Every year on the anniversary of the tragic 9/11 attacks, Habitat for Humanity Tucson begins construction on several homes, building them from the ground up, to not only memorialize the victims, but to celebrate hope, community and the American dream at our annual Building Freedom Day.
In 2012 we started four new homes in honor of the 11th anniversary of the attacks. This year on Building Freedom Day, September 11, 2013, we will begin four more new homes for hardworking, local families.
Nearly 400 volunteers from sponsoring organizations join us that day to help raise the walls on the homes. Community members, representatives from local businesses, congregations, members of the military and Habitat homeowners come together to help make the dreams of local, hardworking families come true.
“Building Freedom Day began as a way to heal the community,” said Michael McDonald, Executive Director. “By focusing on others and providing an activity that answers a pressing community need, people are not only called to action, but it is also a way for us to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Since our first Building Freedom Day in 2002, more than 7,000 volunteers have come together to construct a total of 84 Habitat homes at Building Freedom Day. Each volunteer has had a hand in changing the lives of those 84 families forever.
“… the volunteers seemed to have a good time while staying productive. They went home with a sense of accomplishment. The future homeowners were on site, and their sense of quiet gratitude was coming through…It seems almost like magic, to take a large number of unskilled people, a few more knowledgeable ones, and mostly frame someone’s home in a day. I have done it many times with a pro crew, but this was special.”
Bruce Hallowell
Long Cares Foundation Board Member & Habitat Building Freedom Day Volunteer .
For the last four years, Building Freedom Day has been located at our Corazon Del Pueblo home development located at the I-10 and Craycroft Road exit.
Check out some of the photos from Building Freedom Day 2012 here!
Thank you to our Building Freedom Day 2012 sponsors!
| Home Builders $50,000 and up Pima Neighborhood Investment Partnership City of Tucson Pima County Tucson Medical Center YouthBridge Community FoundationConstruction Partners $25,000-$49,999 Long Realty Cares Foundation The Industrial Development Authority of the County of PimaRoof Raisers $10,000 – $24,999 Bank of America WE O’Neil Employees Wells Fargo St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Cox GEICO St. Philip’s Episcopal Church Wall Raisers |
Ground Breakers $1,000 – $4,999 Citi Community Church at SaddleBrooke CAID Industries, Inc. The Groundskeeper John & Helen Murphey Foundation The Mahoney Group American Openings Pam Grissom Tucson Realtors Charitable Foundation Kelly Energy, Inc. Cottonwood Properties Kazal Fire Protection RG & Sons Rosemont Copper Tucson Affordable Housing Foundation Judy DareIn-Kind Donors American Red Cross Coca Cola Culligan/Oasis Dennis Rhodes/Flammable Design eegee’s PRO EM Party Concepts Tucson Newspapers, Inc. Tucson Recycling and Waste Services |