thanks, habitat

THANKS
thanks to those who viewed and shared and voted for our video
former physician takes action in the face of alzheimers
during the recent neurofilm festival contest

HABITAT

yesterday my wife she and i went to the dedication of the new
habitat for humanity house for the new homeowner

a single mom with 2 kids who works hard every day to
support her kids and who was there every work day with the
rest of us working on the house from framing the house to
putting the final touches of paint on the walls
she was there working and putting in her sweat equity hours
so she could have this home for her family

as i watched her at the ceremony giving her acceptance speech
she became teary eyed as did many of us volunteers who were
there
when you work side by side with someone for several months
you do get attached to them
you see how much this means to them and their family

its nice to see someone work so hard for something thats not
just given to her but that she has earned-this new ownership

thanks to community donations to finance the house and thanks to
the volunteers who built the house
some quite skilled at what they do and others like me who are
just helpers
well ive started to apply some of my knowledge about gardening
and landscaping to the projects
thats something i know how to do right and to do organically

my wife she and i had two sons and never had a daughter
well we do have a new daughter in law and hopefully one day
will have another
she is a good substitute for a daughter however

so ive always had a soft spot for single moms as i always
think that could be my daughter or my niece
when i was in practice i always tried to be supportive for those
single moms
as they have a tough job working and raising their kids


i do like the habitats approach
to have the owners work for the house
and pay for the material part of the house
with a zero percent loan for 20 years
but they set them up for success with financial classes and
with mentoring for some time after they move in

some of our government programs probably should operate this way
they might be more successful and cheaper to run
and people feel better when they can make some contribution to
what they get

like this homeowner who probably never would be able to buy
a house
not one thats new and built this way
to raise her kids in

yes
this is a successful program
good luck to the new owner and her kids

the organicgreen doctor