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Maryland Association Sends Tools for Tsunami Relief
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Cindy Crane with children of the fishing village of Khao Lak, Thailand
| The Home Builders Care Foundation of the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association (MNCBIA) near Washington, D.C. took a personal approach when first hearing of South Asia’s devastating tsunami last December that left more than 280,000 dead and 1.2 million people homeless.
MNCBIA Board Chairman Tony Crane, of Crane Homes, packed his bags and went to Thailand to help.
After his wife, Cindy, spent 10 days volunteering with Smiles on Wings in the hard-hit fishing village of Khao Lak in the Phang Nga province, Crane was inspired to volunteer with her and their two children as well. He turned to the Home Builders Care Foundation of MNCBIA for support.
The foundation’s goal was to raise enough money to purchase at least a dozen full sets of tools — including circular and reciprocating saws, drills, generators, hand tools and fasteners — that would be left with the locals so they could rebuild their village. If more money was raised, the foundation also would buy fishing supplies so the villagers could return to their livelihoods.
The foundation donated $2,000 to the "tool fund" and by June, association members had raided another $3,900 ― enough for the needed tools and fishing supplies.
In mid-July, the Crane family left for Thailand on their relief mission to deliver the tools.
MNCBIA Members Also Donate to Tsunami Shelter Fund
In addition to supporting the Crane family effort, MNCBIA members also donated $5,000 to the NAHB Home Builders Care/National Housing Endowment-Tsunami Shelter Fund. The donation came from a reserve the association maintains for disaster relief. In 2002, the association used the fund to help provide relief to several communities in Southern Maryland that were struck by tornadoes.
NAHB and the National Housing Endowment have established the Home Builders Care/National Housing Endowment-Tsunami Shelter Fund to raise desperately needed funds to build permanent shelter for the victims of the tsunami disaster in South Asia last year. The fund currently has raised more than $360,000.
NAHB has designated Habitat for Humanity® International and Shelter for Life International to be the recipients of the fund. Through NAHB donations, Habitat for Humanity will create a Disaster Response Technical Center in one of the affected countries it is serving. Shelter For Life will build a “Home Builders Care Village” of starter homes in Sri Lanka with NAHB funds.
Please Help
Please help by making a tax deductible donation to the Home Builders Care/National Housing Endowment-Tsunami Shelter Fund.
Please direct your donation check to:
National Housing Endowment
1201 15th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
Checks should be made payable to the National Housing Endowment and, in the memo section, please note the "Tsunami Shelter Fund."
The NAHB Senior Officers have selected Past President Bob Mitchell to oversee and guide this fundraising effort.
For more information, contact Troy Patterson at the National Housing Endowment at 800-368-5242 x8483 or Kym Kilbourne in NAHB Public Affairs, x8447.
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