simpson Street in McDonough since she was three years old, and her father left her the property when he passed away. Now, in her mid 60s and unable to work because of a chronic leg condition that relegates her to a walker, Thompson no longer has the funds to do the much needed repairs to the nearly century old house.

Thompson, like much of the country, has been hit hard by economic uncertainty. In fact, she almost lost the house altogether when city inspectors came to inspect the property and deemed it unfit to inhabit. A two-story addition had to be torn down because of severe code violations and now several people, led by local resident, Armie Robinson, have taken up the cause of repairing her home, simply because she needs help.

Robinson was contacted by a good friend, who works for the City of McDonough. He learned of her plight when the friend told him that Thompson’s house was being eyed for demolition. With nowhere to go, he realized that losing her home would be the worst possible scenario for Thompson and decided to rally others to help with the effort of saving the McDonough resident’s home.

Robinson, who owns and operates the Trustus Fish Market on the corner of Racetrack Rd and Highway 42, said that he decided to help, simply because she was a person in need and he was able to do so.

“The way I see it, I may not be a professional carpenter, but my hands work, my back is healthy and I can follow directions,” said Robinson.

Robinson, his brother Ernie and several local police officers and city workers, have spent their own time making the repairs to Thompson’s home, often in the evening or on weekends. She needed electrical work re-done and Robinson was able to enlist a friend, who is an electrician, to do the work.

“My buddy is an electrician and he rewired the house for free and when I met his wife, for the first time, she said she had heard what we are trying to do for Ms. Betty, and she pulled five twenty dollar bills from her purse, and gave it to me to help with the repairs. That kind of shocked me, but that is what has been happening. This lady was a stranger to me, but to do that really left me speechless,” he said.

The work at Thompson’s home is part of a larger effort by Robinson, city workers and city officials, like councilwoman, Sandra Vincent and civic leader Shane Persaud, of the Henry County Fuller Center, to assist neighbors in the community.

Vincent is part of an organization called Piece by Piece, through the Atlanta Regional Commission, whose mission is to help halt foreclosures, stabilize neighborhoods and assist homeowners with code violation issues. She said she would like to see more church and civic group involvement, and wants to enlist young people in the community.

Vincent said she was also able to secure a commitment from Behr Paint to provide an assessment of needs and painting supplies, to assist with the ongoing effort of helping citizens.

“I’m hoping that local ministries and citizens and other organizations will get inspired in this grassroots effort,” said Vincent.

Persaud has been in contact with Thompson and several months ago, led an effort with a group of students from Eagles Landing Christian Academy, to perform cleanup and landscaping work on the property. The Fuller Center has been busy with tornado relief but is expected to play a role in not only Thompson’s house but also in the community effort of helping other senior citizens and those in need.

All of these different people from within the community are coming together to help a neighbor in need, but Robinson said it is bigger than that. It’s not about one person or one house, it’s about people in the same community helping each other, and he hopes that this effort will light a spark to lead other efforts in helping people maintain a quality of life.

As a child, Robinson remembered what it was like to not have much. A New Jersey native, he grew up relatively poor in rural Monroe Township in a ramshackle house out in the country.

“I know what it’s like to live that way. We grew up with very little, five kids in a little shack, rats and roaches. When I grew up, with my job and in my work with the kids, I put people in touch with resources. I want to continue to do that.”

He moved to the city of Trenton at age 21 and started working with the Boys and Girls Club. It was through his work with children that he caught the attention of board members who recommended him for a job with the Trenton Police Department. After twenty-five years in law enforcement in New Jersey and 37 years with the Boys and Girls Club, Robinson retired to McDonough. Even in retirement, he has found plenty to keep him busy.

“It’s not about renovating Miss Betty’s house, it’s about saving it. This could be my mother; this could be anybody’s mother. No one should have to live like that,” said Robinson.

As for Thompson, she is grateful for the help she has received and said she is surprised by how people who were once strangers, have given so much.

Robinson is organizing a work party/cookout to be held on Saturday, June 25 at Thompson’s home at 347 Simpson St. He and other volunteers will set up a smoker and sell barbecue, have a fish fry and provide other food for purchase to help raise money to finish repairing Thompson’s home. It’s also an opportunity for interested individuals or organizations to come out and volunteer to help.

“We need volunteers, for this project and for others. But if you can’t help that way, you can come out and buy a plate or a sandwich and see exactly where your dollars are going to,” said Robinson. “If you’re a carpenter, a painter or just know how to wash windows or cleanup, we need you.”

