Lions Build 1,000th House With Habitat

As Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) celebrates its 1,000th house built worldwide with Habitat for Humanity (in Twin Falls, Iowa), Indian River Habitat for Humanity joins in the celebration: local Lions Clubs helped build a Habitat house in Indian River County.

Since 2000, LCIF has pledged $12 million to Habitat to build houses with individuals and families living with physical and mental disabilities. Funding from LCIF and Lions members has enabled families in the U.S., South Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Sri Lanka, Romania, Canada, Belize, India, Hungary, and China to have a simple, decent and healthy place to live.

"We were thrilled to partner with the Vero Beach Lions Club in 2006 to build a home in partnership with the Skaggs family. Lions from the Vero Beach Club worked hard to raise matching funds and joined forces with the Sebastian Club to volunteer significant hours to guild the home," said Kelly Brown, Indian River Habitat's Grant Manager.

"Lions have long been serving the needs of low-income families in their own communities and worldwide," said LCIF Chairman Jimmy Ross.
"Through this partnership, we have been able to help more than 1,000 families have a better quality of life."

"We are delighted to celebrate with the Lions Club the 1,000th house they have built in partnership with Habitat groups around the world," said Jonathan Reckford, Habitat International's chief executive officer. "This is a remarkable milestone. The emphasis that the Lions Clubs have placed on serving those who are visually impaired or otherwise disabled has allowed us to reach out more effectively to families in need of shelter. We are so grateful for their support."

LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International, which has 1.3 million members in 202 countries and geographic areas.