Lily Schreyer, September 17, 2001.
"Marlene and George Wood, the owners of the house we were working on, are a great family, with sweet, well-behaved children. Marlene works at the local school and does great work in the community through the school system... The Wood family is a loving, caring, close-knit family who have experienced personal obstacles and have evolved into a wonderful example to the rest of the community. Ed and I are very happy to be involved with Habitat and always enjoy working with the volunteers."

Sam Madison, Miami Dolphins' cornerback, January 26, 2002.
"It feels good to work on a Habitat for Humanity home. We are in the position to help, and someone having a new house, that's a real important thing. That changes their lives. That's what keeps you coming back."

Jimmy Carter, former U.S. President.
"Rose and I have enjoyed this as the finest aspect of our faith: our faith in ourselves, our faith in our fellow human beings, our Christian faith. Habitat gives us a natural means by which we can reach out to others with a spirit of compassion and love and understanding on level ground."

Julius Varga, Cobourg, Ontario.
Occupation: Retired high school English teacher.
Blitz-build assignment: Construction.
Involved with Habitat for 2 1/2 years. On why he enjoys it: "Getting my first home really changed my life. I was part of a community; I had roots. That's what causes me to donate my time--having a home changes people's lives. It's a very worthwhile experience."

Laura Shantz, St. Jacob's, Ontario.
Occupation: Operates bed and breakfast establishment.
Blitz-build assignment: Construction.
Participating in her fourth blitz build. On why she continues to be involved: "It's the whole philosophy of Habitat--it's simple, it's understandable, it's workable. And there's something miraculous about it. By Friday (of a blitz-build week), you find yourself saying 'Wow, it's happened again."

Tony McDonald, Conception Bay South, Newfoundland.
Occupation: Safety supervisor in British Columbia oilfields.
Blitz-build assignment: Safety engineer and paramedic.
First involvement in a Habitat blitz build. Why he donated his time (and plans to be involved again): "Helping people is great...it comes back tenfold. No paycheck can equal this ...seeing people from all walks of life give of their time...feeling the camaraderie."

Ted Baker, St. John's.
Occupation: General laborer.
Blitz-build assignment: Helping to coordinate food services volunteers.
"At first I thought I wanted to build; then I learned that there's a lot to do in support services," said Baker, who began helping plan for the blitz week about a month in advance. Of his new involvement with Habitat: "It's very gratifying to know that you're part of a solution, not part of the problem. The more I find out about this project, the more I like it."