(Millard) Fuller, co-founder of Habitat for Humanity, dies

[Starbucks Anarchist]

Source: Yahoo

ATLANTA – Millard Fuller, the millionaire entrepreneur who gave it all away to help found the Christian house-building charity Habitat for Humanity, died Tuesday. He was 74.

Fuller died about 3 a.m. after being taken to a hospital emergency room, according to his wife, Linda. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Linda Fuller, in a telephone interview from the couple's home in Americus, said her husband was complaining of chest pains, headache and difficulty swallowing.

The couple was to have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August with a 100-house "blitz build" across the globe, she said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090203/ap_on_re_us/obit_fuller

[LostinVA]

1. k& r -- a wonderful program

And, on a personal note, I love their Restore store. We picked up several hundred feet of wide, beautiful, solid-wood oak molding in 12-feet pieces for $40.

[gratuitous]

2. Good job, Mr. Fuller

And thanks for all the houses. Well done, good and faithful servant.

Now, if only Mallard Fillmore would follow Millard Fuller.

[buddhamama]

3. i read Fuller's book No More Shacks

as a teenager, and have been a housing advocate ever since.

be at peace, Mr.Fuller.

thank you. :(

[Blue_Tires]

4. very sad

k+r

[rateyes]

5. Oh, no. My condolences to the family...

His son, Chris, is a friend of mine. Peace.

[underpants]

6. WOW what a wonderful changing life he lived

Thanks Millard

[EFerrari]

7. What an amazing man. Thank you, Mr. Fuller.

:kick:

[yellowcanine]

8. Unfortunately his legacy is tainted by sexual harassment allegations

http://ctlibrary.com/ct/2005/februaryweb-only/12.0a.html

[WVRICK13]

9. True and More Information

Does anyone know exactly how most HfH operate? Some rules are national, some local. Start with some facts and we can have an interesting discussion. I served on a HfH Board for many years and I can speak about some things you may not be aware of.

The HfH I served got over 90% of the building materials donated. The volunteers paid $500 each, plus living expenses, to donate their time for a week to build a house. The house, when completed, was appraised at full market value and the buyer got a loan for that amount plus an obligation to give a set number of hours to build other HfH homes. The client got zero interest (same as a state ran mortgage program for low-income families) and paid appraised value. The HfH got a huge profit. Unfortunately, the buyer often got sub-standard construction. I don't blame the volunteers for the construction quality they aren't building professionals. I resigned from the Board after we got complaints from the vast majority of home owners about the quality of construction, which in some cases made the homes almost unlivable. One house was so plagued with slanting walls and structural defects I convinced the Board to demand an evaluation from a structural engineer before we would allow the family to close on the property. The engineer said it was not safe. The local HfH had to fix it before they went to closing.

The intentions are very noble but the results are not always acceptable. Many times these are ignored or given a pass because it is a FBO charitable organization. Quite frankly if contractors could get donated materials and free labor to build substandard buildings they would make a killing.

I know I will get flamed but I have been on the front lines and I for one would never pay the price they get out of one of these homes even with zero interest. In fact, it saddens me to know these truths. I also realize that in states where there are rigid building codes with numerous inspections they quality is better because of rigid quality controls. However, the poorest states often lack these controls and this is where the demand is the greatest.