March 2006                            Carol Adrienne, Ph.D.

On the invitations to my sixty-fifth birthday party in January, I asked my guests to please not bring gifts, but if they wanted to, to make a check out for Habitat for Humanity—the volunteer organization that builds affordable homes for the poor .  My generous friends donated over $400 dollars, which I sent to the organization.  

The Director of Development at Habitat, Sue Howell, happened to call me, wondering where all these checks came from, so I told her the story.  As it turns, out I could not help but want to hear Sue’s own story of how she has found her passion and purpose.  
This is a big year for Sue, who is turning sixty and celebrating forty years of marriage—as well as participating in the thirtieth anniversary of Habitat. Sue’s enthusiasm for life and her belief in synchronicity and following your heart is infectious.

Following an early career as a legal transcriber, a job she chose because it allowed her to work at home and still be a full-time mother to her two sons, Sue decided to pursue her love of travel.  Enrolling in travel school led to her working at American Express as a travel counselor--a decision that turned out to be another blessing.  “I felt so fortunate to be working for such a world-class organization, and with people who believed in me and helped me work my way up the ranks.  I worked there for sixteen years.  In 1999, I discovered Habitat for Humanity while I was still working for American Express.”

Sue had been searching for a way to give back to the community, but couldn’t find the right formula.  “One day at my church, we had a woman speaker who was on the Women’s Crew at Habitat. Immediately, I knew that was for me. From that day on I became very involved.”
The concept that grew into Habitat for Humanity International was born at Koinonia Farm, a small, interracial, Christian farming community founded in 1942 outside of Americus, Ga., by farmer and biblical scholar Clarence Jordan.  Taking the organization to the next level was the work of Millard Fuller and his wife Linda.  The couple first visited Koinonia in 1965, having recently left a successful business in Montgomery, Ala., and all the trappings of an affluent lifestyle to begin a new life of Christian service. At Koinonia, Jordan and Fuller developed the concept of "partnership housing" -- where those in need of adequate shelter would work side by side with volunteers to build simple, decent houses. Families who qualified and were selected for a new home would be required to put in 500 hours of sweat equity.