HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - NEW YORK CITY HONORS DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WITH WEEKEND OF SERVICE

Volunteers Give Back to Their Community by Painting a Senior Center during MLK Weekend as Part of Annual MLK Day of Service

January 19, 2013 -- Habitat for Humanity - New York City hosted its 14th annual “Building on a Dream” Martin Luther King Jr. weekend to recognize Dr. King’s vision and continue his dream by organizing volunteers to beautify a senior center on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, President Barack Obama’s national call to service initiative.

This year, more than 50 volunteers from 20 faith groups throughout the city joined future Habitat-NYC homeowners to honor Dr. King by painting the Lillian Wald Senior Center and making a positive impact on their community. The volunteers were among hundreds of thousands of people across the country who participated in the 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of social justice and service continues to live on,” said Rachel Hyman, Acting Executive Director of Habitat-NYC. “This weekend, Habitat-NYC volunteers and future Habitat homeowners came together to honor Dr. King’s legacy by making a significant contribution to their community. Their hard work will help brighten the lives of visitors to the Lillian Wald Senior Center.”

Keynote addresses were delivered by Rev. Joel Gibson, Director of Member and Faith-Based Services, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies and Sarah Diamant, Special Collections, Jewish Theological Seminary. Speeches from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played in the background while volunteers painted, and a walk-through exhibit from the Jewish Theological Seminary highlighted King's work.

The paint for the project was generously donated by Habitat-NYC’s partner, Valspar Paint. The weekend of service was funded in part by a grant from the Argosy Foundation, which seeks to empower nonprofits with innovated approaches to helping people to help themselves and making a positive impact on their community and the world. The grant will also help with Habitat-NYC’s advocacy initiatives.

The “Brush with Kindness” project is one of Habitat-NYC’s many community revitalization initiatives. Habitat for Humanity - New York City is also the largest builder of Habitat homes in the Northeast, and thousands of volunteers build with Habitat-NYC each year. Each homebuyer contributes at least 200 volunteer hours as part of their partnership.

During the weekend, Habitat-NYC launched its 2013 Housing Covenant, the organization’s annual housing advocacy agenda. Priorities for this year include:

Storm Recovery and Rebuilding
•           Ensure that New York receives the resources necessary to restore and rebuild our homes and communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy. 

New York City
•           Call for 2013 Mayoral Candidates to produce comprehensive affordable housing plans that address the full housing continuum, from ownership and rental to supportive and emergency housing.
•           Ensure that affordable homeownership remains an essential and central public policy issue as a solution to our city’s affordable housing crisis.

New York State
•           Increase New York State’s capital investment in affordable housing.
•           Renew J-51tax abatements for coop and condo ownership opportunities.

United States & International
•           Invest in stabilizing communities and maintain federal resources that support the work of Habitat affiliates nationwide.
•           Foster land tenure security internationally - ensuring families the right to live in a place without fear of eviction.

See the entire covenant here.

About Habitat for Humanity – New York City
Habitat for Humanity - New York City transforms lives and our city by building quality homes for families in need and by uniting all New Yorkers around the cause of affordable housing. With the help of thousands of volunteers every year, Habitat-NYC has built more than 260 affordable homes in the five boroughs of New York City.

Contact:     
Carly Blatt
(212) 991-4000 ext. 344
cblatt@habitatnyc.org

Habitatnyc.org
@HabitatNYC
Facebook.com/Habitat.for.Humanity.NYC