Habitat will sell bricks dedicated to those who serve
By Catharin Shepard
Published in News on June 1, 2010 1:46 PM
Just in time for Memorial Day, Habitat for Humanity of Goldsboro-Wayne unveiled its Build a Foundation program to honor or memorialize the dedication of local men and women.
Over the next month, Habitat will sell memorial bricks with two-line spaces for dedications to military personnel, firefighters, police officers and others who have made a difference. The bricks will go into the foundation of the next Habitat for Humanity house, director Ti'eshia Moore said.
Fire Department officer Lisa Johnson, a member of the Habitat for Humanity development committee, was the one to come up with the idea, Ms. Moore said.
For many people, Memorial Day has "kind of turned into hamburgers and hot dogs, and we want it to be more than that," she said.
The bricks will not only help build the next Habitat home for a local family that needs a hand up to become homeowners, they will also be a way to recognize the many contributions of Wayne County citizens.
"We want it to be not only loved ones who are no longer with us, but in honor of someone who's still here," Ms. Moore said.
Donors are welcome to place a special message or simply the name of their loved ones and influential community members, living or deceased, on the bricks. Each memorial brick will be sold for $25 and orders of multiple bricks are welcome.
The bricks will be on sale until June 24, when Habitat for Humanity expects to break ground on its newest home. The non-profit organization will complete work on its 40th house in Wayne County this summer.
The memorial bricks will be turned inward, so the writing will not be visible from the outside once the house is completed. However, Habitat will host a special mid-point ceremony before the walls go up so that donors and guests can come to see their bricks put in place as the foundation of a new home. It will be the first time the group will hold a bricklaying ceremony, Ms. Moore said.
Habitat for Humanity is closely connected to the many civilian and military volunteers who serve their country and their community, both in their professional lives and in their spare time.
"It is for anybody but our focus is really on honor and memory, this was a fire chief who came up with this idea because the fire department and police department have been absolutely instrumental in the last few months," Ms. Moore said. "It is geared toward this holiday, for military personnel, as one of our biggest supporters is Seymour Johnson, we thought it was fitting."
To purchase one of the bricks, contact Ms. Moore at Habitat for Humanity of Goldsboro-Wayne at 736-9592.