Week in review: Big events ahead

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

There are so many big events taking shape in 2013 that I hardly know where to begin. So, I’ll begin on Monday.

I started this week by letting folks know about a $400,000 Hurricane Sandy Relief grant from the Robin Hood Foundation (generated by the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief) that is going to the Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders. They’re working in Atlantic City in conjunction with our lead covenant partner in the area, The Fuller Center for Housing in the New Jersey Pines. Together, they will make sure this money is used efficiently to help residents there recover from the superstorm. It also will be a big boost to the 2013 Millard Fuller Legacy Build that is coming to Atlantic City the week of April 28. Click here to join us at the Legacy Build.

Also this week:

• I got to chat with Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure veteran Tom Weber. The 70-year-old who jokingly refers to himself as Geezerman will be joining us for the Bicycle Adventure’s Spring Ride down the Natchez Trace Parkway — and will be joined by his son and 14-year-old granddaughter. (Click here to read the story.) Unfortunately, Tom, you’ve been out-Geezered. An 85-year-old has signed up for the 400-mile journey and you can read more about that next week.

• After chatting with Fuller Center of Northwest Louisiana Executive Director Lee Jeter at last weekend’s Covenant Partner Conference, I created a new video about the 2013 Veterans Build, funded mostly by a $300,000 donation by Roger Waters, formerly of Pink Floyd. You can see the video and learn how to support or sign up for the build here.

• And I spent a good bit of time talking to our good friends at Mercer University in Macon. Their women’s basketball team is going to Ghana this summer as a Fuller Center Global Builders team. (You can read their press release here; and you’ll learn more next week at FullerCenter.org.) I’ve never heard of a team doing anything quite like this as they’ll spend three weeks there, building homes and immersing themselves in the country’s rich African culture. And, luckily for me, I’m planning to come along and cover part of the journey. We have a lot of history with Mercer, but that may pale in comparison to bright future we have with the many service-minded folks there in Macon, Ga.