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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with Lynne Wilcox, David Youngblood
Aired September 06, 2003 - 07:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Couple of programs you have probably heard a lot about, Habitat for Humanity and the Special Olympics, well, they are joining forces in the Houston area. Some Special Olympic athletes are helping build homes.
And joining us now from Houston, tell us all about this project, Lynne Wilcox of the Special Olympics, and one of the athletes as well, David Youngblood.
Thanks very much for getting up with us and coming out this morning. Greatly appreciate it.
Lynne, I'll start with you, if that's OK. Tell me just a bit about how the genesis for all this, how Special Olympics, I'm sure has so much on its plate, got involved to build homes with Habitat.
LYNNE WILCOX, REGIONAL MANAGER, SPECIAL OLYMPICS: What happened was, in 1999, actually, Special Olympics and -- got involved with Habitat through the Jimmy Carter Work Project, which was -- they built 100 homes in seven days. That's how it started (UNINTELLIGIBLE) athletes worked side by side with other volunteers to help build a ABA-compliant home for that build.
CALLEBS: Well, let's bring David in here a bit. David, I understand you are a 20-year veteran of the Olympics. You compete in a great number of sports. Is it exciting for you to get out and work out building a home, things of that nature?
DAVID YOUNGBLOOD, SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETE: Yes, sir.
CALLEBS: Tell me about it. What goes through your mind when you're out there hammering, sawing, things of that nature? A lot of fun?
YOUNGBLOOD: Oh, it's a lot of fun. It's a great experience for me. I pretty much grew up working with my dad, and my dad was a brick mason. He learned me, and I got started from there.
CALLEBS: So you're one of the instructors out there as well, right, David?
YOUNGBLOOD: Yes, sir.
CALLEBS: OK. Lynne, now tell me, it's very important to get the athletes involved, correct? YOUNGBLOOD: Yes, sir.
WILCOX: Yes, it sure is, Sean. We do a great job of it. And one of the things that we try to do with our athletes is, our athletes receive a lot of help from the volunteers. I mean, 98 percent of everything that Special Olympics does is generated through volunteerism. So this is an opportunity for our athletes actually to give back and volunteer themselves to the community that gives so much to them.
CALLEBS: I don't think anybody would say that Habitat is not a noble cause. But one thing about the homes, they really aren't built for the disabled, and that's one thing that really stands out in the project going on in Houston. Lynne?
WILCOX: That's correct.
CALLEBS: You want to tell me about that just a bit, why you think it's so important?
WILCOX: I think it's important because one of the major things is, is, in Houston specifically, we have a lot of people that have never owned their own home, and they are needy families as well. And then as well as with the disabled side of it, when we first started the project, less than 1 percent of Habitat homes were for, for instance, disabilities.
Now we've built 12 homes across the nation that you can tell after 1 percent we raised that bar to a higher percentage.
CALLEBS: David, tell me what a normal day is like out there. How tough of a job is it? I know it's just starting today. It's going to go on for about a week, this blitz. Tell me what you think you're going to be doing all day.
YOUNGBLOOD: Well, I'm going to be doing nailing the wood on the inside of the house, and pretty much going to be helping with drywalls and landscaping on the outside, and it's pretty much going to be very exciting to do out there.
CALLEBS: And Lynne, what's it like just to see the excitement that's been building in the Houston area, the looks on the faces of the people who've been lining up? You think this blitz is really going to take root?
WILCOX: Yes, I guess the most amazing thing, from a Special Olympics point of view, first of all, is for the looks on the faces of our athletes, to watch them see the house go up, and then be a vital part of making that happen.
And the ultimate thing also, I think, is, at the end of the build, we have a dedication, where the keys are actually given to the homeowners. And for our athletes to actually see what is accomplished, and the joy in that family's face, is an incredible experience. CALLEBS: OK, Lynne Wilcox with Special Olympics, and David Youngblood, thanks very much. I understand you compete in a number of sports too, David. Why don't you tell us quickly about a couple?
YOUNGBLOOD: Well, I compete in volleyball and softball. I also took a chance to go to the International World Games, which took place in Dublin, Ireland.
CALLEBS: Wow.
YOUNGBLOOD: It was June 16 through the 29. Our volleyball team received a second place medal.
CALLEBS: Great. Well, thanks to both of you for coming out. Best of luck. We know you guys are incredibly busy. Thanks very much.
