00:00:00.400,00:00:02.700
Chris Lake: I’m here to help
out my fellow Americans.
00:00:02.700,00:00:09.100
[MUSIC]
00:00:09.100,00:00:12.233
[Title: Volunteer Vacations]
00:00:12.233,00:00:13.333
Paul Stavovy:
Habitat for Humanity —
00:00:13.333,00:00:14.633
it’s a nonprofit.
00:00:14.633,00:00:20.367
[MUSIC]
00:00:20.367,00:00:22.200
Stavovy: It’s led by our staff
and
00:00:22.200,00:00:26.200
we build a house with the
volunteers.
00:00:26.200,00:00:28.400
We’re trying to build somewhere
around 250 houses
00:00:28.400,00:00:29.700
in the whole Gulf Coast.
00:00:29.700,00:00:31.467
And here we have
seven “blitz houses” —
00:00:31.467,00:00:33.467
we start from a floor system,
and by the end of the week
00:00:33.467,00:00:36.967
we’ll be completely
finished.
00:00:36.967,00:00:38.967
It’s really exciting when people
decide to come down here
00:00:38.967,00:00:40.767
and spend their vacation with
us.
00:00:40.767,00:00:42.433
Chris Lake: I took a little time
off from work
00:00:42.433,00:00:45.000
and just hopped a flight,
got right down here
00:00:45.000,00:00:46.700
and started building the house
you see right behind us.
00:00:46.700,00:00:48.467
John Kramer: It’s really nice to
come out here and
00:00:48.467,00:00:51.200
be a part of the group that
believes that
00:00:51.200,00:00:55.100
we have a responsibility to give
to other people.
00:00:55.100,00:00:57.300
It just felt like the thing
to do.
00:00:57.300,00:00:59.367
Linda Plager: You don’t always
need to have a vacation
00:00:59.367,00:01:01.433
that’s just for you.
00:01:01.433,00:01:04.167
Sometimes a vacation that really
gives back
00:01:04.167,00:01:06.900
to the community is as good a
vacation.
00:01:06.900,00:01:08.633
Kramer: I drive around the
city of New Orleans
00:01:08.633,00:01:11.300
and I see the devastation from
Katrina ...
00:01:11.300,00:01:13.100
[MUSIC]
00:01:13.100,00:01:15.033
[Title: August 29, 2005
Hurricane Katrina hits New
Orleans and the Gulf Coast]
00:01:15.033,00:01:17.300
[Title: Levees protecting New
Orleans are breached, flooding
much of the city]
00:01:17.300,00:01:18.533
Kramer: We’re in a
neighborhood
00:01:18.533,00:01:20.233
where there is a lot
of devastation,
00:01:20.233,00:01:21.300
a lot of empty lots.
00:01:21.300,00:01:23.333
On a grand scale,
it’s a small contribution —
00:01:23.333,00:01:25.300
but it’s still a contribution.
00:01:25.300,00:01:27.067
Harry Connick Jr.:
When the storm actually hit,
00:01:27.067,00:01:30.600
you know, people thought
everybody forgot about them,
00:01:30.600,00:01:32.700
but I think in their heart
they know
00:01:32.700,00:01:36.933
now that the people just like
them want to come
00:01:36.933,00:01:38.433
from all over the world and help
build,
00:01:38.433,00:01:40.133
and they’re cared about.
00:01:40.133,00:01:42.033
Stavovy: We have a small staff
and none of
00:01:42.033,00:01:44.333
this is possible at all with the
staff we have,
00:01:44.333,00:01:46.300
we could build maybe two
houses at a time.
00:01:46.300,00:01:50.067
But we’re able to build
somewhere, sometimes,
00:01:50.067,00:01:52.667
around 50 houses at a time
because of all the volunteers.
00:01:52.667,00:01:53.800
Lake: To see a full house built,
you know, with my hands
00:01:53.800,00:01:55.233
I’ve built a house;
someone’s going
00:01:55.233,00:01:56.600
to be living in a house
because I helped
00:01:56.600,00:01:59.067
build it, the feeling’s almost
indescribable.
00:01:59.067,00:02:02.100
Kramer: America is not perfect,
but I think we work
00:02:02.100,00:02:04.867
really hard to be as good as we
can be.
00:02:04.867,00:00:00.000
[TEXT] www.state.gov
produced by U.S. Department of
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