American Montessori Society Volunteers with Habitat for Humanity NYC on Home Build for Family in Need
August 2, 2019—AMS staff took part in a Day of Service yesterday on a home-build project with Habitat for Humanity NYC.
Every year Habitat for Humanity NYC brings together thousands of New Yorkers who become part of the solution to New York’s affordable housing need. Founded in 1984 as an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, their inaugural build was on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, during the first-ever Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
Our team of volunteers completed a variety of construction tasks, including reinforcing ceiling joists and general site cleanup, on a single-family home scheduled for completion by year’s end.
AMS CEO Dr. Timothy Purnell, who spent the better part of the day in a hard hat and boots, framing walls, said, “Selecting Habitat NYC for our Day of Service concretely exemplified our new organization mission: ‘Empowering humanity to build a better world through Montessori.’ We are honored to support the work they are doing and look forward to future collaborations.”
NYC Council member Adrienne E. Adams showed her support for Habitat NYC and AMS by visiting with us at the site. Adams, seen in the photo above (front row center, with pink sleeves) is a former Montessori teacher.
Said Adams: “It is not enough to acknowledge the need for affordable housing during this housing crisis. The issue must be readily addressed…and the service project implemented by the American Montessori Society and Habitat NYC is doing just that. It is wonderful to see people of all backgrounds and neighborhoods come together to build affordable housing in our community. I thank Habitat NYC and AMS for their work in my Richmond Hill district [28], rehabilitating homes and using these affordable properties to transform lives.”
Added Chap James Day, Habitat NYC’s community giving and operations manager: “Habitat NYC is proud to partner with AMS. Partnerships with education and community groups are always important to us because through intersectionality of our missions we are able to provide quality homes for future families—improving not only their lives but also the greater NYC community.”
Underwriting for the event was provided by Montessori Outlet, a major provider of Montessori learning materials and furniture, and a longtime supporter of AMS.
“Montessori Outlet takes community involvement very seriously and we look forward to continue our partnership with AMS on these absolutely amazing projects,” said Isabel Orellana, the company’s general manager.
Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity was AMS’s second Day of Service this year. Our first service project, on Valentine’s Day, was with Citymeals on Wheels, during which we delivered hot meals to homebound New Yorkers in the Times Square area of Manhattan.