Judges, Legal and Law Enforcement Community Come Together to Help One of Their Own
in Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West’s Bench, Bar & Badge Build

(Mandeville, La.) Oct. 16, 2009—The legal and law enforcement community is coming together with Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West to lend a hand-up to a colleague. This year’s Bench, Bar & Badge Build, will build a house with and for Khaalida Jerome Blackwell.

Khaalida is a full-time officer at the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center and is saving money while currently living with friends in a trailer. Although she is grateful for having a roof over her head, she is distraught at the poor condition of her temporary space. She is especially concerned about the health and well-being of her two-year-old son.

With the help of the legal and law enforcement community, the Bench, Bar & Badge Build will provide volunteers and raise funds to cover construction expenses of a decent, healthy home that Khaalida can afford on her full-time salary. Habitat sells its homes to partner families with a no-interest, zero-profit mortgage, making homeownership a reality to hardworking families of moderate income.

“It takes up to 6,000 hours of volunteer labor to build a Habitat home and beginning with our Wall Raising on December 5th, I believe we can reach our goal,” said Hon. Jack Greene, BB&B Build Chair. In addition to the support and commitment of the twelve judges of the 22d Judicial District Court, the BB&B Build has agreements to participate from the Covington Bar Association, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Fraternal Order of Police, St. Tammany Deputies Association, the District Attorney's Office, Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center, and a number of law firms, said Hon. Greene. To support the effort, volunteers and partners have the opportunity to adopt a square foot of the house (at $60 each) and to register teams to volunteer on construction days (Tuesday through Saturday) through May 2010.

Save the date to join the Bench, Bar & Badge Build Wall Raising Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 5!

To learn how you can take part of Habitat’s Bench, Bar & Badge Build, call Al Dempsey at 893-3172 or visit our website at www.habitatstw.org.

About Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West
Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West is an ecumenical Christian ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing by building simple, decent and affordable housing. Since it was founded in 1981 as the tenth Habitat affiliate in the US and the first in Louisiana, over 100 repairs, 17 major home renovations and 184 new home construction projects were completed and sold to partner families with no-profit, zero-interest mortgages.