Building Up the Detroit Community

Today, many of us had the opportunity to partner with Habitat for Humanity to help build two homes for those in need in the Detroit area. Habitat's current target area is the city of Detroit with a population of 951,000. The poverty rate is 21.7%, or 47,920 families below poverty level; 37.3% or 2,262 families have incomes under $25,000. Over 81% of the homes are over 40 years old.

We started the day with an orientation of the community and Habitat's mission. Habitat believes in helping people up, not handing homes out. Its philosophy is centered around bringing sustainability to communities and families, not dependency. This is accomplished by building affordable new homes for those in need financed through interest free mortgages provided by partner banks.

New homeowners must meet these three criteria in order to receive a Habitat home:

1. Sweat Equity: recipient families must participate in at least 250 hours of construction work with the volunteers.
2. Need: families must demonstrate a clear need for a new home.
3. Financial wherewithal: families must have a household income of at least $22,000 and be able to demonstrate ability to pay on the interest free mortgage.
   

It was a great experience for all involved in serving the community. We were able to build relationships not only with the other volunteers, but also amongst ourselves. It's amazing how community service can really bring unity to a such a diverse group of people. Hopefully in the future, more of us will be able to take time out to extend beyond the walls into areas of need.

Are We Really Better Off with Online Social Networks?

From our discussion in person last night at Sweetwaters:

The following is an excerpt taken from a 2006 NY Times article by Betsy Israel on the impact the online world is having on society:

“Now, as they move through high school, college and beyond, the generation’s seemingly obsessive need to connect has inspired concern and debate among many adults. To summarize: What are the psychological implications of simultaneously talking to 50 of one’s forever best friends, who are not actually present? Are teenagers likely to misinterpret the nature of these best-friendships? As Mr. Abramson, a 17-year-old who has ‘studied the societal implications of the Internet’ since age 10, puts it: ‘There’s the issue of removal. Online engagement is not a viable substitute for a functional in-person social life.’”

Discussion: Do you generally agree or disagree with Mr. Abramson’s comment? How have online social networks both improved and hurt our lives?

Habitat for Humanity - Detroit

Saturday June 16th TNL will be doing a Habitat for Humanity project in Detroit from 8am - 4pm. Habitat For Humanity Detroit works in partnership with the community and families in need to build simple, decent, affordable housing.

If you are interested in joining us this Saturday, please email us at thenightlife.a2@gmail.com and we will send you more information regarding rides and volunteer information.

Welcome to The Night Life - Ann Arbor

Welcome to Ann Arbor's newest community discussion hot spot - The Night Life. Our hope is to celebrate the creativity, the ideas, and the views of the people in our community through engaging and thought provoking conversation, powerful artistic expression, and meaningful community service. Our name was inspired by the time of day that most twentysomethings and thirtysomethings seem to come alive - the night!

TNL was birthed out of a small group at Harvest Mission Community Church with the idea that each and everyone of us is created uniquely and beautifully by God. We love the Ann Arbor community and hope that The Night Life will bring together people from diverse backgrounds together to engage and exchange thoughts, dreams, goals, desires, and life changing ideas. There are no prerequisites to joining!

Our first gathering will be this Wednesday at Sweetwaters Cafe in Downtown Ann Arbor. We will be discussing a topic that so many of us are pondering: purpose in life.

We hope to meet in person once a month at the cafe and to get involved regularly in community service. We also believe that as people meet to discuss important life topics, great friendships will form and new expressions and branches of this group will develop.

If you have any questions or want more information, please email: thenightlife.a2@gmail.com. Additionally, this blog will be used as a forum for follow up discussions, announcements, and celebration.