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What do you guys think about getting involved in HabiFest? It's a
nationwide advocacy campaign... Should we try and plan something
ourselves? Should we think of getting involved with other local campus
chapters? Take a look at the website... it'll ask you for a username and
password. I set up an account for our chapter (shut up, I'm not
creative...).<br><br>
Username: MITHabitat<br>
Password: MIThfh<br><br>
Thanks!<br><br>
-Radhika<br><br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>X-Sieve: CMU Sieve 2.2<br>
From: "HabiFest 2004" <habifest@hfhi.org><br>
To: radhika@mit.edu<br>
Subject: HabiFest E-Newsletter -- Vol. 1<br>
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 11:35:58 -0500<br>
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<br>
<div align="center"><img src="cid:.0" width=700 height=208 alt="545195ba.jpg"><font size=2><br>
</font></div>
<br>
<div align="center"><font size=5><b><a href="http://partnernet.habitat.org/intradoc/groups/ccyp/documents/webpagesupportfiles/pndoc008481.html">HabiFest
Website</a></b></font><br>
<font size=2>Above link requires
<a href="http://partnernet.habitat.org">PartnerNet</a> registration.
</font><br><br>
<font size=2>The new HabiFest website can be found at the link above or
go to <a href="http://partnernet.habitat.org">PartnerNet</a>, login, and
perform a title search for "HabiFest Home".<br>
</div>
<b>Friday January 16, 2004 - Welcome to the HabiFest 2004 E-Newsletter.
You will begin receiving this newsletter biweekly to help keep you
up-to-date on current advocacy concerns, legislative news, new ideas for
HabiFest events, and more.<br><br>
</font><font size=4 color="#FF0000">HabiFest NEWS: </b></font>
<ul><font size=2><b>
<li>Registration will be open until <i>noon on Friday, March 19th,
2004</i>
<li>New HabiFest T-shirts have been designed: T-shirts, longsleeve
T-shirts, and hoodies! Check out the designs and ordering information on
the HabiFest website.</b></font>
</ul><hr>
<div align="center"><font size=4><b>Total number of registered HabiFest
participating chapters: </font><font size=4 color="#FF0000">40<br>
</div>
<hr>
<div align="center">New HabiFest 2004 Registered
Chapters</b></font><br><br>
<font size=2>Andrew College<br>
Lycoming College<br>
Marist School<br>
Juniata College<br>
Bradley University<br>
Spring Hill College<br>
Eastern University<br>
Eastern Connecticut State University<br>
Trinity College<br>
Georgia Southern University<br>
Black Hills State University<br>
Tennessee Technological University<br>
Bowdoin College<br>
University of California, Riverside<br>
University of Georgia<br>
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee<br>
Towson University<br>
Rollins College<br>
LaGrange College<br>
Tri-State University<br>
Three Oaks Senior High<br>
Tutsin High School<br>
The Hotchkiss School<br>
Maranatha High School<br>
Judson College<br>
Georgia Southwestern State University<br>
University of Arkansas<br>
Hoquiam High School<br>
St. Vincent College<br>
Northview High School<br>
Indiana University<br>
Oakland Catholic High School<br>
Mary Washington College<br>
University of North Alabama<br>
Rivier College<br>
Syracuse University<br>
Barry University<br>
University of Findlay<br>
St. Mary s University<br>
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities<br>
</font></div>
<font size=4 color="#FF0000"><b>What Youth Are Saying:<br>
</b></font><font size=2><br>
<b>HabiFest is a great idea because it is a day that brings all of the
American Campus Chapters together, united on the front of educating the
people of their campuses and their communities on the purpose and mission
of Habitat for Humanity. Campus Chapters should always be working on
educating and advocating but I think it is an awesome idea to have one
day every year where all of the Campus Chapters across the nation pool
their resources together for a common cause. <br>
</b><br>
Jordan Bayles<br>
President, Terre Haute South Vigo High School<br>
Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter<br>
Terre Haute, IN<br><br>
<hr>
</font><font size=4 color="#FF0000"><b>Washington Update:<br>
</b></font><font size=2><br>
</font><b>Minority Homeownership<br>
<font size=2>By: Christen Wiggins, Habitat for Humanity Director of
Government Relations<br><br>
Introduction<br>
</b>Although there is currently no major legislation targeting the
specific issue of minority homeownership, HFHI believes that increasing
minority homeownership is an important public policy to address through
education and advocacy. Planting the seeds of advocacy is in part
learning about the issues before there is legislation in order to help
shape future legislation.<br><br>
Minority Homeownership is vital to both the economy and to the prosperity
of communities and individuals within the home, and it is a topic which
HFHI has much experience. (Currently 56% of HFHI homeowners are
African-American, 12% are Hispanic, and 4% are of other minority
descent.) At HFHI, we know there are families out there who we can t
help; even if we can t provide the physical services required to house
them, we can educate and motivate policy makers to support legislation
that benefits all families in need of a decent home and a fair system to
acquire it.<br><br>
<b>Action Needed:<br>
</b>This week, the recommended action is to <b>educate yourself and your
affiliate</b> about the barriers that exist to minority homeownership.
