Millard and Linda Fuller have changed philanthropy
It was my honor as President of the United States in 1996 to present Millard Fuller with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our country’s highest civilian award. Millard and Linda Fuller have changed philanthropy. Instead of just asking for money, they asked people to swing a hammer. In so doing, they have built countless houses, strengthened communities, and empowered people of modest means to literally build a better future. The House That Love Built chronicles their remarkable quest to make a difference, one home at a time.
—William Jefferson Clinton, 42nd President of the United States
My life has intersected with the Fullers
Over the past thirty years, my life has intersected with the Fullers as far back as Civil Rights days in the South and continuing through other significant junctures. I have followed with admiration as Linda and Millard expressed their love for God, each other, and humankind by creating Habitat for Humanity, an organization one of my own daughters was privileged to work with in Africa for a period of time. This comprehensive story of the Fullers is, indeed, a book whose time has come . . . to inspire more of us to give our all.
—The Honorable Andrew Young, Chairman,
GoodWorks International; former Ambassador to the
United Nations under President Jimmy Carter, Atlanta, GA
Millard and Linda Fuller have changed neighborhoods, changed attitudes, and, most significantly, changed countless lives. None of us who were part of the Renaissance Weekend 2000 Habitat Blitz Build will ever forget Millard’s sunrise dedication of what had been constructed in five days, America’s first new house of the new millennium. Like that house, the Fullers’ lives are testimony to the power of conviction, tenacity, and friendship.
—Philip Lader, Attorney, Charleston, SC; Former U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s
Visionaries are not always appreciated in their own time...
Among the distilled wisdom in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs are these words that describe the life of Millard Fuller: “Without vision, the people perish.” Visionary leadership is the antidote for the apathy of our world! It is the quality for which our world is starving. Millard Fuller is a man of great vision who does not believe in the word “can’t.” He believes that ALL THINGS are possible to those who believe. But visionaries are not always appreciated in their own time. So when Millard and his wife Linda started Habitat for Humanity, many called them foolish. But their vision inspired people of all ages to imagine a world where all human beings would have the dignity of having a roof over their heads. I have built Habitat homes with Millard and Linda and have seen firsthand the life-transforming power of their vision. I encourage you to read this poignant and inspiring story of a couple who dares to take incredible risks to follow their dreams and make them a reality. But watch out! Reading this book and getting a taste for the Fullers’ vision of the world might . . . disturb you . . . keep you awake at night . . . inspire you . . . to dare to be a visionary leader right where you are . . . today!
—Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, former U.S. Ambassador to Finland; Former Board Member, Habitat for Humanity International; Chair, American Red Cross; and CEO, Pace Communications, Greensboro, NC
Millard and Linda Fuller are two of the most inspiring people
Millard and Linda Fuller are two of the most inspiring people I have ever met . . . inspiring in what they say and in the way they have lived their lives. Their ministry of providing decent housing for poor families around the world for over thirty years is a story that needs to be heard—and understood. This book spares no detail in telling that remarkable, historical story.
—William V. Muse, former President,
Auburn University, Auburn, AL
History will conclude...
I believe that, one day, history will conclude that Millard and Linda Fuller were among the greatest Christian giants of the twenty-first century. A resounding Amen!! to this incredible story, and one that is masterfully told!
—Bishop Dr. Gerard Mpango, Anglican Bishop of Western Tanganyika, Tanzania; Founder of Habitat in Tanzania,
former International Board Member of HFHI, 1989–94
We can all learn from this tale...
Bettie Youngs’s book is a wonderful adventure with Millard and Linda Fuller. It richly tells the story of how love between two souls turned into a mission filled with love, a mission which has built homes for those in need throughout the world. We can all learn from this tale and thus enrich our lives and the lives of those around us. Enjoy this truly amazing story.
—Neil Shulman, MD, Author, Doc Hollywood; Associate Professor,
Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
founders of Habitat for Humanity
When the news reverberated around the world that the beloved founders of Habitat for Humanity, Linda and Millard Fuller, had been ousted, people were in shock. How could this happen? What would become of their beloved organization—and the people who depended on it for an affordable housing opportunity? The House That Love Built is a huge story about how the Fullers triumphed over the incredible injustice, and went on to create The Fuller Center for Housing as they continue their mission to eradicate poverty housing around the globe. This book is a page-turner from beginning to end.
—Deborah Bridges, Former Board Member,
Habitat for Humanity, Kansas City, MO
Millard Fuller has altered the lives of the million-plus family members
Through the course of American history, only a handful of private citizens have pioneered volunteer movements as profound as Habitat for Humanity. Millard Fuller has altered the lives of the million-plus family members he has housed and the millions of home-building volunteers he has inspired. But his impact also transcends that immediate circle. One of the remarkable things about Millard’s legacy is the multiplier effect of his work. Reading Millard’s story years ago made me realize that he and others like him deserve a place of honor alongside the politicians and generals who have long been memorialized in our nation’s capital. This thought started me on a fourteen-year journey that ended when The Extra Mile Pathway national monument was dedicated in Washington, D.C., in 2005. Today, Millard and his wife Linda are among a select group of men and women immortalized there, a group that includes Martin Luther King, Jr., Helen Keller, and Clara Barton!
—John A. Johansen, Founder, The Extra Mile Pathway
national monument, Washington, DC
a person of faith can remain true to himself, even when caught up in the world....
Most impressive is the foundation Ms. Youngs laid for The House That Love Built. Meticulously researched, each fact carefully corroborated, her House is built upon the pure, unvarnished truth of an important story that has yet to be told—until now, and the world will be better for it. The Fullers’ story reveals that a person of faith can remain true to himself, even when caught up in the world of corporate manipulation, when his house is cemented with the following wisdom: Keep your eyes on the mission God has given you, and He will see you through. The road will be hard. The end may be far different from what you ever envisioned, but it will be far more glorious.
—Stephen D. Coggins, Attorney,
Rountree, Losee & Baldwin, Wilmington, NC
