Just as I’m getting all my gear together for the build day tomorrow, I caught a snippet on the news where a local neighbourhood is fighting to stop a 47 home development project that Habitat for Humanity would like to build. If approved, the built would provide housing for 47 families earning between $30 and 50 thousand a year.

The complaints all seem to centre around the “not in my backyard” argument. Citizens interviewed on TV loudly worried about how the value of their home and neighbourhood would decrease with the influx of Habitat home owners.

I’m thoroughly disgusted!

Habitat home owners put in numerous hours of sweat equity helping to build other’s homes before they beginning working on their own. They assume a mortgage and will make payments at a reduced (or non-existent) interest rate. If they miss payments, Habitat homes can be foreclosed upon. These are people who aren’t asking for a handout, they’re working their way up in the world and deserve as much help as we can give them.

The homes will be sold for approximately $260,000 and aren’t going for chump change. Drive around any Habitat homes and you’ll find houses that are beautifully kept and often the nicest yards and presentation in the neighbourhood. There’s a lot of pride that goes with home ownership and Habitat homes are no exception.

As for the argument that low income home owners decrease the value of properties, obviously the people in this neighbour hood haven’t visited mine. We’re mostly middle class – with more hitting the lower middle class (you know, that $40-60 thousand a year mark) than the upper. In my experience, what makes or breaks a neighbourhood is the community involvement and the friendships you make with those living beside you.

I sincerely hope that none of the people fighting the Habitat for Humanity project fall on hard times…lest they find themselves face to face with the attitude they’re presenting to the world and a complete lack of empathy for others.

Technorati Tags: Habitat for Humanity, Women Build

This morning we were up bright and early to head to the Grant McEwan park for the Ellerslie Highland Games. ‘Twas a long hard day, but we had a wonderful time.

Last week, friends of ours who are activing in the local Scottish society put the call out for volunteers and we answered. Drew spend the day tallying results while I spent my day manning a booth.

And the t-shirt? It’s a custom made shirt with Head Guinea Pig written on the back. I may not be able to convince the dean to allow that or WebCT Weenie to be printed on my business cards, but friends are always more than willing to write silly things on your clothes. The hubby’s shirt is perfect too – he’s the Assistant Guinea Pig.

Technorati Tags: Highland Games, Dancing, Pipers, Drummers

With my co-workers, I’m participating in a Habitat for Humanity women build on Tuesday. According to the local Habitat Web site, the women build program was established to:

… encourage the involvement of women in the construction of houses. Women make up 50 percent of Habitat’s volunteer force, yet often because of lack of training they account for less than 15 percent of workers on the construction site. The Women Build program was designed both to teach women the fundamental skills required to manage basic home repairs, and to empower women in the struggle against poverty housing worldwide.

As a volunteer builder, I needed CSA approved footware, work gloves and safety glasses for the build site. It’s not easy to find appropriate shoes or gloves for my small appendages, so we did have to do some running around to specialty stores.

As of this afternoon, I am now the proud owner of a pair of grey CSA approved Worx shoes by Red Wing Shoes. I’m thrilled that Habitat allows volunteers to wear safety shoes instead of requiring boots since most of the stores visited say that women’s workboot sizes start around size seven. I might never have found anything to fit!

I was amazed that finding gloves to fit was easier than finding shoes. My new work gloves are spiffy and black. They’re less rough on the inside than the leather work gloves I’m used to, but since those type of gloves were miles too big for my hands, it was nice to find a suitable alternative.

My neighbour next door, ever the helpful contractor, spent some time this week teaching me how to properly swing a hammer – so I shouldn’t make a complete fool out of myself. One of his crew lent me his spare tool belt (to be held up with suspenders) and even kitted it out with a framing hammer, knives – can you imagine anyone in their right mind loaning me a knife? – pencils, measuring tapes, squares, chalk lines, levels, and other small hand tools. I did try to tell them that these items were supposed to be provided once I arrived on site and was given my work assignment, but I think they were having way too much fun to stop.

I’m really looking forward to the whole experience but I’m sure I’ll be whining about all my sore muscles come Wednesday morning. Not to mention that the women build team will be framing the second story of the house I’ll be working on and I’m terrified of heights. I’m in for an interesting ride over the next few days.

Technorati Tags: Habitat for Humanity, women build, CSA

Welcome to the 28th edition of the screaming pages Thursday Thirteen.

Recently, I’ve falling into the bottomless pit that is Facebook. I’m slowly crawling my way back out again. This week’s T13 is dedicated to the reasons why Facebook sucked up so much of my time these past few weeks…(I blame it all on Darcey).

Thirteen reasons I suffered a brief addiction to Facebook. My in-laws are on Facebook – it’s an easy way to catch up on what’s going on in their lives. I connected with over a dozen people I’d gone to pre-school and elementary school with. We’d all grown up together and in many cases followed each other through until high school I missed my 10 year high school reunion, so this was my first opporuntity to catch up. My college roomies are all on Facebook now. We had to share memories and drinking stories. I needed to view the updated pictures of my godchild. Some of my childhood friends were on an exchange trip with the school my husband attended. I needed to get pictures from his high school years and pick up stories from the time before we’d me. I’ve re-connected with my childhood best friend, who I hadn’t communicated with since grade 8. Kids I babysat as infants are now in university and I had to catch up on what’s new in their lives through their Facebook pages. Everyone needed to see pictures of the hubby once he’d returned from his month away in the field. Otherwise, no one would believe he’d grown a mustache and hadn’t shaved his head in over a month. I reconnected with the guy who’d introduced me to my hubby. I had to spend time thanking him. I had to post messages of adoration on Clayton’s Facebook page. I wanted to know who else worked at the same college I am now employed by. I needed to commisserate with former co-workers on the groups message boards. Facebook is a social software phenomenon that we’ve been discussing at work and that has been the feature of some presentations at the eLearning conference I’m attending this week. I was doing research! Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Technorati Tags: thursday thirteen, t13, meme, facebook

Have I told you lately how much I love my job?

For the next few days, I’ll be attending the 5th annual Canadian E-Learning Conference. Sure, I have to take copious notes and share what I’m learning with co-workers, but I also get to learn more about what others are doing in the realm of e-Learning.

The timing couldn’t be better. We’ll be working Elluminate into our courses soon and wouldn’t you know it, it’s one of the conference topics this year.

I haven’t been to an industry conference in years – not since the days of the Novell and Microsoft traveling road shows – and am really looking forward to the next few days.

Technorati Tags: eLearning, WebCT, Elluminate