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Habitat for Humanity in Hawaii “Family Portrait” at Ward Centers

General Growth Properties’ “Family Portrait” Event Allows Shoppers to Personally Give Back to Hawaii’s Low Income Families
HONOLULU – Starting May 25, shoppers at General Growth Properties around Hawaii can personally contribute to helping alleviate substandard housing and the lack of affordable housing in Hawaii. In collaboration with Hawaii Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit home building organization which partners with very low income families, two GGP-managed malls -- Ala Moana Center and Ward Centers -- will host house frames this weekend at the mall’s common areas as a part of GGP’s “Family Portraits” event.  Statewide, GGP has committed to raising $50,000 during 2007, which will be used for materials and supplies for the homes that Habitat for Humanity builds. Both Ala Moana Center’s and Ward Centers’ wooden “Family Portrait” house frames will be covered with hundreds of stickers. Each sticker will represent one of the more than 71,000 families on Oahu living in substandard housing conditions. Individuals who make a donation to Habitat for Humanity may remove one of the stickers, signifying that they have helped to bring the dream of homeownership to very low-income families in Hawaii.  Ala Moana Center will host an 8-foot by 10-foot house frame display which will be located on Ala Moana Center’s Mall Level, at Centerstage. A smaller replica of a house frame will also be located on the Street Level near Centerstage. Ward Centers’ “Family Portrait” event will be featured at the Ward Entertainment Center, directly fronting the Ward 16 Theatre. Habitat for Humanity volunteers will be present at both Ward Centers’ and Ala Moana Center’s locations to provide shoppers with information on Habitat for Humanity, and how their donation will be used to help improve housing conditions in Hawaii.  The house frames will be on display at both shopping centers throughout the Memorial Day weekend, from May 25 – 28. For more information on Ward Centers’ family portrait event, please visit their website at www.wardcenters.com. On May 25, Ala Moana Center will hold a one-day house-frame-building event on the Mall Level of its parking deck, to erect the frame of a two-bedroom house. All of the labor will be completed entirely by volunteer GGP Hawaii employees and the completed frame will later become the home of one Leeward Habitat for Humanity partner family on Oahu. The frame of the completed house will be on display in the Ala Moana Center parking lot, on the Mall Level, makai side, near Sears throughout the Memorial Day weekend. For more information about the many ways that GGP and Habitat for Humanity are working to foster hope by building homes in Hawaii, and for information on how you can get involved, please visit www.alamoanacenter.com.

ABOUT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IN HAWAII
For nearly 20 years, Habitat for Humanity in Hawaii has helped over 200 low-income families build simple, decent homes that they can afford to buy throughout the islands. Habitat affiliates are funded by tax-deductible contributions and aided by thousands of volunteers. Habitat for Humanity builds simple, decent, affordable houses that are sold to families in need – partner families. There is no profit added to the sale price, and no interest charged on the mortgage. Partner families invest hundreds of hours of their own labor – sweat equity – into building their homes and the homes of others. Their monthly house payments are returned to a “Fund for Humanity” that is used to build more houses.