Millard Fuller, the founder and former president of Habitat for Humanity, was a personal friend to me and many Members of Congress. Many of us worked closely with Millard Fuller, particularly in the last 15 years of his extraordinary leadership.

I wish to take a minute today to pay tribute to Millard and his family–his wife Linda, his son Christopher, his daughters Kim, Faith and Georgia and his nine grandchildren. He has left behind these loved ones who will carry on his important work. Linda was a cofounder of Habitat for Humanity, and a driving force in the creation of this organization that has touched the lives of literally millions of people around the world.

When I think of where Millard Fuller died unexpectedly earlier this month, near the small town of Americus, GA, I cannot help but be reminded of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the most inspiring documents ever written. This declaration reminds us that when we speak about human rights, we must remember that the recognition of these rights begins in small places close to home, places so small that they can’t necessarily be seen on maps.

It is in these small places that people long for dignity and respect.

Sometimes in the Senate, we get carried away with grand visions of universal rights and broad, sweeping policies to protect these rights. But when you get right down to it, our visions are carried out in our own neighborhoods, in our own courthouses and in very small places like Americus, GA.

By the age of 29, Millard Fuller had made his first million dollars. He was a man with a great mind and extraordinary leadership abilities, who could have made a great fortune for his wife, his children and himself. But instead, with his wife’s urging, Millard Fuller and Linda decided to take the multiple talents God had given them and refocus their lives on Christian service. They set their hearts on making a difference in the world, and the result was an organization that is one of the greatest nonprofits I have come to know.

In 1968, Millard Fuller and Linda began a Christian ministry on a farm in southwest Georgia where they built decent housing for low-income families using volunteer labor and donations. This concept was expanded into what is now Habitat for Humanity International and the Fuller Center for Housing. By 1981, Habitat had affiliates in 14 States, and was carrying out its mission to build homes with volunteer labor, ensuring that these homes were affordable to the poor and those of modest means.

Many Senators have commented privately and publicly about his extraordinary organization, and President Carter once remarked that Millard Fuller was one of the greatest talents he had ever known–serious words coming from a President. President Carter was a personal friend of Millard Fuller, and in 1984, he became a Habitat volunteer, giving his name and resources to Millard Fuller’s organization. President and Mrs. Carter became the faces of Habitat for Humanity, and would attract thousands of people to volunteer during the Jimmy Carter Work Project, an annual week-long effort to build Habitat homes all over the world. By 1992, Habitat had a presence in 92 nations.

I was very fortunate to have met Millard Fuller. He was an inspiration to me and, as I have said, to many Senators. Many of us come into our young adulthood and say we want to make a difference in the world, and we all try in our various ways. Many of us never quite accomplish that. But Millard Fuller did. He had an impact on the world, and the world will remember his life and his vision. The world will remember that in this great land of wealth and opportunity, Millard Fuller thought it was shameful that people were living without decency and respect.

He said it is not what Jesus would want. It is not what the Bible teaches. It is not what those of the Christian faith believe. He built Habitat on a simple principle that the poor are not lazy, but very industrious–that if the poor were given a chance, they could accomplish a great deal.

In order to occupy a Habitat house, the family who is going to live there gets to build the home with their neighbors, with the kind of old-fashioned, rock-ribbed community values of pitching in, building a home, and building upon that solid foundation.

Not only was it Millard Fuller’s vision to give families a decent place to live, he wanted to give them something to own. Owning a home paves the way for being able to finance against the equity in that home to build a business, to send children to college, and to establish a future.

I want people to know that paying tribute to Millard Fuller is about more than just building homes. Millard Fuller’s life was about building hope, building a future and literally changing the course of life–creating an upward trajectory for people around the world.

I don’t believe that Millard Fuller knew what an impact he had. I only hope we will remember him often. And when we do, as leaders in the Senate and the House, as Governors, and in the White House, we will recommit ourselves to realizing the simple principles that Millard Fuller lived every day.

After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the devastation that hit the gulf coast, Habitat was one of the first organizations on the ground. Millard and his wife Linda came to Louisiana and helped us to start building on higher ground. They built not just in the New Orleans area and along the gulf coast of Mississippi, but also in Shreveport, LA, where they joined with a group of local leaders to start new organizations that built homes for people in northwest Louisiana.

