Thought Center

Local Youth will Kick Start Act! Speak! Build! Week with a Cesar Chavez Build Day Event on Saturday, March 31

Los Angeles, CA – March 30, 2012: Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) and local youth will be commemorating the life of farm labor activist, Cesar Chavez, with a build day event on Saturday, March 31. The event will take place on a build site at 3232 Euclid Ave. in Lynwood, CA. from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. In addition to celebrating Chavez’s legacy of non-violent activism and justice for all, the day will also serve as the official launch of Habitat for Humanity’s annual Act! Speak! Build! Week (ASBW).

The student-initiated week of advocacy, taking place April 1-7, seeks to empower young people to educate themselves and their communities on affordable housing and move people to action. Students, ages 5-25, lead and initiate their own advocacy activities with the support of HFH GLA. One such activity that students will be participating in is downloading and collecting signatures for an ASBW petition that HFH GLA will later send to Governor Jerry Brown. Groups and individuals can register to participate through April 7th. The petition and more information about ASBW week can be found here. Also, an example of what a local kindergarten class has done in the past for ASBW can be seen here.

“This year’s Act! Speak! Build! Week is unique in that it overlaps with Cesar Chavez Day,” says Erin Rank, President & CEO of HFH GLA. “What better way to honor a man that dedicated his life to non-violent social change than by empowering a new generation to keep his legacy alive through social action.”

Habitat for Humanity International recently released a statistic that in the United States alone, one in three people live in inadequate housing. Habitat for Humanity was founded on the premise that everyone deserves a safe, decent, and affordable place to call home. Hardworking families and individuals are offered a hand up, not a hand out and must invest sweat equity hours to build their home, as well as qualify for a zero interest mortgage.  Every six minutes a Habitat for Humanity home is completed somewhere in the world.

About Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) strives to eliminate substandard housing through advocacy, education and partnership with families and individuals in need to build simple, sustainable and affordable housing. Since 1990, HFH GLA has built and renovated more than 700 homes locally and worldwide, transforming the lives of hundreds of individuals. HFH GLA is a GuideStar® Valued Partner and has achieved the coveted Charity Navigator 4-Star rating awarded to non-profits for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. For more information, please visit http://www.habitatla.org or call 310-323-4663. Visit our blog at http://buildingagreaterla.blogspot.com.

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