May 10, 2008
Flordia couple helps on Carter Work Project

By Megha Satyanarayana
Sun Herald

Robert and Doris Meyer have helped build more than 200 homes as volunteers with Habitat for Humanity. They've been all over the United States for more than a decade, participating in build-a-thons large and small. The Tampa couple have dedicated their retirement years to helping people start over.

In all he's seen, Meyer said, the resurrection of the Coast reminds them most of rebuilding Motown.

"It's an area that is similar to the Coast, with systemic failures and loss of jobs. They're still building lots of homes. I admire that they are not bailing out. There's a feeling among people that they aren't going to give up," he said.

Detroit suffered from a suburban flight in the 1970s, and many inner-city neighborhoods were laid bare. In recent years elected officials and community groups have fought to reclaim some of that wasteland through housing and economic projects.

No hurricane, Meyer said, but the can-do attitude links the two disparate communities.

The Meyers will be team leaders in the Habitat for Humanity Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, May 11 to May 16. The building blitz will hit Diamondhead, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula, with other stops in Alabama and Louisiana. Meyer said he has no favorite task, though in his late 50s, he's happy to let the youngsters do the roofing. As for Doris, "Doris is the siding queen. Her eye to detail is of legend," he said.

At the end of every project is a bittersweet feeling. Handing the keys to the new owner, while an incredible joy for them, is the end of an exhilarating experience for the crew, he said. The crew gets to know the homeowner, who puts in sweat equity for his or her home. They get to know each other. And they get to know their project, nail by nail.

"A lot of people will tell you you can't change life on this Earth. What Doris and I have found is that you can change one life at a time," he said.

*****

HFHMGC note: The Meyers have been on the Gulf Coast since January, helping with  a lot of the pre build construction work.

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