I would like to read one personal testimony from Cherie Ashley, who is the executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Northwest Louisiana. She and her family were beneficiaries of this work. Cherie was originally from New Orleans, but the flood waters of Katrina forced her out. She fled to Shreveport with her family. She said:

I was blessed with one of the first of the three homes that was built in Allendale, in Northwest Louisiana. Mr. Fuller was passionate about the work he did and he was passionate about eliminating poverty across this nation. The Fuller Center for Housing and Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Louisiana have provided me and my children the opportunity to regain stability and normalcy after such a life altering event–Hurricane Katrina. I am not just the Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Louisiana, most importantly, I am a proud Habitat homeowner, and that’s what God–through Millard Fuller–did for me.

He most certainly was a man who lived up to God’s calling. I believe we would do ourselves well to remember him often, to thank Linda and his family for the tremendous sacrifice they made, and to honor him by continuing his work.

I ask unanimous consent that his obituaries from the New York Times and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution be printed in the Record.

At last year’s conference in Virginia, Millard Fuller asked FCNWLA board members Becky Cooksey and Katie Weir to host the 2010 meeting.

Beginning at 1 p.m. Friday, the various sessions will be held at First United Methodist Church. The Saturday afternoon sessions end with a tour of Allendale, which the Fuller Center calls its “flagship” building site.

Dinner will follow with Linda Fuller, cofounder of the Fuller Center for Housing, speaking. Attendance at a Sunday worship service is optional.

Local home owner Phyllis Davis has been selected to speak at Friday’s dinner.

Lee Jeter, FCNWLA executive director, said he is proud to host the event and “to showcase what we’ve built, all our partners and our city.”

The conference will cover over 13 topics. Weir said that the essential idea she formed at last year’s meeting is the “importance of partnering with entities in the community.” Several of the conference’s sessions address this concern.

Weir also is interested in the session labeled, “ReUse Store Strategies.” She said this is about creating an income source from the reselling of donated items. “For example,” Weir said, “many stores will donate items that they can’t sell because of imperfections.”

Groups that receive these items may not be able to use them in their building projects but can resell them for operating revenue.

2009 Conference

Participants in the conference will be staying at the Downtown Holiday Inn on Lake Street and will be transported to the church and other venues.

Weir said that they will need about 15 local volunteers to help with the conference in areas such as meals, registration and transportation. She hopes that many FCNWLA board members will be able to participate.

Register At FullerCenter.org – Put on your Google Calendar

A partnership was formed that is now helping residents in other cities as well. The Fuller Center builds houses; CRI builds community. Together, we are “Building on Higher Ground” to help those who lack the resources and the relationships that could make home ownership possible on their own.

The vision goes beyond building houses for a few. We are building hope for many. Shreveport’s Allendale neighborhood – an area of decaying houses, high crime and little income – was chosen for the launch of the “Higher Ground” initiative. With hundreds of volunteers coming from throughout the nation, this once forgotten neighborhood is now a place of new hope and new beginnings that is receiving worldwide attention.

Community Renewal International

A garden grows where trash and bottles once filled a vacant lot. Children gather on a playground built by a local service club. Residents who were once too frightened to come out of their houses now laugh and eat together at neighborhood block parties.

“Many years ago this was one of the worst communities in the city. Homicides, crime, gang activity – you name it and it was here,” said Jewel Mariner, one of two CRI Community Coordinators in Allendale. She lives in a Friendship House that has become an anchor for the neighborhood.

“It’s amazing to see the transformation in people’s lives and in this neighborhood. People used to just call this The Hill. Now it’s New Hope Hill. People in the community now have hope.”

By the start of 2007, little more than one year after work started, 23 new houses had been built in the community. Each one has its own unique features, designs and color schemes. Several of the new homeowners have become CRI Haven House leaders and now reach out to others in the neighborhood.

“I want to be a light on the hill. I care about my community and I want us to come together,” said Dorothy Wiley, who made a new start in Shreveport after she and her family were trapped in the New Orleans Superdome for four days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their home. “You build a neighborhood by being a neighbor to everybody. You develop relationships one person at a time.”

The Higher Ground project was launched by Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity and then later of The Fuller Center for Housing.

“We are here to transform this city. We have the opportunity to make this one of the most beautiful cities in the country,” he said. “It’s so exciting that Community Renewal International and the Friendship Houses are here. You can build houses, but if you don’t build community, it will all fall apart.”

Now, five years later, her tears are joyful.

“I started crying and thanking God,” she said. “I know he was responsible for getting us here.”

Sullivan is a recipient of one of two houses constructed Monday during the inaugural Millard Fuller Legacy Build.

