Last year, Volvo was approached by Jim Ryan (retired president of Ryan Central, Inc. – Volvo National Account) and his wife Nigella to sponsor their son Ben in “Bike & Build”, cross-country bicycle trips which benefit affordable housing groups. “Bike & Build” supports local affordable housing organizations along each route through on the road donations. One of their stops in this ride was Asheville, NC and Volvo hosted the group, along with local area Habitat for Humanity personnel, to a Bar-B-Q while they were here. From this experience, the seed for the Volvo House Building Project was planted.
Volvo Construction Equipment North America will be partnering with the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity to sponsor a house building project this year in the Enka Hills neighborhood. Ground breaking will be at the end of August or early September and volunteers for building will be needed starting around November. Along with volunteering time to build, Volvo will also be working to raise a monetary donation to the project in the amount of $55,000, half will be donated from Volvo and the other half will be raised within the community. The Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity is also working with us to be able to use only Volvo General and Compact Equipment, as well as Mack Trucks wherever possible on this project.
The Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity was established to help families living in unsafe or inadequate housing to become homeowners by providing zero-interest mortgages with no cash down. Building of the home becomes a team effort between Habitat for Humanity and the new homeowners as the families must also assist in the construction of their homes. The overall experience is unforgettable for the volunteers as they work with the new homeowners and for the new homeowners from the pride they have when they receive the keys to their new home.
We hope that you will support this endeavor with either your time or monetary donations. Each giver is important and each gift, whether large or small, monetary or time, will make a huge difference. Together we can provide an opportunity for local families to own their own safe, beautiful, affordable home. If you have further questions about the project, or want to know how you can donate your time or money to the Volvo House, please contact the project coordinators; Peter Causer, Bill Sauber, or Jennifer Culberson.