Millard Fuller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Millard Fuller
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| Born | January 3, 1935 |
| Died | February 3, 2009 (aged 74) near Albany, Georgia, United States
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Auburn University, University of Alabama |
| Occupation | Missionary, humanitarian, founder of Habitat for Humanity International, founder of The Fuller Center for Housing |
| Spouse(s) | Linda Fuller (née Caldwell) |
| Parent(s) | Render and Estin Cook Fuller |
Millard Dean Fuller (born January 3, 1935 – died February 3, 2009) was an amazing person. He helped start and lead Habitat for Humanity International. This is a group known worldwide for building homes for people who need them.
Millard Fuller also started and led The Fuller Center for Housing. Many people saw him as a leader in making sure everyone could have an affordable home. He was honored for his work in the United States and in other countries too.
Contents
Millard Fuller's Life Story
Millard Fuller was born in Lanett, Alabama, on January 3, 1935. His parents were Render and Estin Cook Fuller. His mom, Estin, passed away when he was young. His dad later remarried.
Millard studied economics at Auburn University. He then earned a law degree from the University of Alabama. In 1959, he married Linda Caldwell. By the time he was 29, Millard was a very successful businessman and lawyer. He had even become a millionaire!
But in 1968, Millard and Linda decided to change their lives. They wanted to focus on helping others through Christian service. They gave up their wealth and moved with their children to a special farming community. This place was called Koinonia Farm in Georgia.
The Fuller family lived at Koinonia Farm for five years. Then, in 1973, they moved to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). They went there as missionaries, continuing their work to help people.
When they came back to the United States, the Fullers started a new project at Koinonia Farm. They began building simple, good homes for families who didn't have much money. Volunteers helped build the houses. Families only had to pay back the cost of the building materials. There was no interest charged, and no profit was made. These ideas became the foundation for Habitat for Humanity International. Later, in 2005, Millard started a new group called The Fuller Center for Housing.
Millard Fuller passed away suddenly on February 3, 2009. He was 74 years old.
How the Housing Movement Began
Starting at Koinonia Farm
In 1965, the Fuller family visited Koinonia Farm. This was a special community founded by Clarence Jordan. After spending time with Clarence, Millard and Linda decided to stay. This visit was the start of the idea that would become Habitat for Humanity.
Clarence Jordan believed in showing God's love by helping neighbors in need. In 1968, Koinonia Farm started new projects. The main one was called Partnership Housing. Millard Fuller and others at Koinonia believed that people who were poor needed a way to get started, not just handouts.
They planned to create a "Fund for Humanity." People would donate money to this fund. This money would then be used to buy building materials. Volunteers would help build simple, decent houses. The families who would live in these houses would also help build them. Then, the homeowners would pay back the cost of the materials to the Fund for Humanity. They paid no interest. This way, the money paid back could be used to build even more houses. It was a way for the work to keep going.
Building Homes in Zaire
In 1973, Millard moved his family to Zaire. He wanted to use the Partnership Housing ideas in Africa. They worked in Mbandaka, a very poor city. Millard helped plan and build a community of 100 houses. The houses were built and sold to families using the Fund for Humanity. This was the first step in their international housing work. The Fullers returned to the United States in 1976.
Habitat for Humanity's Growth
The idea of using the Fund for Humanity to build homes in the United States grew. In 1976, it started in San Antonio, Texas. People there worked with Fuller to create a program like the one in Zaire. Volunteers built safe, affordable homes for families in need. The idea quickly spread. By 1981, just five years later, Habitat for Humanity had groups in fourteen states and seven other countries.
In 1984, Millard Fuller met President Jimmy Carter. President Carter, who was from Plains, Georgia, lived close to Habitat's main office. He became Habitat's most famous volunteer. President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, not only gave money but also started the Jimmy Carter Work Project. This was a special week each year where they would help build Habitat homes around the world. Thousands of volunteers would join them.
The Carters' involvement helped Habitat for Humanity grow even faster. By 2003, Habitat groups all over the world had built more than 150,000 homes. They were active in 92 countries!
Millard Fuller kept working to help people with housing. In April 2005, he started The Fuller Center for Housing. He wanted communities to work together in new ways to help those most in need of housing. He traveled a lot, speaking to groups and raising money and volunteers. His goal was to end poverty housing everywhere.
Millard Fuller was buried simply at Koinonia Farm.
Awards and Honors
Millard Fuller received many awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. In September 1996, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest award a civilian can receive in the United States. President Clinton said that Millard Fuller had done more than anyone to make homeownership a reality for people around the world. He added that Millard Fuller had "revolutionized the concept of philanthropy," which means he completely changed how people think about giving to help others.
In 1998, Millard Fuller received the Golden Plate Award. In 1999, he received an award for his great public service to those who are disadvantaged. In October 2005, former President George H. W. Bush honored the Fullers. They received a bronze medallion placed in The Extra Mile national monument in Washington, DC.