Robinson said he is also looking for donations of leftover building supplies, such as sheet rock, lumber, insulation and other materials.

“If someone is renovating their house or office and they have old doors or windows that are still in good shape, we can use them.” Eventually, he would like to have a material pool where people doing work in the community can come and take what they need at no cost.

Robinson said that the Simpson Road house has been a huge undertaking and welcomes anyone who wants to help in any way to show up on June 25 and be a part of making things better.

“When this project is over, there will be more. There are still a lot of people in need in the community, and we’ll take it one step at a time,” said Robinson. “These are our neighbors. That’s reason enough.”

For more information about the work party and cookout, contact Armie Robinson at 609-817-3316. Those interested in donating time, money or materials should also contact Robinson or Shane Persaud at 678-699-2308.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Gezzo's May 13-May 20th Charity Event Henry County Fuller Center For Housing, Inc.


Click postcard and poster below to enlarge:







1866 Jonesboro Road, McDonough, GA
(770) 954-9992 ‎
Open Mon-Thu 11am-9:30pm; Fri-Sat 11am-10pm; Sun 11am-9pm

Directions:

View Larger Map

by Thomas Hoefer

The house of Sunny Side residents Bobby and Anita Simpson was destroyed by the tornado that hit Spalding County on April 28. Without home insurance, the family relies on help from the community, and this help will be coming Saturday when the Henry County Fuller Center for Housing will be on site to start the rebuilding process.

However, the organization is still in need of local support.

“We need a lot of volunteers, sponsors and donations,” said John Quinn, who is getting the word out for the event, adding that people with knowledge of plumbing and electricity are especially welcome.

Work will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Simpson residence at 5029 Old Atlanta Road. Sponsors, such as local businesses, are needed to provide food and beverages for volunteers.

According to its Web site, www.hcfullercenter.org, the Henry County Fuller Center began working on the house of Bobby and Anita Simpson on April 30, clearing fallen trees from the yard and covering the damaged sections of the roof with a tarp.

Saturday’s work will include the start of the rebuilding process, which may be a continuing effort, Quinn said.

Those who are interested in joining the rebuilding efforts of the Henry County Fuller Center should come to the site of the house Saturday, as registration is not required.

Read more: Griffin Daily News - Fuller Center group seeking volunteers
http://www.griffindailynews.com/view/full_story/13229073/article-Fuller-Center-group-seeking-volunteers-?instance=home_news_lead_story

Monday, May 9, 2011

what would your world look like if…?

what would your world look like if…?

What would my street look like if everyone had a safe, affordable, decent home to live in?
What would my neighborhood look like if everyone had a safe, affordable decent home to live in?
What would my city look like if everyone had a safe, affordable decent home to live in?
What would my state look like if everyone had a safe, affordable decent home to live in?
What would my country look like if everyone had a safe, affordable decent home to live in?
What would my continent look like if everyone had a safe, affordable decent home to live in?
What would my world look like if everyone had a safe, affordable decent home to live in?

There would be no more tent villages, cardboards huts, nobody sleeping under bridges, nobody sleeping on park benches or steam grates, nobody living in cars, “no more shacks”, no more ghettos, no more slums, no more children in the streets, no more broken windows, no more leaky roofs, no more leaky pipes, no more rotted floors, no more cold nights,

People would have a place to lay their head, a place to dream, a place to be loved, a place to learn, a place to laugh, a place to cry, a place to go to and a place to leave from,

In that world I see healthy kids playing, dogs barking, cats meowing, birds chirping, students studying, pots on the stove, family gatherings, grandma and grandpa on the front porch, pretty painted houses, flowers, bushes, trees and grass, white picket fences, tire swings and trampolines,

In that world every man, women & child has a place to call home, neighbors are helping neighbors, we are carefully using & reusing our natural resources, our municipalities are strong,

what would your world look like if…? Comment & Post to Profile

****************************************************************************
There is no place like home, together we can make a difference!!

Mark Galey, Volunteer & President, Atlanta Fuller Center

Sunday, May 8, 2011

A Solemn Ride to Spalding County...

It was a quite, solemn ride to Spalding County just a couple days after the storms to help with the tornado recovery, but it just looked like another ordinary Saturday ride in the country. Having stopped and got my biscuit and coffee, I noticed the boats behind the trucks presumably headed to the lake, the bicycles on the carrier off for a spin, folks setting up their yard sales and others getting ready @ the local flea market. Everybody seemed busy going somewhere, doing something. Everything seemed perfectly normal. I remember thinking if all these folks even REALLY knew what kind of damage there was just down the road from where they were. I mean we see the snippets and hear the sound-bites on TV and we’re wowed or whatever but did these folks REALLY understand? Did they REALLY know what needs there were just down the road? I even thought did they even care? Certainly if they knew they would do something. Right?


