The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 13

N' -rr-iTr A 7VO "TT TTTirlT A 7 THE BEACON JOURNAL JKt 1 In 1 sunday june 12 1988 JLj JL JLj SECTION Akron firm Editorials 2 is 99 and still Columns 3 growing 6 Business 6 iltiiam JE 1 Workers for Habitat for Ilumanlty of Greater Akron (above) work on home for low-income family In fall of 1987. Former President Jimmy Carter (far right) is among Habitat's many volunteers. The non-profit, Christian housing organization was started by Millard Fuller (right), a millionaire who abandoned his business to start the agency. i im.nMi.ii.ii i hiigi "imniiinrti miiiimiriiinnn -'mini iMfiiMMaOT'-rnil ir at ft urnf T3 a -B- 61 I Vol unteer ca rpeiiiers diiiici nope ior By Joseph B. Frazier Associated Press Mort Leggett, a local volunteer who is a Goodyear retiree, renovations have been completed on one house and the organization is working on four others.

In addition, the city recently donated a vacant lot on North Hill in Akron for a sixth home. The overall goal of Habitat, Fuller says, is to reach 2,000 American towns and cities and 60 countries by 1996. "We go where we're invited, but we have the word out all over the world," Fuller says. "We believe the poor need capital, not charity, and that's what Habitat provides." Carter, involved with Habitat since 1984, will join about 1,000 other volunteers to build 20 homes in a poor neighborhood in southeastern Atlanta June 27-July 1 in Habitat's most ambitious single project to date. He has said Habitat is one of the few volunteer efforts to which he gives large amounts of time.

On one Habitat project, in which he helped renovate rundown homes in New York City, Carter recalls, "I had more fun and made more friends that week than any time since I left the White House." Habitat, Fuller says, uses volunteers and help from the private sector to make homeowners of the poor. "Homeowners make better citizens and upgrade neighbor hoods," he says. "Someone is less likely to bust down a door or smash a window if it is his door or window." When a Habitat project opens in a city, homeowners are chosen by a committee based on need, willingness to help with the work and ability to repay, which eliminates the poorest of the poor but keeps most low-income families eligible. "In general, recipients have to be too poor to go to a bank for a housing loan," Fuller explains. They are people such as Evelyn Jackson, whose new home in Atlanta was recently completed.

"This will mean so much to me and my children," she says. "We're all so happy. You don't know how good it feels to have your own place." A recipient family must include children, and able-bodied members of the family are ex; pected to help build their house, as well as others, paying only the value of the land and materials, at no interest, over 20 years. Payments average a month, including taxes and insurance. The money is recycled to finance future homes.

With a few skilled carpenters and a bevy of volunteers, the frame houses, which have up to three bedrooms, can be finished in less than a week at a cost See HABITAT, page B4 into their own basic but adequate new homes. Habitat, whose volunteer carpenters include former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, has mushroomed since its founding in 1976. By 1980 it was in 11 American cities and three countries. Now it operates in 280 cities in the United States including Akron and Canada, plus 25 Third World countries. It has built more than 4,000 homes, including 1,200 last year.

Habitat estimates it will finish 2,000 homes this year and 4,000 in 1989. In Akron, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Akron was established in 1986. According to Americus, Ga. Millard Fuller is fond of quoting a passage from Luke: "Whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none." "That's the only thing that works," he says. "It's the economics of the Bible." Fuller heeded that lesson two decades ago when he decided to save his failing marriage by giving away his fortune and re-focusing his life.

Now, one of his projects, Habitat for Humanity, mixing "sweat equity" and "biblical economics," is moving thousands of working poor families out of substandard housing and aking hospital's business well BioGraph: Nancy M. Schlichting 11 1 Rapid rise as executive comes during trying times to explain to employees that for the first time in the hospital's history, there might be layoffs. Instead of ordering layoffs, however, she helped devise an early-retirement and reassignment program that achieved most of the necessary cuts. Schlichting proved she was as adept at managing people as she was the bottom line. While she trimmed costs so that City Hospital made money on Medicare in 1984, she also helped launch programs to attract patients in an increasingly competitive market.

Today, City Hospital is 98 percent occupied, a network of PeopleCare centers signs up patients in the suburbs, and outpatient care is growing by 10 percent a year. She credits her success to Gilbert, whom she describes as a mentor who was willing to listen to her ideas and gave her "tremendous latitude in managing the hospital." Schlichting, who is single, devotes 50 to 60 hours a week to her job. In her spare time, she enjoys golf, tennis, reading, and gardening around her Brimfield Township condominium. A graduate of Duke University with a master's in business from Cornell University, Schlichting aspires to be chief tal President Albert F. Gilbert made her his top assistant in November 1983.

