Loan Allows Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter, FL to Build Hostel

Florida Community Loan Fund, Inc. approved loan; Habitat for Humanity operation to be named Global Village Central Florida, LLC

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121023/DC98252)

The operation which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter, FL will be named, Global Village Central Florida, LLC.

The plan is to have the facility operational by the Spring of 2013.

Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter, FL possesses a vision and spirit that is engaging and synergistic with the values of Habitat for Humanity International and other volunteer-centric organizations. Habitat has a mission to be transformational in very creative and innovative ways so that we can engage entire communities to rally themselves and mobilize their efforts around Volunteer Engagement and Non Profit Capacity Building while attracting volunteers to visit our area, serving as an economic development engine.

Transformation Community Engagement Vision
Habitat leadership learned from its experiences in the Gulf Coast following hurricane Katrina and proposes to leverage and expand that knowledge and experience for the good of the 13 municipalities we serve in Central Florida. We expect to not only engage the 13 central Florida municipalities, but also to mobilize a vast army of thousands of volunteers from all across North America to participate in a Domestic Global Village Volunteer Engagement Experience referenced as Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI).

The focal point of the engagement experience is found in the creation of a state of the art volunteer village that resembles a large European Hostel. Serving as the community engagement hub the hostel/village will have tentacles that like spokes radiate out from the village into every area of community life. This hostel will not only house volunteer groups from all over the country, it will also serve as a case management center to screen and clear volunteer engagement opportunities needed by non-profits and local units of government. These volunteer engagement activities will deploy and resource the capacity of non profits and local units of government alike. Whether the service is construction/rehab, feeding the homeless, collecting clothes for the needy, advocating for a cause, asset mapping a community, landscaping and mowing a cemetery or putting a coat of paint on a small town city hall that is running low on funding, Hostel Volunteers from all over North America will engage the community to provide actionable solutions to socially relevant issues, and Habitat will be the catalyst to make this happen.

In an effort to leverage the attraction for volunteers we propose that the village/hostel serve as a Volun-Tourism Mission Center that provides the Domestic Global Village Groups with a place to stay and serve. The volunteers would pay a fee for a weeks stay at the Village, and in exchange would be supplied Volunteer Engagement Activities that provide value and meaning to the municipalities we serve in Central Florida. From this Global Village Hub volunteers would invest 3 days in service and would then have the opportunity to match that with 3 days of tourism and economic development. After their 3 days of service some groups may spend their time at Disney, or Epcot, or SeaWorld or Universal Studios, or even one of the many Florida beaches – all within an hours drive of the Hostel/Village.

The fees generated would create additional capacity to our Habitat non-profit, and it would galvanize Habitat as the 'lead dog' for capacity building and greater service to the communities of Central Florida. One of the most pronounced pieces of information we learned after hurricane Katrina is that high impact service in a community is directly proportional to the size and organizational capacity of the non-profits in that area. Habitat not only desires to build houses, it desires to sustainably impact communities with a new transformational model and vision for service while increasing non-profit capacity. If all of the above is not reason and justification enough for your partnership consideration, the fact that it is just a matter of time before Florida will fall victim to another natural disaster that will require and demand volunteer support and contribution. If we can establish this Village now we can have a beachhead already established that will serve as a command center for disaster recovery.

What Will It Cost?
The operational costs ongoing will be assimilated through the fees, so no ongoing operational contribution is expected to be needed, but we do expect an organizational, programmatic and capital investment needed for the establishment of the Domestic Global Village/Hostel. Your support in assisting in fulfilling the organizational and programmatic goals will result in achievement of a new transformational model of service and engagement where ultimately 5,000-10,000 volunteers (each year) will be mobilized and engaged for community service and increased capacity in central Florida.

Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter is looking for partners and groups to help make the vision a success and a reality. If you're interested in participating please contact Jessica Johnson at [email protected].

Contact:
Jessica Johnson, Coordinator of Marketing
[email protected]
(352) 483-0434, ext. 17

SOURCE Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter, FL