Find out, if possible, the minority homeownership rate in your area. See
if there is a way to post information publicly regarding the importance
of homeownership and homeownership opportunities for all
people.<br><br>
Take a look at
<a href="http://www.myfico.com"><b>http://www.myfico.com</a></b> to
encourage people to empower themselves by knowing their credit score and
understanding how lenders assess them as a potential client.<br><br>
<b>Fast Facts:<br>
</b></font>
<ul><font size=2>
<li>As studies of the growing demand in soup kitchens and food pantries
have piled up, excess shelter costs have turned out to be a primary
explanation for the emergency food needs of low-income households
<i>(Housing America – There s No Place Like Home: How America s Housing
Crisis Threatens Our Children).</i>
<li>While some of the homeownership gap can be attributed to lower wages
for women versus men, there are other factors that affect homeownership
rates, including credit and discrimination. Women are an economic force
in the country today with more than $1 trillion in annual income, yet
their homeownership rates do not reflect that economic reality
<i>(Charlotte Catalfo, executive vice president of Principal Residential
Mortgage and a WMIN board member).</i>
<li>The percentage of minorities as new homebuyers rose from about 12.5%
in 1991 to about 19% in 2001. Additionally, the percentage of existing
homes bought by minorities rose from about 16.5% in 1991 to about 22% in
2001 <i>(JCHS tabulations of the 1991 and 2001 American Housing
Surveys)</i>. Even though more and more minorities are buying homes,
their homeownership rate still lags that of whites by about 25 percentage
points.</font>
</ul><hr>
<font size=4 color="#FF0000"><b>What Are Your Plans for
HabiFest?<br><br>
</b></font><font size=2>At the <b>University of Arkansas</b> we will be
doing framing on the Union mall in coordination with the Fayetteville HFH
(to be used in their next house) while wearing our HabiFest t-shirts and
sporting stickers with poverty statistics. All week long, we plan to have
Campus Chapter members wear Habitat t-shirts and stickers, and on one day
of the week of Habifest, we'll be handing out candy with poverty and
homelessness facts attached to each piece.<br><br>
We also plan to have a lecture (in continuation of our series) advocating
affordable housing. This event is open to our greater community. We also
plan to have a display of pictures and literature available to students
one day of the week. The display will be staffed by Campus Chapter
members who have been on Collegiate Challenge trips, so that we can
promote that aspect of our organization as well. -- Shelley
Baird<br><br>
At the <b>University of California- Riverside</b> we will be doing
educational advocacy involving pamphlets, flyers, stakes, posters of
statistics and issues in poverty housing and homelessness. We will hold
teach-ins involving political activists in the community, mayor of
Riverside, and homeless individuals for a first-hand
perspective. --Nicholas
Duran<br><br>
At the <b>University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee</b> we plan to hold a
Sleep-out on campus involving our chapter and other campus organizations.
During the day we hope to hold a rally with various speakers to advocate
for Habitat and our campus organization. --Andrea Altmann<br><br>
<hr>
</font><font size=4 color="#FF0000"><b>Fresh Ideas:<br>
</font><font size=4>Dispelling the Myths of Poverty Campaign<br>
</font><font size=2>From the
<a href="http://www.ourcommission.org/">Commission on Children, Families
& Community of Multnomah County</a> (CCFC)<br><br>
</b>Myths about people living in poverty are prevalent. You may have
heard some along these lines: "The poor are lazy."
"They're freeloaders." Unfortunately, these commonly held
misconceptions have played a key role in dismantling important programs
that aid the poor.<br><br>
Students at Portland State University have developed a media campaign to
help dispel the myths of poverty. The students asked the Commission on
Children, Families, and Communities Poverty Advisory Committee (PAC) to
be the "community partner" for the project. As their final
project for a service learning "Capstone Course," 14 college
juniors and seniors from a variety of disciplines created an
action-oriented ad campaign geared to change common misconceptions about
poverty and poor people. "The ads produced by the students are
powerful," says Leslie Clark, PAC Chair.<br><br>
Some of the ads are shown below. Click on the images to see them as full
page PDFs. We invite you to post them on your site, or print and
distribute them. For additional ads, including bumper stickers, and files
in other formats please e-mail Janet Hawkins at
<a href="mailto:janet.c.hawkins@co.multnomah.or.us"><b>janet.c.hawkins@co.multnomah.or.us</a></b>
and visit their website at: <a href="http://www.ourcommission.org/pov/povmyth3.shtm"><b>http://www.ourcommission.org/pov/povmyth3.shtm</a></b><br><br>
Use these designs to make posters to hang around your campus and town, or to use during a rally at your town or city hall.<br>
</font><a href="http://www.ourcommission.org/pdf/PACpdfs/dispel/dispel2.pdf"><img src="cid:.1" width=200 height=120 alt="545196d3.jpg"></a> <a href="http://www.ourcommission.org/pdf/PACpdfs/dispel/dispel4.pdf"><img src="cid:.2" width=200 height=120 alt="54519712.jpg"></a> <br>
<a href="http://www.ourcommission.org/pdf/PACpdfs/dispel/dispel1.pdf"><img src="cid:.3" width=200 height=155 alt="54519750.jpg"></a> <br>
<a href="http://www.ourcommission.org/pdf/PACpdfs/dispel/dispel3.pdf"><img src="cid:.4" width=200 height=92 alt="5451978f.jpg"></a> <br><br>
<hr>
<div align="center"><font size=2><b>If you have questions or would like to share your plans for HabiFest 2004<br>
please contact the HabiFest coordinator:<br>
Jenny Whitcher<br>
<a href="mailto:habifest@hfhi.org">habifest@hfhi.org</a> 1-800-HABITAT, x 2411<br>
</b></font></div>
<br>
<font size=2><br>
You have recieved this email because you are an official Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter, a prospective chapter or have participated in HabiFest in the past. If you do not want to receive any further information about HabiFest please send a blank email to leave-habifest2004-435637O@lists.habitatforhumanity.org.<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:.5" width=250 height=38 alt="545197be.jpg"></font><br>
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