Saline County's Habitat for Humanity Youth United
Habitat for Humanity is an a nonprofit, Christian housing organization, Helping to end poverty housing around the world. In a Youth United group, young people ages five through twenty-five work together to raise the funds and later provide the labor to build their habitat house. The Habitat for Humanity’s Youth United designed to provide families living in substandard conditions in Saline County with decent affordable homes. The Benton chapter of Habitat for humanity has the motto "give a hand up, not a hand out" so that with a little assistance from others, hardworking low-income families in Arkansas can finally afford to own a home of their own. The "sweat equity"( a habitat term for the three hundred hours that the partner family must put in) lets the youth work right along with the future owner of the home, leting them see not only that they are doing good work, but who they are doing the good work to help. Saline County’s Habitat for Humanity brings groups of youth from rivaling schools, diverse backgrounds, and varying ages together to form an organization that has made a significant difference in their community.
History
The Saline County Youth United was formed in 2004 after a The First United Methodist Church’s Youth Group planned its first Battle of the Bands. The fund raiser was chaired by Heather Hawkins, who later became the first president of Habitat for Humanity. All proceeds of this fundraiser went to the local Saline County Habitat for Humanity. It was a great success, and the group decided they would take on the monumental task of raising the funds to build the first Youth United home in Arkansas. Through two years of fundraising efforts ranging from lemonade stands to battle of the bands (which remains the biggest annual fundraiser for this group) they raised the 35,000 dollars necessary to build their home. In the summer of 2006 the Youth United spent one week, with over 85 volunteers to get the their first Habitat house in the dry. Since then the Youth United has built their second home.
to get involved contact the home office:
- 404 West Walnut Benton
- email: H4Hsalinecounty@aol.com
- Phone #:501-315-5434
