MONTH IN REVIEW: November 2014

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

November is supposed to be a month for thankfulness and gratitude, and it certainly was that for The Fuller Center. Not only are we thankful for some remarkable work being done in the field by our covenant partners in the U.S. and overseas, but we also continue to be blessed with generous gifts that ensure more and more families will be extended a helping hand.

Among those gifts in November was a $1 million donation by longtime friends and frequent volunteers Doug and Jill Miller. Many thanks to President Jimmy Carter for inviting the Millers and Fuller Center President David Snell and his wife, Sheilla, over to his home in Plains for the presentation.

Doug has worked hard all his life to achieve a great level of success and gladly shares his blessings — however, he insists on sharing it in ways that don’t just help people temporarily but in the long run. He prefers our hand-up approach of partnering with families who are willing to work for a better life moreso than mere handouts that often have the opposite effect that was intended.

To read more about the Millers, their appreciation for hard work and their generous gift, please click here. And to see just some of the other big events from the month of November, see below:

• Here’s a special report about how the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project teamed up with hundreds of Point University students to work on 61 properties in a single neighborhood of Lanett, Ala.
• Here’s a report about American Standard’s donation of hundreds of bathroom faucets, toilets and other supplies.
• Speaking of American Standard, their support is a result of our relationship with the North American Retail Hardware Association. They have three Fuller Center stories they’ve shared in Hardware Retailing magazine:
  — Ace retailer and Fuller Center forge a lasting bond.
  — How The Fuller Center is helping in North Chicago.
  — How The Fuller Center and a decent home brought a family back together.
• Here’s a special report we ran for Veterans Day about how our mission and veterans’ needs often align — featuring reports from our work with veterans in Twentynine Palms, Calf.; Shreveport, La.; and Peoria, Ill.
• Speaking of Peoria, here’s a look at how our covenant partners there got a whole minor league ice hockey team out to thank a veteran on Veterans Day.
• Speaking of Twentynine Palms, here’s a TV station report on their recent 3-day build. Also, here is a newspaper report on the same build. And you can find photos from the build here.
• And, speaking of Shreveport, here’s a Shreveport Times report on the dedication of the 44th new Fuller Center home in the Allendale neighborhood.
• The Macon Telegraph has this report about a new Fuller Center covenant partner forming in Perry, Georgia. I happen to know a little about this because (1) I live in Perry and (2) my dad is leading the effort. My dad originally planned to be a minister before totaling his car when it hit a cow in the road as he (my dad, not the cow) traveled to give a trial sermon. Then he built houses for about 15 years. Growing up, I didn’t enjoy church and I hated working on his construction sites — so, naturally, I wind up working with a Christian housing ministry, which shows God has a sense of humor!
• ActionNews17 has this report about the Ginger Ford Northshore Fuller Center’s groundbreaking for a new home in Independence, La.
• Here’s a great report about how Fuller Center Armenia’s relationship with VivaCell is helping families have decent homes there.

  Keep up with all the latest Fuller Center news at FullerCenter.org and on Facebook.