The event was part of a 100-house nationwide blitz honoring Millard Fuller, late founder of The Fuller Center and Habitat for Humanity. Lee Jeter, executive director of the Fuller Center of Northwest Louisiana, said that build falls on Fuller’s wedding anniversary. The center worked in collaboration with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

“We work together to obliterate substandard housing,” Jeter said.

The houses were built in the 1400 block of Alston Street in the Allendale neighborhood. By the end of the blitz, the non-profit would have constructed its 40th house.

Louise Cummings, a double amputee who has diabetes, will live in her house with her granddaughter and great-grandson. The house is sponsored by First United Methodist Church and will be constructed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

Cummings already has plans for her new home. She’ll move in her furniture and then sit on the porch.

“I’m going to do something crazy,” she said. “I’m going to get my granddaughter to cook me a big old meal.”

St. Marks Cathedral, First Baptist Church, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church and Church of the Holy Cross sponsored Sullivan’s house.

“I thank God,” she said. “He gave me another chance. If it wasn’t for him, I never would have made it. I’m glad I’m here in Shreveport. I never thought I would leave New Orleans.”

© Icess Fernandez/Shreveport-Times – ifernandez@gannett.com

The goal of the local group is building two new houses from Aug. 31 though Sept. 4.

Legacy Build Day 1 - 2009

The 39th house has been funded by First United Methodist Church, Shreveport. Lee Jeter, executive director of The Fuller Center for Housing of Northwest Louisiana, said he is still soliciting funds from several other churches for the 40th house.

Jeter has been encouraging churches in the Allendale neighborhood to participate.

He wants the churches to become aware of the Fuller Center ministry and to volunteer time even if their financial resources limit their giving, to tithe or give love offerings to help support the center’s ministry and to refer applicants for both the new houses and the Greater Blessing home rehabilitation program.

“Millard Fuller brought in resources, including $2.5 million, when he committed to building houses here,” Jeter said. “We must build on that legacy.”

Legacy Build Day 2 - 2009

The FCNWLA completed 19 houses in 2006, 14 in 2007 and 5 in 2008.

To volunteer for the Legacy Build, register by Aug. 15 at www.fullercenter.org or phone 318-221-7474.

Those who lack building skills can help with registration, prepare/serve meals, keep workers hydrated, run errands and help with cleanup.

But by the time Millard asked us to stand on our chairs, to physically and visually symbolize the idea of Building on Higher Ground, I think we would have just as readily stood on a flagpole. We were that inspired.

He also shared a word new to most of us “” Oyee (Oh — yay). A word of African origin, it was a rallying cry and a shout of affirmation we would hear many times.

For Shreveport, the meeting that morning led to the 38 beautiful new homes, built by volunteers from around the nation, now standing in the Allendale neighborhood. Millard committed to at least 60, and I have no doubt we will reach that number.

For me, that meeting led to one of the greatest honors of my life: to work with and for one of the truly heroic servant leaders of our time. Millard made $1 million before he was 30, but when it nearly cost him his marriage, he gave it all away, took his family to the mission field and then returned home to start Habitat for Humanity. Under his leadership, Habitat housed more than one million people in 100 nations.

Millard died from heart failure in an ambulance not far from his Georgia home Feb. 3, one month after his 74th birthday. Despite his age, his sudden death came as an absolute shock. He had tremendous energy and often seemed to have a hammer in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

Community Renewal International founder Mack McCarter drove to Georgia soon after the hurricane to meet with Millard, a longtime friend, and to seek the help of The Fuller Center for Housing in Shreveport. Millard answered the call like a father rushing to the bedside of a sick child. He visited Allendale and saw in his visionary mind more than houses for hurricane evacuees. He saw something few Shreveporters ever imagined for that crime-ridden area “” a new community. Today on these streets of Allendale, where flowers bloom and children play outside, we can see what Millard saw back in 2005.

Millard spoke so often about Shreveport in his travels the past three years that the Chamber of Commerce should have put him on the payroll. He believed in this city with a force that put many of us to shame.

Ever smiling, always optimistic, he challenged us to stop driving by our downtrodden communities as though they don’t even exist. Because of Millard, many people who never dared go into Allendale volunteered to build houses there and now have friends there.

Millard made Shreveport a better place. He made the world a better place.

He also sensed that his time with us was drawing to a close. The last time I heard Millard preach was in Union Church of San Salvador before the start of the Millard and Linda Fuller Blitz Build last fall.

