{Mari Builds} Carter Work Project - Part 1

{Reflections on a week Haiti, from the perspective of a Habitat for Humanity volunteer partnering with the Santo community of Léogâne to build 100 homes in less than a week.}

               2,000,000. Families devastated by the 2010 earthquake and its aftermath.

               1,000,000. People resettled due to damages related to the earthquake.

               400,000. Survivors that remain homeless or displaced in Haiti today.

               600. Determined Habitat for Humanity & Haven volunteers.

               100. Beautiful new homes for happy Haitian families.

Building Hope.  Of the many overwhelming feelings experience while in Haiti, the prevailing one is hope.  Beyond the pain, the loss, the tents, the trash, the rubble, the living conditions, the devastation, there is a sliver of opportunity.  Upon arrival to the Santo community, where Habitat for Humanity has now built over 250 homes, a new energy appears, a sense of new beginnings... and an aura of hope.

With AARPCVs Marie Pearson 

Shockley & Willie Wilkerson.

Armed with a tool bag, helmet, &

other Carter Work Project gear, 

I set out to meet 600 volunteers 

for a week of intense construction.

The preparations for this project began long before the journey.  In the spring of this year, fellow Atlanta Area Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (AARPCV) Willie Wilkerson (spoke to our membership about his efforts in Haiti with Habitat for Humanity in 2011.  Willie has participated in 27 Carter Work Projects, remaining dedicated to the mission.  I was so inspired by Habitat's efforts in Haiti, I returned home to submit my volunteer application for the build!  Over the next 5 months, I raised $5,000 to support construction efforts and build hope... this is the story of the resulting impact.

Deplaning the charter... first steps in Haiti.

At the airport, we had our first view of the countryside before boarding the buses for Léogâne, a two-hour affair though only 20 miles outside of the capital.  The journey to the campsite was our only first-hand glimpse into life in Port-au-Prince, home to nearly 2 million residents.  Destruction sneers from every corner.  Buildings remaining demonstrate every level of damages: some are leveled to nothing but piles of rubble, while others show recognizable pieces of walls and roofs that resemble a shadow of the original structure.  Still others are left standing – a term I use loosely – though clearly unsafe, uninhabitable, and abandoned. 

Common sights... piles of rubble and broken buildings.

The Haitian capital remains a busy, populated city.  Vendors are everywhere selling anything they can, from sugarcane to second-hand clothes to used car parts, though no one seems to be buying.  The streets are littered with debris, as are the waterways.  People search through large mounds of burning trash, hoping to find…?  Then come the shelter slums, stretches of tents and temporary structures, built with tree branches, tarps, tin roofing, plastic bags, or anything else on hand, that stand amid the make-shift markets and piles of trash.  They seem endless, disjointed row after row of housing, all running together in a sobering public display of poverty.

Though much improved, thousands still remain in desolate tent camps that dominate the city.

While this journey exhibited the worst of the housing crisis in Haiti, it also provided the impulse to strike back and make the situation better.  After this impactful ride, we arrived in Léogâne more determined than ever.

Building Homes & Hope in Haiti: Habitat for Humanity & the Carter Works Project

Dear Friends and Family,

For the past three years, I have worked in Family Services with Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, assisting families on their journey to homeownership.

This November, I will be taking a different route... in Haiti.  Instead of financial counseling and application management, I will be swinging a hammer as a participant Habitat for Humanity’s 29th annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. 

President and Mrs. Carter and approximately 600 volunteers will live in tents and work in partnership with families to build their homes and rebuild their lives after the terrible destruction left by the 2010 earthquake. Habitat plans to build 100 permanent houses in just one week, and I have committed to do my part to help.

I will be working in the Santo community of Léogâne. Just 18 miles from Port-au-Prince, Léogâne is considered to be the epicenter of the earthquake. Nearly 90 percent of its buildings were damaged or destroyed. With your support, I will help Habitat build houses for families left homeless by the earthquake. 

I have a goal of raising $5,000. This donation will support the Carter Work Project and continued rebuilding in Haiti. Your gift is an investment in the city of Léogâne and in the families who still struggle to survive each day. 

Please join me in supporting the people of Haiti with a gift of $10 or more. If 500 people give just $10, I will reach my goal.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Best Regards,

mari.

Tough real estate market inspires creativity all around | ajc.com

Last summer, I purchased a condo in downtown Atlanta.  Like they say, "there's never been a better time to buy..."  Welcome to homeownership!    -mari.

By Tammy Joyner and Rachel Tobin
, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


The housing market’s continuing funk — by some measures getting worse, not better — has metro Atlantans using a grab-bag of creative strategies to buy, sell or just tread water so they can make a career move.

Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.comMaricarmen Smith-Martinez had about $36,000 of her Twelve Centennial Park condo's mortgage covered by a tax allocation district perk.

