Sailors Rebuild Hope With Habitat for Humanity Buffalo

BUFFALO, NY (NNS) -- Sailors assigned to USS Constitution participated in a Habitat for Humanity project in Buffalo, N.Y., Sept. 12 and 13.

Sailors assisted in remodeling the inside of a house that had recently been burned down at the Habitat for Humanity Buffalo Build site as part of the ongoing Buffalo Navy Week, Sept. 10-17.

"It's always fantastic to have people come out and volunteer," said Dan Gallagher, Habitat for Humanity site supervisor. "I think it's even better when that the Sailors are coming out to lend their services. They already commit to a service and they still find time to give a little extra to the community. We are always grateful to the Sailors for their service to the country but we are especially for their services to Habitat for Humanity this week."

Approximately 10 Sailors assigned to USS De Wert (FFG 45) and Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Little Rock and West Palm Beach also participated in the project.

"It was overall a great experience," Fireman Nicole Sherwood. "I assisted in restoring a home by installing drywall and insulation. I hope that our efforts today benefit the family that the home is going to. We worked hard and got dirty but it was totally worth the effort!"

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization whose vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. According to their website, the organization helped build more than 500,000 houses worldwide and served 2.5 million people.

Buffalo Navy Week is the seventh of eight Navy Weeks that Constitution Sailors will participate in 2012, celebrating the bicentennial of the War of 1812. The primary purpose of Navy Week is to increase Navy awareness by presenting the Navy to Americans who live in cities that normally do not have a significant naval presence. Buffalo Navy Week will showcase the mission, capabilities and achievements of the U.S. Navy and provide residents the opportunity to meet Sailors firsthand.

Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat and welcomes more than 500,000 visitors per year. She defended the sea lanes against threat from 1797 to 1855, much like the mission of today's Navy. America's Navy: Keeping the sea free for more than 200 years.

Constitution's mission today is to offer community outreach and education about the ship's history.

For more information, visit www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution or www.facebook.com/ussconstitutionofficial.

For more information on the bicentennial of the War of 1812,
visit http://www.ourflagwasstillthere/.


For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.