“I started Habitat for Humanity when I was 40 and I started The Fuller Center when I was 70. I tell people I have to go faster now because I have less time,” he said that morning in El Salvador. “When you are approaching the goal line, when you are coming to the end, you need to speed up, not slow down. My philosophy is you oughta wear out instead of rusting out.”

Millard certainly did not rust out, and I don’t think he wore out, either. I would rather believe that God needed another builder for the mansions in heaven and he gave Millard a new assignment.

We miss you terribly, Millard, but it is a well-deserved promotion. I only hope the angels remembered to shout Oyee when you arrived.

© David Westerfield

David Westerfield is the director of communications for Community Renewal International and a member of the board of The Fuller Center of Northwest Louisiana.

Despite facing 40-degree weather, they prayed for his new house to become a home and that he lives a life of hope.

“Thanks for the power to transform strangers into neighbors and to add to the fiber of a neighorhood,” prayed Greg Hunt, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Shreveport.

Brown, along with his new neighbor, Latrice Bell, is the latest person to receive a house from the Fuller Center for Housing of Northwest Louisiana. In partnership with Community Renewal International, and area churches such as First Baptist Church of Shreveport and First United Methodist Church, the nonprofit dedicated two new houses in the Allendale area.

“This is a dual celebration,” said Averil Miles, executive director of the local Fuller Center in front of a small crowd. “We must give honor to God. A lot of sweat and tears have gone into these houses.”

The Fuller Center was founded in the area in 2005 after hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the Louisiana coastline. Founder Millard Fuller pledged to build about 60 dwellings for low-income residents and those the storms left homeless. The local affiliate struck out on its own in November 2007 and organized a housing blitz. Last year, nine homes were built and were sold with no-interest mortgages to low-income families.

Next year, the local chapter will construct its 40th house.

On Friday, Brown stood outside of his house, smiling and greeting the people who came to wish him well. Originally from Bastrop and one of 11 siblings, he’s lived in Shreveport for six years and moved into his home on Alston on Saturday.

“It’s breathtaking,” he said. “When your a child you always dream of having something of your own. God saw fit to give me land to build a house.”

Volunteers from First Baptist helped finance and build Brown’s home. Volunteers from First United Methodist and students from Job Corps helped build Bell’s home.

Hunt, said the church also helped construct three other houses in Allendale.

“This is the joyful part of this,” he said

Mack McCarter, coordinator of Community Renewal International, said Friday’s event was another symbol of the neighbor’s change.

“Standing on this corner in 2004, this area was inhabited by gang members every day,” he said. “As you can see, the shotgun houses are gone. What we have witnessed is a true transfer from despair to hope.”

For Brown, hope has three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room.

“I never thought there were still some good people in the world,” he said.

© Icess Feandez/Shreveport-Times – ifernandez@gannett.com

“It tells the story of our neighborhood,” said Averil Miles, executive director.

The number 40 is significant because its the end of a period of trials and of being tested, he said. The house is symbolic to the organization’s testing period.

The house will be constructed on Alston Street, around the corner from the organization’s offices. Miles estimates the house could be built in February or March.

“The goal is to be prepared to have the house up around Easter.”

So the organization is looking for time and monetary donations to help construct the house. The goal is to partner with 40 local churches to help make it happen.

Miles also hopes more business and corporate sponsors step forward, as well as individual donors and volunteers. “We want to grow a constituency and the amount of volunteers. Maybe this campaign is made of a bunch of small contributions (rather) than a larger contribution.”

The Fuller Center was founded in the area in 2005 after hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the Louisiana coastline. Founder Millard Fuller pledged to build about 60 dwellings for low-income residents and those the storms left homeless.

The local affiliate struck out on its own in November 2007 and organized a housing blitz. Last year, nine homes were built and were sold with no-interest mortgages to low-income families.

As The Fuller Center began planning to construct its 40th house, it came across one large stumbling block “” the economy. Already tight belts are tighter as the holidays approach.

But on the road toward the 40th house, the center’s staff has learned perseverance, an important trait that will need to executed, Miles said.

“We know that target audience, but this is a season for giving. You’ll always see a reward with a project like this.”

The reward, Miles said, can be seen in how family dynamics change.

Felicia Sewell, a 39-year-old recipient of a Fuller house, spent 11 years in the Army before leaving the service. For her, motherhood was too strong of a draw.

“At some point when you have a child, you do what best for your children,” said Sewell, who now has six children ages 4 to 19. “But I had a career.”

That was seven years and several apartment moves ago. Now Sewell and five of her children live in a home, giving them a sense of stability they never had before.

