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El Sol Workers Team with Habitat for Humanity

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Contributed by: Mike Richmond on 6/26/2008

Day laborers from El Sol, Jupiter's Neighborhood Resource Center, are working as unpaid volunteers helping Habitat for Humanity with construction of the first of 27 new homes being built in West Jupiter for low and moderate income families.

The El Sol workers are participating as a community service program and believe it is well worth their time and effort beause they are also learning construction skills that will improve their employment opportunities. They also earn points towards being selected as El Sol Worker of the Month.

Since May 15, when the partnership with Habitat began, El Sol volunteers have worked in excess of 140 hours doing roofing, laying sod, painting, installing drywall and shelving, plus other jobs. Habitat for Humanity representatives say they are very pleased with the work of the El Sol volunteers who are especially welcome this time of year when many of their regular volunteers are away during the summer.

"It's working very well for us," said Roland Boucher, Construction Site Superlvisor for Habitat for Humanity of Palm Beach County. "The workers never do the same job more than one day in a row and some have trades that have been very beneficial to us," he said, adding that the workers, who are mostly from Mexico and Guatemala, are fast learners. "They definitely have an incentive to work."

El Sol volunteer Juan Camposeco-Ross, 40, said he volunteered in order to show people that he knows how to work and hopes the experience will improve his chances for employment. El Sol Labor Coordinator Dora Valdivia, said that by partnering with Habitat for Humanity both non-profit organizations benefit. The workers are helping to meet the needs of the community for affordable housing and learning skills that will enhanced their opportunies for employment in the future she said.

"They also see it as a way to give back to the community for what they are getting at El Sol," Ms. Valdivia said. The home construction project is in Kennedy Estates, an unincorporated area on the western edge of Jupiter where the first four houses are in different stages of construction. It is the largest such project in the Palm Beach County Habitat's 20-year history. Low and moderate income families who are accepted into the program receive no-interest mortgages and are required to work a total of 500 hours assisting in constrction of another Habitat home and their own home.

The El Sol Neighborhood Resource Center is at 106 Military Trail. It serves as a safe, clean and supervised facility where workers are matched with employers to fill jobs. It is open to all Jupiter residents. More than 2,050 employers and 1,050 workers are registered at El Sol. For information on hiring workers or volunteering at the Center call 745-9860.

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Submitted By: American Citizen

posted on 7/11/2008 @ 2:49:54 PM

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Thanks Mike. Now we will know where to send ICE to pick up all the law breaking illegal aliens and hopefully YOU TOO for violation of the FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT Sec.8 USC 1324. The ones we miss we can pick up with the help of National Geographic and their little celebration of ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION!!! I'm sure they will take lots of pictures. I hope Mr. Zavala has his green card or it could be adios amigos!

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Mike Richmond

Jupiter , FL

Mike Richmond has posted 29 stories and 0 comments since joining on 3/19/2007. Mike Richmond 's average story rating is 0.

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