At 28, she became the hospital's chief operating officer. It was trial by fire. "Al took a gamble on me. The board (of trustees) was skeptical because of my age and lack of experience," she said during an interview in her office, elegantly decorated in pastel-blue hues. "I couldn't have picked a more volatile time to take the job," Schlichting said.

The federal government had just implemented a cost-cutting system, known as diagnostic-related groups, that drastically reduced payments under the Medicare program, which accounts for nearly half of hospital revenues. As manager in charge of most major departments including patient care, clinical services and finance Schlichting had to move quickly to reduce staff and cut costs. "The first year was a very stressful time," she said. During the first three months, the hospital lost more than $1 million, occupancy plummeted 10 percent to 15 percent, and the total of beds was reduced from 618 to 513. She held 16 meetings over two weeks Nancy M.

Schlichting seems the model of what sociologists might call "the new woman executive." As executive vice president of Akron City Hospital, she exudes confidence, drive and a button-down seriousness in the day-to-day running of one of Akron's largest employers. With a superb education, she appears to have made all the right career moves and, at age 33, is among the youngest and brightest stars in Akron-area business. Although Schlichting is certainly the hard-charging corporate executive, she also radiates warmth and folksiness, a sort of hometown quality that inspires trust and loyalty among the hospital's 2,700 employees. Born in New York City, she moved to Akron in 1957, when her father was transferred to Babcock Wilcox in Bar-berton. She attended public schools in Akron and Bath Township, where she graduated from Revere High School.

Her rise at City Hospital has been meteoric since her arrival in July 1980 at the tender age of 25. After she had spent a year as assistant director of operations and two years in charge of long-range planning, hospi 4 IT would never have predicted my career. It has gone much faster than I executive of a hospital within five years. Gilbert is only 50 and won't be retir- If the past is any indication, she will ing soon, achieve her goal ahead of schedule. But "I would never have predicted my ca- it probably won't be at City Hospital, she reer," she said.

"It has gone much faster said. than I expected." INSIDE Ohioans differ on how to launch Glenn for VP Impressions Associate Editor David B. Cooper takes an early look at strengths and weaknesses of the major political parties' presidential candidates, George Bush and Michael Dukakis. Page B2. Inventors For Editor Dale Allen, a recent visit to New Mexico brought to mind the extra advantages the Inventors Hall of Fame could offer Akron after the hall is built.

PageB3. tends to send out a letter. Eckart and his low-profile allies fear that the high-visibility approach would just set up the former astronaut to be shot down. Dukakis, this theory goes, is the only one who counts in picking a vice president, and the best way to influence the Massachusetts governor is through quiet persuasion, not public tub-thumping. This group also wonders how much help an Applegate-led campaign would be to Glenn.

Apple-gate is going to the Democratic convention as a favorite-son candidate for president. Not only has Applegate not endorsed Dukakis, but he criticized him during the Ohio primary campaign. Hart, Applegate's administrative assistant, acknowledged that there are different approaches among the Ohioans. He cautioned, however, that nothing will be accomplished by "sitting on our hands." Meanwhile, Glenn appears to be maintaining a sense of humor about the whole thing. In a recent interview, Glenn See GLENN, page IM discovered that he was "really busy" Thursday morning.

One conflicting appointment, he said, was to get his "eyebrows plucked." "I'm not sure what useful purpose is served by going forward with a John Glenn boosters meeting at this time," said Eckart, Dukakis earliest backer among Ohioans in the House. Enough of the others had scheduling problems real or otherwise to prompt Applegate to call off the session. James Hart, Applegate's administrative assistant, said Applegate may try for another meeting, and still in OHIO REPORT Ohio's 11 Democratic members of the U.S. House are quarreling politely so far about how best to fan John Glenn-for-vice-president fever. Douglas Applegate favors the high-profile approach.

Last week, the Steubenville representative thought he had found an ally in colleague Marcy Kaptur of Toledo. With Ms. Kaptur's support, Applegate called a meeting for Thursday morning. Object: to get the other Ohio Democrats to sign a letter asking fellow Democrats across the country to support the Ohio senator as Michael Dukakis' running mate. Other members of the Ohio delegation, including Dennis Eck-art, prefer to work behind the scenes.

Eckart, of Mentor, heard about Applegate's meeting and.