Habitat builds community while providing homes
       In 1985, the U.N. General Assembly declared the first Monday in October to be World Habitat Day, a day to reflect on the need of all people for adequate shelter and to draw attention to the fact that millions of people throughout the world lived in substandard housing.
Today, 1.6 billion people around the world live in inadequate shelter. Families right here in Rowan County are among that number.
Adequate housing is vitally important to the health and well-being of the population as well as to the health and well-being of the community’s economics. Good housing attracts economic investment and development, contributes to thriving school systems, community organizations and civic involvement. Safe homes and neighborhoods help to build social stability and security.
Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County is the county’s ecumenical Christian housing ministry. It was chartered in 1989, and since then has built 94 houses with families in need of safe, affordable housing. So far this year, six families have moved into new homes, and plans are to have three more families in their homes before Christmas. This has been accomplished because Habitat volunteers and supporters work together with partner families to improve not only the living conditions of the individual families but the communities where their homes are built.
Partner families and volunteers from the community provide the labor to build Habitat homes. A partner family must achieve 4,000 hours of “sweat equity” work to fulfill Habitat’s eligibility requirement. Upon completion, the home is sold at cost to the partner family and financed with a zero-interest loan. Monthly payments are used to build additional Habitat homes in Rowan.
This year’s World Habitat Day is Monday, Oct. 1. The theme is “Many Homes, One Community” in honor of the role housing plays in a neighborhood’s progression. Habitat for Humanity of Rowan invites you to join us in our efforts to improve lives and commmunities. To learn how you can help, please contact Habitat at 704-642-6292, ext. 101, or at volunteer@habitatrowan.org.
– Jane Hartness
Salisbury
Jane Hartness is volunteer coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County.

‘Look both ways’
 That’s good advice crossing the street; good advice voting, as well, especially when there is suddenly 100s of millions of dollars telling you you’re “right.” It’s worth looking past the “red-meat” of abortion, gays and mentions of God.
Notice that Ryan has said he requires his staff to study all of Ayn Rand’s writings. Those are literally the “Fountainhead” of his policy decisions. Religious people of many persuasions who actually look into this back away.
Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan and author of the “Satanic Bible,” told Kim Klein of the Washington Post in 1970, “I give people Ayn Rand, with trappings.”
More recently, former Nixon administration member Charles Colson, said (May 2011): “(Ayn Rand’s) patently anti-Christian ideas seem to be gaining steam … powerful committee chairmen on Capitol Hill make their staffers read her tracts.”
Google the terms: “Ayn Rand Satanism.” Or for more excitement, try YouTube with: “Paul Ryan Ayn Rand,” for the damage control he’s having to do as Romney’s “worthless 47 percent” catch on to where the Republican platform comes from.
You also can go to mormonsforobama.org for internal dissent. Early posts actually listed scriptural reasons that (imagine THIS) Obama acts more like a good Mormon than Romney ever has. Or visit washingtonspectator.com for deep research and specifics on Romney and Bain Capital. How many people really know how they got onto the “Dump Obama” train? I don’t like everything about Obama, but he doesn’t scare me – these guys have scared me for years. I’m just saying “look both ways,” and try to ignore heat that sheds no light.
Scary picture? Imagine the new president and vice president taking the oath on a copy of “Atlas Shrugged.”
– Herbert Maier
Salisbury