• Renting out a property has become the end-run around the market’s chokehold on mobility. More homeowners are turning to real estate agents to keep an eye on their homes, not sell them. Homeowners typically rent out their homes so they can buy or rent somewhere else. This has created a new line of property management work for the real estate industry.For instance:

• Home-staging has increased in popularity as a tool — and a necessity — for selling homes now that a yard sign and a quick sweep of the front steps won’t get the job done. Today, clearing clutter and redecorating in neutral hues and designs is key to finding potential buyers.

• Consumers and real estate professionals alike are embracing all sorts of technology. Virtual home tours are de rigueur. A twist on barcodes called QR lets people check out a home on a cellphone or other mobile device. Multiple listing services are not only helping consumers find homes but financial help as well.

• With stricter mortgage requirements in place, little-known federal and local programs are emerging as rich uncles for would-be home buyers, and not just for those with low income or first-time home buyers.

“It’s like trying to find buried treasure,” said Rob Chrane, president and founder of Workforce Resources, a 3-year-old Atlanta company that connects people with hard-to-find financial resources.

In metro Atlanta two to three dozen home-buying assistance programs are available, Chrane said. Real estate agents use down-payment assistance programs to market homes. A first-time homebuyer in metro Atlanta could be eligible for help on a home worth up to $300,000. And if you are interested in buying property built with tax breaks, there are deals too.

David Stevenson bought a move-in-ready, three-bedroom, two-bath 1,400-square-foot home in Rex for $55,000 under the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program, set up in 2009 to help communities deal with foreclosures.

Stevenson used the $5,000 he got through the program to pay his closing costs.

The program targets educators, medical personnel, police officers, fire fighters and military families and requires at least a $500 down-payment, good credit and other criteria. (Information: hudnsphelp.info)

“I’ve been so happy. I’ve been telling all my friends about the program and how great it is,” said Stevenson, 51, a quality assurance technician for QuikTrip Kitchens who stumbled upon the NSP program while house-hunting.

To date, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program in Clayton has acquired 130 foreclosed homes using the $9.7 million it got from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development program. Sixty-eight of those homes, mostly in stable neighborhoods, have been sold. More than dozen others are under contract as of early June.

“NSP is the best deal you have going right now,” said David Barton of Academy Properties in McDonough. “They’re usually the best-priced, best-looking homes on the market. They’ve got warranties on the home. They’ve already been appraised and every county got a certain portion of funds determined by the amount of foreclosures.”

Maricarmen Smith-Martinez saved money when she moved from Tucker into her $119,000, 13th floor, 742-square-foot condo in downtown Atlanta’s Twelve Centennial Park. The original price was $155,000, but $36,000 of her mortgage was covered by a “tax allocation district” perk because her building was built using tax credits. Those tax credits come with strings attached, however. She can’t move, sell or rent it out for a while. The 28-year-old first- time buyer was willing to take the risk.

“I am glad I purchased,” she said. “I love my home.”

Still, the difficult market makes a sale impossible for some homeowners.

John and Katherin DeLeon turned to Sandra McCrary to manage their Henry County home when they got orders to move to Fort Bragg, N.C. last year because of the closing of Atlanta’s Fort McPherson.

They thought about trying to sell but decided against that when a foreclosure popped up in their neighborhood.

The DeLeons had a couple renting the home within two weeks of signing on with McCrary, managing broker with ReMax Advantage in Henry.

“She found exactly what I was looking for: an elderly couple who like to do yard work and were handy around the house,” Katherine DeLeon said.

McCrary spends most of her time managing properties in Clayton and Henry counties, hard hit by foreclosures and savage value declines.

“I’m tired of telling people how much their houses are not worth,” she said.

For homeowners intent on selling, staging is a popular strategy.

Colleen Cardone recently snared a buyer for her Roswell home four months after it went on the market. She feels the free home staging service offered by the broker, the Katz Crew in Alpharetta, gave her the edge.

“Staging has made the house better and more appealing to potential buyers,” she said. Her house is under contract.

“The use of home staging has doubled in the last year and so has the number of people getting trained to become professional home stagers,” said Barb Schwartz, founder of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals in Brentwood, Calif. She said membership has doubled in the past two years.

New Leaders Council Atlanta

Dear Friends, Colleagues, & Volunteers,

It is my pleasure to invite you to attend a fundraiser benefitting the New Leaders Council, an organization formed to train and support the next generation of progressive political entrepreneurs. I had the honor to be selected as an NLC Fellow for the 2011 NLC Institute of Atlanta.

I have shared this experience with a group of talented professionals committed to progressive social change. We have been charged to ensure that next year’s Fellows have the same opportunity available to our class. We will be hosting a fundraiser event, the Progressive Stars of Atlanta, on Tuesday, May 10th at the Commerce Club in downtown Atlanta, honoring progressive leaders in our city.

