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Third Annual Family Olympics Huge Hit with Habitat Families

Spartanburg, S.C. – Every summer, Habitat for Humanity of Spartanburg invites our homeowners and their families to participate in the Habitat Family Olympics. Old, new, and soon-to-be homeowners come together for this special event to get to know each other, learn about key areas of wellness, and compete as teams in games with their children.

This year, Habitat Spartanburg partnered with local experts to teach 30 participants from Habitat Spartanburg and Habitat Greenville about physical fitness, financial literacy, work-life balance, community involvement, communication, and spiritual growth. Families had a blast as they started the day with a dance battle, competed in a financial trivia game, mapped out their life priorities, assembled paper police cars, played telephone, and ran an outdoor obstacle course.

Habitat for Humanity’s Homeownership and Critical Home Repair Programs are just one piece of God’s larger plans for the families that we serve, so events like the Family Olympics help to empower our families to thrive beyond the walls of their homes. Every Habitat family receives a powerful education on the knowledge and skills critical to be successful as a homeowner, but they also receive an introduction to skills they’ll need to be successful in every area of their lives.

We are especially thankful to Rev. Cameron Wilson, Children’s Minister at Southside Baptist Church  for once again facilitating this event for Habitat families. We would also like to thank the community leaders who volunteered to facilitate each topic and help with all the games: John and Marilyn Lankford of Nautilus Fitness, Lisa Vandys of Carolina Foothills Federal Credit Union, Martha Pearson and Ricco Booker of Upstate Fatherhood Coalition , Deivis Henao of SC Works, and Lt. Daniel Gordon and Officer Chris Banks of Spartanburg City Police Department.

This year’s offering of the Habitat Family Olympics was, by far, our best yet thanks to these amazing facilitators. And, of course, we could not go without thanking our friends at Upstate Family Resource Center, especially Jessica McKinney, for donating top-quality household supplies for us to give away as prizes to each family at this event.