YPAL Cares and Habitat for Humanity: A Partnership with a Lasting Impact
By Guest Blogger Matt Fillipps
When I moved to Louisville in February of 2009, I was certain of two things:
- I was going to get involved in a young professionals organization as a way to meet new people and find a great new group of friends.
- I was going to get involved with some sort of community service effort as I had in the past.
That is why, in the fall of last year, when I was approached with the opportunity to help coordinate the volunteer effort for a Young Professionals Association of Louisville (YPAL) LEED certified Habitat House, I jumped at it. Soon after, I learned that our organization would be creating a non-profit arm called YPAL Cares. From the get go, I have liked the idea behind YPAL Cares as it involves focusing the efforts of a group of young professionals on one large event over the course of a period of time. While YPAL’s membership organization champions many terrific causes, most of our events are one-day efforts that do not have as great a benefit to the philanthropy we partner with or to YPAL for that matter. The Habitat House will allow the young professionals of our community to have a more lasting impact in three ways:
- Impact on History – This will be only the second LEED certified house built in the state of Kentucky and the first in the city of Louisville.
- Impact on the Environment – LEED certified houses are built entirely from sustainable materials, so it sets an excellent example for future construction efforts in the community.
- Impact on a Family – The greatest part of Habitat for Humanity is that it gives a family who would not have otherwise had the means a chance at home ownership.
At the end of the day, it is these three things that will make this project an extremely rewarding one to be involved with long after we dedicate the home.
