Since learning of Habitat for Humanity, I've rallied behind the cause. I was brought into the fold by a young builder with whom I was working; he had taken up the leadership position for getting the first house built, and as his Realtor, I really had no choice but to get involved! Of course, it was an "easy sell", because the concept of Habitat is all good, people helping people help themselves. (If you are not fully aware of Habitat's purpose, please see the About page at Habitat for Humanity Greater Charlottesville.)
In Charlottesville, we had a fledgling group for years. I handled fund raising for a couple of those years, but I didn't have a whole lot of help, so my attempts were somewhat miserable. I was able to accomplish one thing during my tenure, though... I took on the community service committees for both the Blue Ridge Homebuilders and the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors, and I successfully introduced Habitat to those two groups. That year, we ran three fund raising events which involved both groups working together, and both groups have continued to rally behind the Habitat for Humanity cause since then. Even as important as this support was, and as 
much public awareness was gained from the fund raising efforts, the organization just couldn't get it going. Eventually, after I resigned my post, they contacted the national Habitat, and they received the training support, financial assistance, and coordination needed. Today, the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville has a wonderfully successful program, with large dollars behind them.
Recently, as I was leaving a local grocery store, there was a tap on my shoulder. It was the owner of the very first Charlottesville Habitat house. She still lives there! She's a single mom with two children, both of which have grown and left home. I probably don't need to tell you how delighted I was that she recognized me and stopped to say hello. (We built that first house in the mid-1990's.)
Often, when I think about Habitat, I remember the stories which came out of Homestead, Florida, following Hurricane Andrew. You may remember that disaster in 1992? Andrew was a massive category-5 hurricane, which wound up being among the costliest disasters in U.S. history. BUT... the 165mph winds proved to be no match for the 27 well-built Habitat homes in South Dade at the time: none sustained any structural damage.
On August 24, 1992, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta published the following article by Jennifer Grier, "Florida Residents Are Still Weathering the Storm in the Aftermath of Hurricane Andrew." Most of the article is concerned with the effects of Andrew on the insurance industry, and then the resulting changes to building codes required for coverage in the ensuing years. I just love reading about the Habitat homes which survived the storm in Homestead, Fla.
The affordable housing market has been significantly affected by the increase in construction and insurance costs in south Florida. Habitat for Humanity (Habitat), a nonprofit housing organization, was able to build houses in Miami for $41,000 before Hurricane Andrew. Since the storm, the cost to comply with the new building codes has increased their construction expense by 31.7 percent or a total of $54,000. Most of these increased costs can be attributed to the more expensive hurricane shutters and windows that meet the building code's new wind resistance requirements.
However, the homes built by Habitat before the changes to the building code incurred minimal damage during Hurricane Andrew. A total of 27 homes built by Habitat's Miami Chapter fared well during the hurricane. Habitat attributes the sturdiness of their homes to the organization's practice of going beyond the stated building code by using extra studs and braces, plywood instead of weaker substitutes, and hand-driven nails instead of staples in their construction. Accordingly, one of the changes in the new building code since the hurricane was to require nails in all new construction.
Though I am not currently, personally, involved with the local Habitat for Humanity (I probably will be again), I can tell you that I'm very proud to have been a part of their growth here in the Charlottesville area.
For information on our local Habitat for Humanity, please visit their website, CvilleHabitat.org.
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