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October 10, 2006 |
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 PAUL
LEONARDHabitat for Humanity By Henry Bostic Our speaker Tuesday turned down his first opportunity to become involved in Habitat for Humanity, but he didn't have a choice when his second chance came around: he was "volunteered" by his boss. Yet, it turned into a life-changing experience. Paul Leonard, who recently completed a stint as interim chief executive officer of the international organization, told Charlotte Rotarians that he was working with a major home builder at the time and didn't see much future in an organization that didn't charge interest on loans, made no profit, built one house at a time and did it with volunteers. "But God is good," the former minister said, "and I got a second chance." That chance came when Leonard's boss, the president of Centex, one of the country's largest home builders, got interested in the work of Habitat and "appointed" Leonard as the company's liaison. Wife Judy (who also attended the meeting) was already a Habitat volunteer. Little did the Davidson resident know that his early work as a volunteer would lead him on a 13-year journey that would culminate with his service on the International Habitat for Humanity board of directors and for 16 months as managing director and acting CEO, after founder and former leader Millard Fuller was terminated by the non-profits' board. The former minister of Christian education at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, Leonard's recently published book, Music of a Thousand Hammers; Inside Habitat for Humanity, follows the Leonard's initial discovery in the 1990s of Habitat's transformative work. Their increasing commitment took them on fascinating journeys from the US to Ghana, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, and many other countries. Leonard shared some of those experiences with Charlotte Rotary and readings from his book. He was most impressed with Habitat's ability to bridge the social and economic dissimilarities of its participants, each one leaving his or her "title, status, wallet, pedigree, color, gender, education, and background at the door" when building houses. "It's not really about building houses," Leonard said. "It's about building relationships." One of the most striking things about Habitat, Leonard said, is that volunteers clearly benefit enormously (in body, mind, and spirit) from their work in helping families to build their own homes. As do, the homeowners, as they gain new respect for themselves and their abilities through the process of building the home with others' help, then becoming proud home owners. In a chapter entitled "Broken Relationships," Leonard describes the difficult task the Habitat board had in deciding to terminate its charismatic founder. He said the sexual harassment charges leveled against Fuller were not the total reason for his dismissal. Things had not been going well for the organization in recent years under Fuller's leadership; the incident was a final blow. Leonard described as courageous the board's decision to look out for the future of the organization and let Fuller go. He also described his being drafted as interim CEO in a chapter entitled "Hell Freezes Over." Leonard noted that his wife Judy did not like Americus, Ga., then the headquarters of the organization and home of founder Fuller. He said Judy told him she'd move to Americus when "Hell freezes over." Thus the chapter's title. In 1971, Leonard went to work with a city housing program and in 1973 went to work with the John Crosland Co. in Charlotte, as multifamily manager. Crosland promoted him to vice president of the multifamily division in 1974, to executive vice president in 1981, and president in 1984. Centex Real Estate Corp. purchased Crosland's homebuilding operations and named Leonard executive vice president responsible for the Southeast. He retired from Centex in September 1995 and was elected a month later to the board of Habitat for Humanity International. Head Table: Tom Robertson, Ed Lewis, Luther Moore, Lee Tabor, Al Nikles, Chris Kemper: Invocation: Lee Morris Visitors & Guests: Doug Booth; Health & Happiness: Frank Watson; Song: Meg McElwain; Piano: Thomas Moore
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Revised: January 24, 2008.