WILCOX: Thank you, Sean.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 6, 2003 - 07:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Couple of programs you have probably heard a lot about, Habitat for Humanity and the Special Olympics, well, they are joining forces in the Houston area. Some Special Olympic athletes are helping build homes.
And joining us now from Houston, tell us all about this project, Lynne Wilcox of the Special Olympics, and one of the athletes as well, David Youngblood.
Thanks very much for getting up with us and coming out this morning. Greatly appreciate it.
Lynne, I'll start with you, if that's OK. Tell me just a bit about how the genesis for all this, how Special Olympics, I'm sure has so much on its plate, got involved to build homes with Habitat.
LYNNE WILCOX, REGIONAL MANAGER, SPECIAL OLYMPICS: What happened was, in 1999, actually, Special Olympics and -- got involved with Habitat through the Jimmy Carter Work Project, which was -- they built 100 homes in seven days. That's how it started (UNINTELLIGIBLE) athletes worked side by side with other volunteers to help build a ABA-compliant home for that build.
CALLEBS: Well, let's bring David in here a bit. David, I understand you are a 20-year veteran of the Olympics. You compete in a great number of sports. Is it exciting for you to get out and work out building a home, things of that nature?
DAVID YOUNGBLOOD, SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETE: Yes, sir.
CALLEBS: Tell me about it. What goes through your mind when you're out there hammering, sawing, things of that nature? A lot of fun?
YOUNGBLOOD: Oh, it's a lot of fun. It's a great experience for me. I pretty much grew up working with my dad, and my dad was a brick mason. He learned me, and I got started from there.
CALLEBS: So you're one of the instructors out there as well, right, David?
YOUNGBLOOD: Yes, sir.
CALLEBS: OK. Lynne, now tell me, it's very important to get the athletes involved, correct? YOUNGBLOOD: Yes, sir.
WILCOX: Yes, it sure is, Sean. We do a great job of it. And one of the things that we try to do with our athletes is, our athletes receive a lot of help from the volunteers. I mean, 98 percent of everything that Special Olympics does is generated through volunteerism. So this is an opportunity for our athletes actually to give back and volunteer themselves to the community that gives so much to them.
CALLEBS: I don't think anybody would say that Habitat is not a noble cause. But one thing about the homes, they really aren't built for the disabled, and that's one thing that really stands out in the project going on in Houston. Lynne?
WILCOX: That's correct.
CALLEBS: You want to tell me about that just a bit, why you think it's so important?
WILCOX: I think it's important because one of the major things is, is, in Houston specifically, we have a lot of people that have never owned their own home, and they are needy families as well. And then as well as with the disabled side of it, when we first started the project, less than 1 percent of Habitat homes were for, for instance, disabilities.
Now we've built 12 homes across the nation that you can tell after 1 percent we raised that bar to a higher percentage.
CALLEBS: David, tell me what a normal day is like out there. How tough of a job is it? I know it's just starting today. It's going to go on for about a week, this blitz. Tell me what you think you're going to be doing all day.
YOUNGBLOOD: Well, I'm going to be doing nailing the wood on the inside of the house, and pretty much going to be helping with drywalls and landscaping on the outside, and it's pretty much going to be very exciting to do out there.
CALLEBS: And Lynne, what's it like just to see the excitement that's been building in the Houston area, the looks on the faces of the people who've been lining up? You think this blitz is really going to take root?
WILCOX: Yes, I guess the most amazing thing, from a Special Olympics point of view, first of all, is for the looks on the faces of our athletes, to watch them see the house go up, and then be a vital part of making that happen.
And the ultimate thing also, I think, is, at the end of the build, we have a dedication, where the keys are actually given to the homeowners. And for our athletes to actually see what is accomplished, and the joy in that family's face, is an incredible experience. CALLEBS: OK, Lynne Wilcox with Special Olympics, and David Youngblood, thanks very much. I understand you compete in a number of sports too, David. Why don't you tell us quickly about a couple?
YOUNGBLOOD: Well, I compete in volleyball and softball. I also took a chance to go to the International World Games, which took place in Dublin, Ireland.
CALLEBS: Wow.
YOUNGBLOOD: It was June 16 through the 29. Our volleyball team received a second place medal.
CALLEBS: Great. Well, thanks to both of you for coming out. Best of luck. We know you guys are incredibly busy. Thanks very much.
WILCOX: Thank you, Sean.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
