HBA builds 'better tomorrows? with community service

For the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield, "Building Better Tomorrows," means more than just building the highest quality homes in the area. It also means finding new ways to serve and improve the community.

In the past year, the Springfield HBA has worked closely with the Make-A-Wish foundation, Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross to lend a helping hand to those in need. And now the association is using its recently developed governmental and political action arms to help in the effort to build "Parks for the Future" throughout Greene County.

It all adds up to a community-minded focus that is a reflection of the social conscience of HBA members, according to HBA President Ed Alden.

A better place'

"An association is only as good as its members," Alden said. "The Home Builders Association is very fortunate to be made up of members who want to work together at making Springfield an even better place to live for everyone."

It is a philosophy that makes sense for an association whose livelihood de-pends on building and remodeling homes well into the future. Sam Bradley, past president of HBA, says builders make their living in Springfield because it is such an attractive place to live.

"People live in this area, and move to this area, because it is a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family," Bradley said. "If the HBA can help to maintain or even improve on those qualities that make for a better place to live, and a sense of closeness, it's not only good for the whole community, but in the long run it helps sustain our businesses, too."

Charitable work is nothing new for the HBA. Last year the association partnered with the student HBA chapter at Southwest Missouri State University to build a playhouse for a young girl suffering from leukemia, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Habitat for Humanity

This year, the association is working to establish a long-term partnership with Habitat for Humanity's ReStore.

Shawn Fink, the builder-member who leads the HBA's efforts with Habitat for Humanity, says the partnership with the ReStore makes perfect sense.

"The ReStore is a way Habitat for Humanity earns funds to help build houses for those who cannot afford them under normal circumstances," Fink said. "Our builders can donate thousands of dollars worth of merchandise to the ReStore, where it is then sold at a great discount to others who are working on big and small building projects. Then all the proceeds go to help build those homes for people in need. It's a win-win for everybody involved."

At times, the charitable efforts of the HBA are even more spontaneous. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, HBA members looked for a way the association could quickly help those in greatest need. They found the second annual Remodeling Show, which already was scheduled for Sept. 21-23.

Red Cross

The HBA donated a booth (a $450 value) in the show to the American Red Cross, and urged everyone in attendance to donate money to the relief efforts in New York and Washington, D.C. They rewrote and re-cut all the advertising for the show to let people know of the chance to give to the Red Cross relief efforts. The HBA pledged to match, dollar for dollar, contributions made to the Red Cross during the three-day Remod-eling Show. That weekend raised a total of $8,338 for the Red Cross relief efforts.

But HBA members insist that "Build-ing Better Tomorrows" involves more than charitable activity, as important as that is. This year the association has established its own political action committee, the Coalition for Building a Better Tomorrow, and has made a concerted effort to become active in the political and government affairs arenas.

These efforts are the most essential steps the HBA has taken to better the community and the home building industry.

Parks and trails

Brett Godfrey, HBA vice president and chairman of its newly formed government affairs committee, said that the most recent political effort by the association is to help pass a ballot initiative Nov. 6 that will build new parks and walking trails, and protect open green space throughout Greene County.

"We are very excited to be a part of the Parks for the Future campaign," God-frey said. "We all have to work together to make sure Springfield and the rest of the area continue to be attractive places to live."

(Matt Morrow is executive officer of the Home Builders Association of Springfield.)