After 29 years of service as leaders of Habitat for Humanity, a Christian ministry that builds affordable houses for disadvantaged families, Millard Fuller and his wife Linda decided in 2005 to found the Fuller Center for Housing, an organization that supports low-income housing providers with additional funding.
As a response to Hurricane Katrina, the Fuller Center launched “Building on Higher Ground,” a project that has helped residents of Shreveport and Bossier on the Gulf Coast. National recognition for the couple has included receiving the Harry S. Truman Public Service Award and the Bronze Medallion from the Points of Light Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Community members will have a chance to hear the Fullers’ story first-hand at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18 during a St. James Symposium called “A Chicken in Every Pot, a Roof for Every Family,” to be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St.
“One of the messages Mr. Fuller brings is that these kinds of problems are being faced by everyone, and can be addressed by individuals and groups of people getting together and applying some elbow grease to get things done,” said the Rev. Dr. Randal Gardner, of St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. “Part of his message is that working locally does make a difference in the larger scheme of things.”
The symposium will feature a panel of local activists, including Cheryl Keenan, executive director of San Diego’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and Chris Scott, founder of Treecycling Inc. and inventor of a new modular housing system that reduces building costs and waste and conserves resources in the construction of affordable housing.
The Fullers will also hold worship services at St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church at 7:30 and 10 a.m. and an educational forum at 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 22. A special luncheon for youth interested in talking with the Fullers will be held directly following the last service.
The symposium is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. St. James by-the-Sea is located at 743 Prospect St.
For more information, visit www.stjamesbythesea.org or call (858) 459-3421.