Hammerin' Irish still building hope with houses 

 By David Westerfield
Director of Communications
Shreveport-Bossier Community Renewal

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame may not have shown much fight so far this year on the football field.

But the Hammerin' Irish are still pounding away - building hope with houses in less time than it takes to find the end zone in South Bend, Ind. Perhaps NBC would be better served showing this team at work!

The Hammerin' Irish are a group of Notre Dame alumni who get together once a year to build a house in a week for a less-fortunate family. In 2006 they came to Shreveport to build a house for Hurricane Katrina evacuee Dorothy Wiley and her family. This week several of them returned for the Millard and Linda Fuller Blitz Build - and to see Dorothy's house and the others on Clay Street.

 "I am delighted by what I see. You should be proud of what's happening here," said Tom Goodwin, who lives in Washington state.

From the other end of the country, Aaron Whitaker of Gainesville, Fla., said he was thrilled to come back and see the positive changes in the Allendale neighborhood, where The Fuller Center for Housing has built 24 houses in the past two years. He even took photos and e-mailed them to a friend who couldn't make it this time.

I'm working with the Hammerin' Irish and many other volunteers on House No. 3 - a two-bedroom home for Shreveporter Yvonne Staples. Our house captains are Bob Hyneckal and Tom Campbell, Notre Dame alumni who also led the Hammerin' Irish build here in 2006. That's them in the top photo.

Tuesday, I learned what Tyvek is and what crimping means. I worked with Tom Goodwin, Aaron Whitaker and Edie Chism (shown left to right in the bottom photo) and put up siding for much of the day. After only two days, our house looks amazingly like - a house! Edie lives in Portland, Ore., and also came to last year's blitz. She's not from Notre Dame; she came on her own because she was inspired to help.

Our muscles are sore and our feet hurt even more than our arms, but I'm already thinking that I will be sad for the week to end. So many people have come from so many places to accomplish so many tasks as one winning team - a team of caring partners.