Blog

Millard — an inspiration to us all

By David Snell,
Fuller Center President

On the fourth anniversary of his death, we should pause to celebrate the life and works of Millard Fuller. Humankind is blessed, from time to time, with individuals of great power and wisdom, people who can take a simple notion and turn it into a movement, who can inspire those around him to do things they never thought possible. Millard Fuller was such a man.

It was a short 44 years ago that the first family was blessed by the Partnership Housing idea that Millard and Clarence Jordan hammered out. This was a new kind of charity, charity that lifted up those that were on the receiving end of it and turned them into givers as well. It was a new kind of charity that engaged people of all backgrounds directly in the production side of the work, getting houses built. Since that day, 44 years ago, hundreds of thousands of houses have been built, fundamentally transforming the lives of the millions who live in them. Other millions have been just as blessed for the opportunity of helping pay for and build those houses.

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Week in review: Big events ahead

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

There are so many big events taking shape in 2013 that I hardly know where to begin. So, I'll begin on Monday.

I started this week by letting folks know about a $400,000 Hurricane Sandy Relief grant from the Robin Hood Foundation (generated by the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief) that is going to the Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders. They're working in Atlantic City in conjunction with our lead covenant partner in the area, The Fuller Center for Housing in the New Jersey Pines. Together, they will make sure this money is used efficiently to help residents there recover from the superstorm. It also will be a big boost to the 2013 Millard Fuller Legacy Build that is coming to Atlantic City the week of April 28. Click here to join us at the Legacy Build.

Also this week:

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Week in review: A-wop-blog-a-loo-mop-a-blog-bam-boom

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

After a bit of a hiatus from blogging, I've decided to use this Fuller Center General blog space each week to give folks (as a Southerner, I reserve the right to use “folks” often) a rundown of some of the week's events and upcoming opportunities.

The office was closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so I took a drive up to Macon to visit with Fuller Center of Macon leader Dianne Fuller, whose covenant partner chose that Day of Service to begin work on its first Save a House/Make a Home project. Save a House is a perfect fit for Macon, a city with a lot of housing need and a lot of vacant houses that can be made into wonderful homes again with your help.

A team of Mercer University students associated with LEAP (Local Engagement Against Poverty) was there to get the repair work rolling. I also had a chance to meet the homeowner partners — Teresa and Abusomwan West and their son Abusomwan Jr. and nephew Cobe — and their soon-to-be next-door neighbor, Barbara Penniman, second cousin to one of Macon's most famous natives, Little Richard.

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Day 13: Lanett Alabama - "Ms. Kim, can you really make my house beautiful?"

By Kirk Lyman-Barner
Director of U.S. Field Operations

I’m writing my final blog report from this 2,750-mile journey from our home town of Americus. The feeling of arriving home after such a long trip is wonderful. As I was turning onto Lakewood Avenue, I thought about how blessed our family really is. I imagine that that’s the way our partner families feel about their new and fixed up homes, too.

My final stop was at a wonderful restaurant called El Rio Grande which is located on the Millard Fuller Memorial Highway in Lanett, Alabama. Visiting Millard's boyhood hometown was a fitting conclusion for a road trip upon which I met people who are carrying on the vision Millard challenged the world with over 40 years ago.

I had a great conversation with some members of the Chattahoochee Valley Fuller Center Project and their dynamic leader, Kim Roberts. Though this was my 6th visit to Lanett, Kim and I had never had the opportunity to get to know each other very well. So we visited for 3 hours on Wednesday and made a pledge to talk with each other by phone at least once a month.

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Day 12: Tupelo, Mississippi and The Key to the City