[mit-habitat-exec] Fwd: HabiFest E-Newsletter -- Vol. 1

Wed Jan 21 00:48:10 EST 2004

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...).

Username: MITHabitat
Password: MIThfh

Thanks!

-Radhika

>X-Sieve: CMU Sieve 2.2
>From: "HabiFest 2004" <habifest at hfhi.org>
>To: radhika at mit.edu
>Subject: HabiFest E-Newsletter -- Vol. 1
>Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 11:35:58 -0500
>List-Unsubscribe: 
><mailto:leave-habifest2004-435637O at lists.habitatforhumanity.org>
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>
>545195ba.jpg
>
><http://partnernet.habitat.org/intradoc/groups/ccyp/documents/webpagesupportfiles/pndoc008481.html>HabiFest 
>Website
>Above link requires <http://partnernet.habitat.org>PartnerNet registration.
>
>The new HabiFest website can be found at the link above or go to 
><http://partnernet.habitat.org>PartnerNet, login, and perform a title 
>search for "HabiFest Home".
>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.
>
>HabiFest NEWS:
>    * Registration will be open until noon on Friday, March 19th, 2004
>    * 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.
>
>----------
>Total number of registered HabiFest participating chapters: 40
>
>----------
>New HabiFest 2004 Registered Chapters
>
>Andrew College
>Lycoming College
>Marist School
>Juniata College
>Bradley University
>Spring Hill College
>Eastern University
>Eastern Connecticut State University
>Trinity College
>Georgia Southern University
>Black Hills State University
>Tennessee Technological University
>Bowdoin College
>University of California, Riverside
>University of Georgia
>University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
>Towson University
>Rollins College
>LaGrange College
>Tri-State University
>Three Oaks Senior High
>Tutsin High School
>The Hotchkiss School
>Maranatha High School
>Judson College
>Georgia Southwestern State University
>University of Arkansas
>Hoquiam High School
>St. Vincent College
>Northview High School
>Indiana University
>Oakland Catholic High School
>Mary Washington College
>University of North Alabama
>Rivier College
>Syracuse University
>Barry University
>University of Findlay
>St. Mary s University
>University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
>What Youth Are Saying:
>
>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.
>
>Jordan Bayles
>President, Terre Haute South Vigo High School
>Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter
>Terre Haute, IN
>
>
>----------
>Washington Update:
>
>Minority Homeownership
>By: Christen Wiggins, Habitat for Humanity Director of Government Relations
>
>Introduction
>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.
>
>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.
>
>Action Needed:
>This week, the recommended action is to educate yourself and your 
>affiliate 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.
>
>Take a look at <http://www.myfico.com>http://www.myfico.com to encourage 
>people to empower themselves by knowing their credit score and 
>understanding how lenders assess them as a potential client.
>
>Fast Facts:
>    * 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 
> (Housing America – There s No Place Like Home: How America s Housing 
> Crisis Threatens Our Children).
>    * 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 (Charlotte 
> Catalfo, executive vice president of Principal Residential Mortgage and a 
> WMIN board member).
>    * 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 (JCHS tabulations of the 1991 and 2001 American Housing Surveys). 
> Even though more and more minorities are buying homes, their 
> homeownership rate still lags that of whites by about 25 percentage points.
>
>----------
>What Are Your Plans for HabiFest?
>
>At the University of Arkansas 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.
>
>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
>
>At the University of California- Riverside 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
>
>At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 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
>
>
>----------
>Fresh Ideas:
>Dispelling the Myths of Poverty Campaign
> From the <http://www.ourcommission.org/>Commission on Children, Families 
> & Community of Multnomah County (CCFC)
>
>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.
>
>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.
>
>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 
><mailto:janet.c.hawkins at co.multnomah.or.us>janet.c.hawkins at co.multnomah.or.us 
>and visit their website at: 
><http://www.ourcommission.org/pov/povmyth3.shtm>http://www.ourcommission.org/pov/povmyth3.shtm
>
>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.
><http://www.ourcommission.org/pdf/PACpdfs/dispel/dispel2.pdf>545196d3.jpg 
><http://www.ourcommission.org/pdf/PACpdfs/dispel/dispel4.pdf>54519712.jpg
><http://www.ourcommission.org/pdf/PACpdfs/dispel/dispel1.pdf>54519750.jpg
><http://www.ourcommission.org/pdf/PACpdfs/dispel/dispel3.pdf>5451978f.jpg
>
>
>----------
>If you have questions or would like to share your plans for HabiFest 2004
>please contact the HabiFest coordinator:
>Jenny Whitcher
><mailto:habifest at hfhi.org>habifest at hfhi.org 1-800-HABITAT, x 2411
>
>
>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 at lists.habitatforhumanity.org.
>
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