The founder of Habitat for Humanity International will be visiting the Notre Dame campus chapter of the organization this weekend as the chapter begins construction on its tenth house in the South Bend area.
Michael Fuller, who is scheduled to speak Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the Hesburgh Library Auditorium, will talk about his own life as well as Habitat for Humanity in the South Bend area said Kevin McCormick, co-president of Habitat for Humanity's Notre Dame chapter.
"He is going to speak about the work that organizations like ours have done to eliminate substandard housing in this area, and what work needs to be done in the future to help focus our lives on this cause," said McCormick.
Fuller is well known for his early business success and his subsequent renunciation of wealth before founding the unusually successful house-building program.
Since the founding of Habitat for Humanity International in 1976, Fuller has been the recipient of many accolades, including the Medal of Freedom, the Harry S. Truman Public Service Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award. He also has many outspoken admirers of note, including former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
"Millard Fuller has done as much to make the dream of homeownership a reality in our country and throughout the world as any living person," Clinton has said of Fuller.
The construction of the tenth house is a significant accomplishment for the Notre Dame chapter, which is among the top three college chapters in the country.
"These houses are fully funded, organized and built by students, which is very unique," said McCormick.
The club will work throughout the year at a cost of $55,000 before dedicating the house to a single-mother with six children.
"This is a huge occasion of celebration for Habitat for Humanity at Notre Dame," said chapter co-president Colin Dowdall.
