Habitat building blitz wraps up

The 2010 Habitat for Humanity Build-a-Thon wrapped up on Thursday.  More than 500 Americorps workers from at least 40 states participated in the building blitz in Cedar Rapids this week.

Some worked on a new Habitat housing subdivision in Robins.  Others helped rebuild several flood-damaged homes in the Time Check neighborhood of Cedar Rapids.  Iowa First Lady Mari Culver joined workers for the final hour of the Build-a-Thon on Thursday.  Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity executive director Jeff Capps said the Americorps workers got a great deal accomplished in less than a week.

“We'd love for them to stay all summer, quite frankly.  But that's not going to happen and it's time for the local volunteers to step up and finish what they started here,” Capps said.

Workers celebrated the end of the building blitz with a closing ceremony and barbeque at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon.  In addition to new construction and remodeling, workers also helped out on an extensive painting project.