Please consider attending the fundraiser (Admission: $25 General or $50 VIP) or making a donation to the cause. If interested, the attached document outlines sponsorship opportunities, but also provides more information about the NLC and its vision.

To purchase tickets or contribute with a donation, please go our website:
www.newleaderscouncil.org/fundraisers/tickets/atl (Please include my name in the REFERRED BY section)

This has been an amazing experience for me and I invite you to be a part of it! I appreciate your support!

Best Regards,
Maricarmen.

PC Blues - Granada

Leaving Barcelona all too soon, I headed to Andalucia, having never before traveled in south Spain. I was told that la Alhambra is the place to go, so I hopped a train to Granada.

With so much Moorish history, the Alhambra has a quite a distinct Arab influence, from its market products to its palace decor... spices line the streets and arabesques, an Islamic art form applying repeating geometric patterns, decorates the walls of the Alhambra, meaning "red fortress," named for the red clay from which it was constructed in the 14th century. Outside the fortress, most curious are the caves along the old fortress wall, formerly inhabited by the gypsies or Gitanos. Currently many are still inhabited. I accidentally walked into several yards and nearly walked into the doorway of a house, mistakenly believing I was on a path down the mountain! After a tour of the grand palace itself, a fortress that has housed both Muslim and Spanish Christian rulers, I left the land of flamenco and gitano culture for Madrid...

Pictured: spices from the local market, Spanish ceramics with Moorish influence, a cave house, Mari sitting across the valley from the fortress, and a typical house of Granada, decor and fountains inside La Alhambra, Mari at one of the Alhambra courtyards, a window view of Granada, and two scenes from the train ride to Madrid: the "man of the mountain" and "castle on a hill."

Post Peace Corps Blues

Returning to consistent electricity and running (hot) water, food variety, and pavement sounds easy. In reality, as any RPCV knows, readjustment is a tough process. While leaving dusty/muddy roads and endless amounts of rice and beans can seem enticing, the blatant commercialism of all things American really explodes upon re-entry to the States. Physical luxury and comfort is nice, but being an integral part of your community is something irreplaceable.

Having survived exactly 18 days Stateside and feeling an urgent need to move, I decided that instead of dealing with these issues, I would escape… this time to Europe. While preparing to visit friends and family, travel to Andalucia (southern Spain) for the first time, meet a high school friend to run with the bulls in Pamplona, and fly out of Lisbon after a few days in Portugal, I had no idea that my trip would be so radically altered...

To start off the big adventure to forget my adventures, I few into Barcelona, where I met up with my cousins Lorena and Ramon, excellent hosts who showed me what is was like to be Spanish in such an international city. During my first days in Spain, I spoke more English than Spanish, spending time with people from Holland, Hungary, France, Australia, etc.! Exploring new territory, I opted out of the typical Gaudi tour and Sagrada Familia, heading to the Joan Miro Museum and the Poble Espanol, a touristic village created in replica of traditional and historic architecture from all around the country.

Many thanks to Lorena for transportation on the back of her scooter and to Ramon for a great place to stay!

View of Barcelona from the Palacio Montjuic.

The Palacio Montjuic at night.

View of the Sagrada Familia from the Palacio.

My cousin Ramon, who lived with me and my family in Florida for a year when I was a kid.

A place called Paradise...

After spending the past 27 months in the rural farmland of a paradise otherwise known as Costa Rica, I have returned to the U.S. of A. to be with my family. (And maybe get a job to boot!) Today marks two weeks since returning to Florida and somehow leaving unreliable electricity and water supply, cold showers, choke-on-dust roads (or waddle-in-mud, depending on the season) was a big challenge! Of course, my biggest challenge was leaving the people who welcomed me into their towns, their homes, and their hearts. Together, I know that the projects we undertook and the work we accomplished has changed the structure of the community itself and laid foundations for further development.

I struggled with the tough decision of extending service, but in the end I stayed only a few weeks after finishing with the Peace Corps. It was incredibly hard to say goodbye. I miss it terribly… and in some ways, I probably always will. I loved living in Costa Rica and being a part of the pura vida, but not even paradise is perfect.

Pictured are a few photo highlights from this year.

As for the future, I am applying for a Rotary Foundation scholarship (Master’s in Int'l Relations, U. del Salvador in Argentina), but decisions are not until later this year. Meanwhile, I will take a few weeks to visit family and friends in Spain. And if you live near Atlanta, NYC, or the United States capitol, stay tuned!

I want to thank my friends and neighbors, the people of my towns - Jabillo, La Y Griega, Juan de Leon, Las Pampas, Coyote - for their food, for caring for me, for providing an outsider with home and family. I’d like to thank you all as well, those who have supported me and helped me through my challenges and trials. I leave fulfilled, taking with me the knowledge of a leader and treasuring the memories of a lifetime. I arrived a stranger and I leave as the Gringa de Jabillo.