Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Sylvia M. Burwell speaks at the New Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Tampa, FL.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell joined Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and U.S. Representative Kathy Castor in speaking with congregants at the New Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Tampa, FL on Sunday. Following the church service they attended a healthcare enrollment event and spoke with the media.

Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell talks with the media as U.S. Representative Kathy Castor, center,
and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn listen.

More than 11.3 million Americans (including 1.6 million Floridians) have signed up for coverage through the federal health insurance marketplaces.

Unfortunately, the state of Florida has not expanded Medicaid so approximately one million residents fall through the cracks as they make too much money for Medicaid and too little money to qualify for a subsidy through the HealthCare marketplace.

Secretary Burwell takes a selfie with a young lady during the event in Tampa.

Unlike 2014 and 2015, there will be no special enrollment period at tax time this year. Therefore, it is important to signup by the of the January 31st Open Enrollment deadline or face a tax penalty.

I was getting ready to travel to Nepal in order to photograph the annual Jimmy & Rosalyn Carter Work Project for Habitat for Humanity International which was supposed to take place November 1st – 6th.  I had my flights booked…  my travel immunizations up-to-date…  my valid passport… and my ever handy Lonely Planet travel guide book…And then unfortunately…  I was recently informed that the project was cancelled due to civil unrest which has lead to a shortage of fuel and supplies in Nepal.  This was the first time in 32 consecutive years that the Carter Work Project had to be cancelled!

http://www.habitat.org/2015archive/10-08-2015-carter-project-canceled

I have been fortunate to have been photographing these Habitat builds since 1999 when it was held in the Philippines.  Since then, I have had some great adventures from South Korea to South Africa.  Next stop…  Nepal…  I was really looking forward to the trip… complete with an opportunity to see Mount Everest in person.

Needless to say, I am disappointed.  But ultimately, I wish well for the citizens of Nepal.  Thankfully, the work of Habitat for Humanity will continue through its local ongoing efforts in that country.

As many of you already know, Habitat for Humanity builds houses for the working poor.  But not everyone knows that the program is a hand up, not a hand out.  Contrary to popular belief, Habitat does not give away houses.  Instead House Partners (what the people who get Habitat homes are called) must go through an application process in order to meet certain criteria (like having a full time job that will enable them to pay back a no interest loan for their house) and to work a certain amount of sweat equity hours (for example helping to build their house and/or other Habitat houses).

However, when it comes to AmeriCorps…  after talking with some family and friends, I realized that many people never even heard of this organization.  And I hate to admit it, but if not for my involvement with Habitat for Humanity, I probably wouldn’t be familiar with AmeriCorps either.

While I am no expert, what I do know is that AmeriCorps is sort of like the Peace Corps, only it is for domestic service.  Americans commit to one year to serving in various roles across the country.AmeriCorps partners with other organizations and places members in service to them.  Some of the programs, organizations, and institutions partnering with AmeriCorps include Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Camp Fire, and Habitat for Humanity.

Since 1994, more than 8,000 people have served with Habitat AmeriCorps, meeting the needs of more than 20,000 families throughout the United States.

If you would like to know more, please check out Habitat’s website:  http://www.habitat.org/americorps
or AmeriCorps’ officical website:http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps

After a full day of working in the 8o plus degree sunshine
with 80 plus percent humidity…

…It was time for a little R&R…  or should I say R, R, R on the R…
as in “Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the River” to enjoy the cool breezes along the Mississippi River on a classic paddlewheel riverboat cruise.  Prior to launching, the week one volunteers met and passed the torch… ummmm…  hammer to the week two AmeriCorps volunteers.

The theme of this year’s Build-A-Thon is “Rebuilding America”…  and they mean that figuratively and literally…

One of the many streets hit by hurricane Katrina was America Street in New Orleans.

So what a better place to continue rebuilding among the devastation, but on that very street!

Singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow visits the Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps Build-A-Thon site to help promote the Blue Jeans Go Green campaign.

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Ten years. Ten days. Ten homes. Ten-thousand jeans.  On behalf of the Cotton Incorporated Blue Jeans Go Green™ denim recycling program, nine-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow is asking consumers to recycle their unwanted denim to help rebuild New Orleans, an area still feeling the repercussions of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Blue Jeans Go Green™ has set a collection goal of 10,000 pieces of denim, which will be transformed into UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation by manufacturing partner Bonded Logic, Inc., and then provided to a ten-home Build-A-Thon being conducted by New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

Even 10 years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, evidence of the destruction is still visible throughout the area!

In the ongoing effort to help the area recover, Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps members are building 10 new houses in a New Orleans neighborhood during their 10 day annual Build-A-Thon blitz build.

Habitat for Humanity kicked off its annual AmeriCorps Build-A-Thon this week in New Orleans with an opening ceremony which included a jazz band and a traditional “Second Line” procession.

Over 600 volunteers will be building 10 houses during the two week event.