GOOD NEWS, GOOD DEEDS: Habitat contractor meets Jimmy Carter, Garth Brooks
By David Castellon
dcastell@visalia.gannett.com
So it was a real treat for the general contractor from Visalia to head to Southern California this past week to take part in a major construction project building and refurbishing 100 homes for Habitat for Humanity. And while it was great to meet former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn — "just real down-to-earth people" — who were out sawing wood and nailing boards just like the other hundreds of volunteers, Vessels, 55, said it was a particular treat to meet one volunteer in particular —country singer Garth Brooks.

She said Brooks and his wife, fellow country singer Trisha Yearwood, were down in Southern California with the rest of the volunteers to help in the annual Habitat for Humanity work project that Carter, himself, leads every year.

Last year's project was in Michigan, and the year before that the project took place in India.

Vessels is the paid construction manager for Habitat for Humanity Tulare County. She went down south with

Teri Stewart — a volunteer for the organization here —to take part in the Jimmy Carter Work Project that began Oct. 28 at separate sites in Los Angeles and San Pedro.

The volunteers refurbished 70 homes and built 30 new ones, said Vessels, who worked with hundreds of volunteers building duplexes near an industrial area in San Pedro.

"It was really kind of cool watching that many people working toward a common goal," Vessels said.

The homes are sold at no profit to low-income families who also receive interest-free mortgages, said Betsy Murphy, executive director for Habitat for Humanity Tulare County.

Of course, Vessels was particularly tickled to meet Brooks as, she said, "I'm a country music fan."

And she learned from speaking with Brooks that he and his wife have ties to Visalia.

"He said he and Trisha spend a lot of time in Visalia. He said this famous songwriter is from Visalia. He said they spend a great deal of time here," said Vessels, who returned home Saturday.

As for the name of that famous songwriter, she said, "He told me it. I just don't remember it."