The first set of instructions Millard Fuller ever gave me to share with my friends and colleges of how they can help was these three things;
  1. Help spread the word of The Fuller Center
  2. Help raise donations
  3. Help start other Fuller Centers.
I have learned in the last four years it definitely all begins with spreading the word.
    So how do we get out the word about folks like Bobby & Anita Simpson whose home was severely damaged during the storms and need help rebuilding because their insurance coverage lapsed? Oops!! But now what? These working folks still need their home rebuilt. It’s probably going to take $4K or better to purchase the needed materials and some volunteers. Bobby & Anita are going to have get out there with us and rebuild their home along with the volunteers and they’re being asked to donate back what was donated to them into The Greater Blessing Box revolving fund that will help another family in the future in their time of need.



    I’m sure we haven’t met who else we’re supposed to help yet but we’ll be led there accordingly. How will those folks like Bobby & Anita know there is help available? How will those folks who are capable of helping and most likely willing to help if only they knew, how can we reach them?
    How can you help? What about making and delivering sack lunches for the construction volunteers?
    What about blogging or posting info on FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, ect?
    What about come shoot pictures and/or video and put it up on YouTube with all the links? Do some interviews? Ask some questions. What about reaching out to all your media contacts and ask them to help spread the good word?
    What about raising donations? Doing the reconstruction? Scouting for other needy families and victims of the tornados? What about contacting local churches, sharing what we’re doing and invite them to join us? Civic Groups? Lumber Yards? Paint Stores?


     We plan on starting the reconstruction process on Bobby & Anita’s home May 14th, we don’t have all the details ironed out yet but we will be updating on all our sources as we have new information. Their home is located @ 5029 Old Atlanta Road, Hampton GA.

    This effort is being channeled through The Henry County Fuller Center for Housing, with The Atlanta Fuller Center is redirecting its energy in collaboration for a time.I’m asking you for your help, find where you fit in, come be involved but just for a day, look in the eyes of the needy, hear their plight, stand where they are, let your heart lead you.


    Mark Galey
    Volunteer & President, Atlanta Fuller Center

    Monday, April 4, 2011

    What's Next for the Henry County Fuller Center?

    MILLARD FULLER  (1935- 2009)
    By now, many of our volunteers, followers, and supporters know how we got started in Henry County. In the grand scheme of things, our journey has just begun......the need is great, but we can do greater things, together. And, as Millard Fuller would say "Faith without works is dead as a doornail."
    The Fuller Center for Housing, Inc. is a faith-driven and Christ-centered organization that promotes collaborative and innovative partnerships with individuals, organizations, corporations, and religious groups of all faiths in an unrelenting quest to provide adequate shelter for all people worldwide.






    We started our work in Henry County in March of 2009 and at the end of 2010,  a total of 25 home-repair projects were completed -  WITH 100% DONATIONS AND WITH VOLUNTEER HELP!! 17 of those projects were completed under the Atlanta Fuller Center and 8 under the leadership of Henry Countians who decided to pledge their time and efforts with a newly formed Covenant Partnership.


    In 2010 we started a new project; one that rivals the scope of work at Mrs. Miller's "extreme makeover" which was completed in 2009. The Legion Road Project has been a huge challenge. Members of our Board and Volunteers all continue to pray hard to find ways to move forward with it's construction and successful occupancy by Ed, Renee and their two boys. We have had 2 separate fundraisers specifically for this project and have raised close to $2,000 - a small step towards the estimated $50,000 that it would take to complete this project. We are seeking partnerships and sponsorships in order to get this house completed this year.


    Another goal of the Henry County Fuller Center this year is to encourage and to find some new volunteers who would like to join our committees. We have Family Selection, Site/Construction, Prayer and Finance Committees that could always us the extra help. The more helping hands we have within the organization, the quicker we can address the needs of families in our communities. 

    On behalf of the Fuller Center, I would like to personally thank each and everyone one of you who have donated, volunteered, raised funds or had any part part in helping us give the gift of home repairs to families. Please continue to support us and put your Faith in Action.



    Shane A. Persaud
    President/Volunteer, Henry County Fuller Center for Housing, Inc.
    Mailing Address:  333 Phillips Drive, Suite D
    McDonough, GA 30253