It was a dark and stormy night.... No, it wasn't! It was a beautiful fall day, Sunday, October 17, 2004, to be exact. Thirty-two RMASFAA colleagues met to assist Tim Mundorf, Habitat volunteer and organizer of the Carpenter's Crew, on an Omaha Habitat for Humanity (OHFH) home, the kickoff for our RMASFAA Conference 2004 philanthropy project. Though the word "Bobcat" echoed through those north Omaha hills during our labor of love, injuries and perspiration were minimal and the sense of purpose and accomplishment were great.

During the opening session on Sunday evening, conference attendees heard the Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) story from me, along with Margaret Gilmore, Affiliate Support Manager, Habitat Middle States Regional Center, and two homeowners. Brenda Bell, who now works in continuing education at Creighton University, and Anita Rodriguez, who works in financial aid at Metro Community College, shared their stories, which didn't always include careers like they have now. RMASFAA members also met the family who has since moved into the home where we worked that morning. Samuel Yel-Mareng Mangong and Anel George Ashuel are Sudanese refugees who were chosen to resettle in Omaha. Fighting in war-torn Sudan has killed thousands of people and displaced over one million refugees, forcing resettlement in countries all over the world. The family, who arrived July 17, 2002, includes five children. Myar (19) and Ayen (18) are high school students who were raised by their stepmother Anel because their mother died from a fatal snake bite when they were quite young. Samuel and Anel's younger children are Aryath (15), a student at King Science Middle School, Ajok (3) and Aluel (1), who was born in the United States. Angela Potter, Director of Family Services for OHFH, says the family loves their home. "They have so much more space than they had in their apartment." When speaking of his new home, Samuel said, "I want to own my house for my kids. Owning a house is a very important thing and has been my dream through many countries. Even in Sudan, I dreamed of home-ownership, and now my dream is coming true."

Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), which was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller, is an international, nondenominational, Christian organization of volunteers, whose goal is to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the face of the earth. Decent affordable housing can be a stepping stone to overcoming poverty and can provide children a safe place to learn and grow before being launched into the world. To date, more than 2300 affiliates in all 50 states of the U.S., District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and 99 other countries have built 175,000 houses that now provide shelter for over 750,000 people. Even with these remarkable figures, the United Nations Center for Human Settlements estimated in 2001 that 1.1 billion people in urban areas worldwide lack adequate shelter.

Just recently, I received an email from Anthony Lyons telling me that he was working on the first HFH house in Dodge City. That was wonderful news! Glo Hennig, Director at Concordia in Seward, NE, and Bob Walker, Director at Creighton in Omaha, NE, have both been involved in HFH in their communities. HFHI is a wonderful organization with a rewarding mission for participants. If you are involved with a local affiliate, congratulations, and please let me know!

Throughout the 2004 RMASFAA Conference, members participated in a raffle organized by Kelli Hartman, Caroline Routh, and the Diversity and Multicultural Initiatives Committee. Associate members and various individuals donated prizes toward the Wednesday morning drawing. Many of the prizes were returned to RMASFAA for donation to our OHFH family. Thanks to the generous contributions of our wonderful members and to a $2000 matching gift by NELNET, RMASFAA was able to present a check for $6000 to Nancy Hemeseth, Executive Director of OHFH, at our Tuesday night banquet.

The entire week was a wonderful reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together toward a common goal. I reiterate what Angela Potter stated in an email to me, "Thank you for partnering with Habitat for Humanity! It is families like Samuel's who benefit from your generosity!"