Helping Us Help Others

Since 2007, I have been taking our students to work with Habitat for Humanity down in Florida. Our students have had the opportunity to work in both the East and Central Pasco Habitat and the Leesburg Habitat. The are both located north of Orlando. We have been fortunate enough to frame homes, side homes, build fences, sod, paint, clean up a home that is now a refurbished Habitat home and work at the Habitat Thrift Store to insure that these agencies would have enough money to build homes for those who are living in sub standardized housing. Here are a few things that you should know about Habitat home owners:

1. They are not homeless.
2. They must have a job and be able to pay their interest free monthly mortgage.
3. They must put in or find family to put in 500 sweat equity hours into their home or to help another Habitat recipient with their home.

Habitat for Humanity was not started by Jimmy Carter but he helped to make it a well known organization with affiliates in all 50 states and worldwide.

I have been volunteering for them since 1998 and cannot tell you the joy it brings me when I take students and they see, first hand, what poverty can truly look like. Last year, I took 15 students in February and another 12 in April. Some say why do you go all the way to Florida when we have poverty in our own backyard and that is a valid question. I have found, over the years, that students need to be spurred on in some manner. By going to Florida, they initially think warm vacation. By time we are done, they are thinking how can I bring this sense of community service by to my own community. This may not happen right away but it will happen over time.

How can you help Lakeland High School continue to help others in this manner:

1. Have your junior or senior sign up for this experience which is being offered both in February and over spring break in April. Information is in the associate principal's office but spaces are filling fast. In order for students to join they must have a positive discipline record as well as good attendance as the February trip results in 4 missed school days and the April trip in 2 missed school days.
2. Make a donation to help keep our costs down. The cost of the trip seems high but it also includes having to pay for the staffing as well. If people help by making personal monetary donations we can keep the staff costs away from our participants thus allowing us to make a larget monetary donation to the Habitat affiliate. A letter will be sent to you for tax purposes and checks can be made to LHS with Habitat Experience in the memo line.
3. Have your company become a sponsor of our trip. Any company who makes a donation of $500 or more will be included in all mailings, listserves, blogs and newspaper articles. This is a great way to get some PR for your company by helping us teach the next generation about charity both at home and away.