“They get to grow up in a house they can call their own,” Sewell said. “They don’t have to worry about whether we’re moving. When my kids are 25, they’ll be able to say let’s go to mom’s house.”

© Icess Fernandez/Shreveport-Times

ifernandez@gannett.com

“You need to follow your dreams on what I call a faith-foolishness line. When you plan to do something for society, you need to get as close to the foolishness as you can without actually getting into the foolishness.”

In hindsight, that’s easy for Fuller to say. The former lawyer and businessman left both professions to found Habitat for Humanity, one of the largest nonprofit home construction organizations in the world, housing 1 million people and counting in more than 90 countries.

Fuller separated from Habitat for Humanity in 2005 and immediately started the Fuller Center for Housing, an organization similar to Habitat for Humanity. The Fuller Center is doing a Blitz Build in Shreveport’s Allendale neighborhood, with nearly 60 houses expected to be built there by mid-2009.

Fuller, 73, said giving up has never been an option. Sweating in a T-shirt and jeans after working the nail gun Monday morning, the septuagenarian said he has no plans to retire for the foreseeable future.

“You know, a lot of people have asked me that. … When you feel blessed, why would you want to quit? Going around, gawking at tourist sites is not appealing to me.”

Faith surrounds Fuller, on the construction site and off.

“People his age, you question why don’t they retire,” said W. Russell Meade, CEO of New Hope Construction, a Tennessee contractor helping out in Allendale. “But the Bible never speaks of being retired.”

One of the Fuller Center’s latest programs is the Greater Blessing Box Initiative, in which Fuller Center supporters repair homes for elderly residents who are physically unable to do the work and leave a wooden box with prepared envelopes for the residents to pay back the cost of materials when able.

“I’ve always loved coming by Shreveport,” Fuller said. “It’s a wonderful city. … But there are still pockets of need.”

Fuller still lives with his wife, Linda, in Americus, Ga., the home of Habitat for Humanity. On Monday, he was on his way to Minden to examine another Fuller Center project in the Webster city.

Fuller praised the local communities for taking on projects so passionately.

“The Bible says it’s a blessing to receive but an even greater blessing to give. We want to give people the opportunity to receive the greater blessing.”

© Drew Pierson – Shreveport-Times – dpierson@gannett.com

Even the surrounding blocks in the north part of Allendale have rid themselves of the three-room homes that had become little more than shacks, havens for drugs and crime.

In their place, simple two- and three-bedroom homes stand. Flowers burst with color from beds surrounded by tidy lawns.

Basketball hoops and lawn furniture give the impression of neighbors who feel safe enough to relax outside.

The neighborhood’s transformation started in 2005 with a plan led by the Fuller Center for Housing. Millard Fuller, founder of the organization and Habitat for Humanity, saw the plight of those who left New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and promised to help build 60 homes here in Shreveport for those who wanted to stay here and for other low-income residents.

Thirty-five are finished. Three more will be added this week.

For the third year, workers have come from across the country for a blitz build.

Different this year is the local chapter, the Fuller Center for Housing of Northwest Louisiana, is responsible for fundraising and construction instead of the national organization.

That means us: individuals, businesses, churches, government. So much progress has been made so far, it would be tragic to stop now.

About 40 volunteers are expected to come in from Minnesota, California and Texas. They’ll certainly make a dent in starting the work, but organizers say they could use more local volunteers as well.

“We invite everyone to come down wether you can swing a hammer or paint a wall,” said board president Ken Alexander. “We have all kinds “” any level of experience in building we can use you.”

We can attest to that. You might endure some good-natured teasing, but the experienced volunteers will teach you anything from painting to securing a roof with hurricane clips.

The project will also need ongoing financial support. Each house costs about $50,000. While there is income from mortgages on the other homes, it doesn’t keep up with the need to keep building.

Government assistance has caused controversy in past years, as the center had tried to obtain adjudicated property “” abundant in the neighborhood. This year Fuller Center leaders say the city has been more than helpful.

We’re glad they saw the promise of the project and the lives it has changed. We just wish something could be done about the system, which still drags on.

None of the families in the homes could have afforded to buy on their own. Under this system, they are required to work a certain amount to earn “sweat equity” and then they have a 20-year, no-interest mortgage to pay.

They have lived up to their end of the bargain.

A drive through those blocks between Allen and Pierre avenues today could be a drive through any new, suburban development. It’s up to us to continue the progress.

© Shreveport-Times – Editorial