Housing Development Alliance

Hello everyone! So, here at the end of the summer I am finally getting to post my first blog about my work here. My name is Leah Catherine Turner, and I was hired for the summer as the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator. The job opportunity was very unexpected, but I am happy to say I have been extremely pleased with how this summer has panned out. It was hectic at first, but the work is very rewarding. Recently we hosted groups from South Elkhorn Church and Temple University. It's so crazy to think that these were our last groups of the summer! Both groups worked on a new home site, one framing and the other roofing/shingling. Temple University also worked at the First Presbyterian Church's mission cottage (which houses volunteers affiliated with the HDA when they come), pouring footers for a new home, staining ramps at two sites that were built by previous groups, and laying down floor/painting walls of a new home at another location. Each and all of these jobs were crucial to the completion of those homes, and the work contributed by the volunteers was absolutely invaluable. We have enjoyed meeting and hosting all of our volunteers this summer; each one has brought incredible work ethic and good spirits to the work sites. I speak for all of us at the staff of HDA when I say that this summer was amazing, many great things were accomplished, so thank you!!! Unfortunately, John Rasche and myself are returning to school now, so we will not be able to update for a while. Well, a year to be exact. We will both miss the staff of HDA and everyone we have had the pleasure of talking with this summer.

Also, on a side note, have any of you heard the new radio ad that Rasche and myself recorded? It is broadcasting on local radio (97.9 & 101.1 FM) now until September 2, so make sure you tune in and let us know what you think!

We hope to see all our groups again next summer as well as have the opportunity to meet any newcomers that may be interested in volunteering with the HDA. See you all next year! Peace!

Hey, everyone. We're sorry about the absence of blogs these past few weeks. We just moved into our new office and everything has been a little hectic. We've had boxes to unpack, furniture to settle, appliances to install. The HDA staff is finally beginning to settle into the new building. We have 11 offices and a rather large parking lot. If you haven't visited the new office yet, you really should. It's a beautiful building and we are all very proud of it. We are located at 2871 N. Main Street, right across from the Mother Goose House.

Because of our move, we haven't had much time to discuss the great accomplishments of our volunteers. In June, St. Bartholomew's volunteers helped the community by removing a couple's inadequate bathroom and installing a brand new one. They also helped frame a new house as well as some roof repair. we've had back-to-back groups of volunteers. First Presbyterian Church of Kissimmee, FL spent a week rebuilding a porch and painting interior walls. Beaumont Presbyterian painted, built a ramp, and laid concrete blocks. St. John's Westminster Union Church also helped the community by laying foundation, concreting, roofing, and replacing a porch. (We've had a lot of porch projects this summer.)Pullen Memorial Baptist Church returned to Hazard in July for its fifth consecutive summer! They did everything from framing to painting to flooring. The members even cleared the obtrusive overgrowth surrounding the new office. Crescent Hills Presbyterian framed a new house and replaced an old porch. I saw the porch project from its beginning stages and let me just tell ya, it is such an improvement from the old one. St. Francis de Sales spent the entire week framing a new home. The work looked exhausting (especially in this heat!) but the labor really paid off! The place looks great.

Phew! Is everyone still there? That was quite a dense, albeit incredibly abstract, paragaph. I hate to have had to condense all of our volunteers like that, but like I said, it has been a very busy few weeks for everyone here at HDA. My little shout-outs to all of our volunteer groups, however, does not express our gratitude enough. Every volunteer has done such a great job with this summer's projects. Never before have I seen such a general positive attitude to the, sometimes grueling, work. Southeast Kentucky (as well as a great portion of the country) has had some awfully hot summer days but we haven't received any complaints. In fact, in all my summers working for HDA never have I heard such an overwhelming amount of praise for our carpenters. Great job, everyone!

South Elkhorn Christian Church will be arriving tomorrow and I'll try my hardest to keep you all posted on their progress!

For those of you who would like more information about our previous volunteer groups, I highly recommend glancing through the photos that have been posted on our Facebook page.