May 23, 2009

The second 4 Habitat program finale was May 23!  4 Habitat is a Housing and Environmental Design Extension and 4-H program that partners with Habitat for Humanity to “adopt” a family  who purchased a Habitat home.  Youth teams worked directly with the family (a mom, dad, a grandparent, and eight children from Rwanda) on home interior design, landscaping, energy efficiency and nutrition. 

Learning and service opportunities focused primarily on the interior design process and improving energy efficiency through both interior finishes and landscaping.  Additional components such as sewing, art projects, cooking, gardening, woodworking and more were included.

Participants
Please join me in congratulating the youth who spent the year (July 08-May09) developing and implementing the program: Kenlynn Shettlesworth, Daniela Hoyos, Alejandra Hoyos, Andrew Perry, Alan Perry, Tyler Wood, Cheyenne Cox, Chesney Fries, Veronica Schneider and Ben Jennings.

Program Highlights

• Youth and volunteers participated in five meetings in Columbia to work with the family in selecting and implementing interior design, energy efficiency and landscaping plans.

• Youth received training in interior and landscape design principles, design software, communication, working with low income audiences, Rwandan culture and more.

• Youth and volunteers built (bunk beds) and refinished (sofa) furniture, created and framed artwork, installed shelving and storage units, sewed curtains and pillows, purchased energy efficient curtains and home accent items for decoration, purchased a vacuum cleaner and bedding items, planted a vegetable garden, trees, shrubs and flowers and more.
  
  Grants from the Fred. V. and Dorothy H. Heinkel Foundation and Kemper Foundation Community Grant, as well as local donations secured by participants, made the program possible.

The following Extension and 4-H staff and volunteers helped make the program possible:  Lisa Hamilton-Hill, Michael Goldschmidt, Bradd Anderson, Stephanie Femrite, Alice Havard, Marie Pasley, Joanne Cowan and Theresa Shettlesworth.   

Future 4 Habitat
Instead of continuing a statewide 4 Habitat program, Extension and 4-H staff, volunteers and youth will have the opportunity in September 2009 to implement 4 Habitat locally – either a comprehensive one like the two state programs, a small scale version or somewhere in between.  A resource guide and more information will be available this summer.  Stay tuned!