Habitat for Humanity to Change Rockefeller Plaza to 'Humanity Plaza'
Habitat for Humanity International, NBC News ''Today'' and Warner Music Group will partner in an effort to build homes for hurricane survivors displaced by Katrina starting on Monday, Sept. 26.
Habitat for Humanity International, NBC News “Today” and Warner Music Group will partner in an effort to build homes for hurricane survivors displaced by Katrina starting on Monday, Sept. 26. The participants pledge to build at least 100 homes over the next two months.
Beginning on Sept.26, the Rockefeller Plaza in New York will be turned into the “Humanity Plaza,” where for five days volunteers will build homes for the hurricane survivors around the clock. The project called, “Make a Difference Today,” has already raised millions of dollars and is projected to produce at least 100 homes in the following two months.
“Habitat for Humanity is poised to deliver an unprecedented response to an unprecedented natural disaster,” said Chris Clarke, senior vice president of communications, for Habitat for Humanity International. “To do so, to rebuild the lives of families who have lost so much and provide the ‘hand up’ that is the hallmark of our work will require an unprecedented level of support. Next week, the world will watch Humanity Plaza come alive as hearts and hammers pound the first nails in our recovery efforts.”
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Humanity Plaza will serve as a construction zone and a site where visitors interested in aiding the disaster survivors can learn how they can help. Among the volunteers helping to build the homes will be NBC Universal and Warner Music Group employees and visitors to the Plaza during the week of Sept. 26.
“Make a Difference Today” will produce the first Habitat for Humanity homes for Katrina victims that will be sent to the devastated regions of the Gulf Coast. These homes, nicknamed “houses in a box,” will be the first among “countless more homes” as Habitat for Humanity expects to raise millions more to fund the project.
NBC News “Today” will monitor the progress of the first homes by traveling alongside Habitat for Humanity as the homes are delivered to pre-selected families as well as profile the recipient families. After the 5-day “construction” week at Humanity Plaza, the homes will leave the plaza on Friday, Oct. 1, and be delivered and installed beginning on Monday, Oct. 3.
As an ecumenical Christian ministry, Habitat for Humanity International is focused on providing homes for financially disadvantaged families and eliminating poverty housing. Since 1976, Habitat has built over 200,000 homes in nearly 100 countries, providing a home for over one million people.
