In This Issue
 Welcome to ICC Foundation eNews
 Vietnam veteran’s home chosen as H.E.R.O. pilot site
 Silent Defender honorees announced
 Silent Auction benefits YouthBuild Detroit
 Partnering to create a residential building code in Mexico
 Foundation recognizes members
 Hurricane relief donations add up
 Foundation presents check to Habitat for Humanity
 Mark your calendars for 2006 Building Safety Week

ICC Chapters have contributed nearly $50,000 to the Members Helping Members Fund.

Hurricane relief
donations add up
ICC Chapters have contributed nearly $50,000 to the Foundation's Members Helping Members fund to benefit hurricane victims.
The program, initiated immediately after Hurricane Katrina, was established to assist employees and families of building and fire departments impacted by the storms.

(L-R) ICC CEO James Lee Witt and Board of Directors President Frank Hodge present a check to Clive Rainey of Habitat for Humanity.

Foundation presents check to Habitat for Humanity
The ICC Foundation presented a check for $15,000 to Habitat for Humanity for its tsunami relief fund during this year's ICC Annual Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Upon receiving the donation, Habitat's Clive Rainey said, "We look forward to a long relationship with ICC. I can't imagine a more natural partnership."
For more news from this year's conference, click here.

Mark your calendars
for 2006 Building
Safety Week
ICC’s annual Building Safety Week, scheduled for May 7-13 2006, will once again include a wide array of national and local programs to recognize the importance of building safety and fire prevention.
Building Safety Week kits will be available in early 2006. These kits include posters, code and building permit brochures, disaster preparedness information, as well as coloring books, pencils and stickers for the kids. One of the most popular items is the Cody the Cougar's Building Safety Activity Book, published by the ICC Foundation, which includes coloring pages and activities to teach children about building safety issues such as escape routes, smoke detectors, handrails, hearth extensions, electrical outlets and much more.
During the upcoming Building Safety Week activities, the ICC Foundation will host a number of national programs in Washington D.C. such as the launch of the Project H.E.R.O. national campaign, meetings with key governmental entities, Silent Defender Awards dinner and much more. For more information, click here.

ICC Foundation eNews
December 2005
Volume I, Issue 1

Contact Us
Paul E. Myers
President, ICC Foundation
10624 Indian Woods Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
E-mail: pmyers@iccsafe.org
Phone: (513) 574-0957
Cell: (513) 276-1033
Fax: (513) 574-2159

About the Foundation
Around the world, thousands of lives are lost and billions of dollars in damage occur in places where people and property are not protected by safe building codes and standards.
The International Code Council (ICC) Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating the devastating effects of natural disasters and other building tragedies by promoting ideas, methods and technologies that encourage the construction of durable, sustainable buildings and homes.
For more information on the ICC Foundation, click here.

Welcome to ICC Foundation eNews

Paul Myers

Welcome to the first edition of the ICC Foundation eNews quarterly electronic newsletter!
Through this electronic publication, I am excited to share progress on some truly unique programs that are expanding the way the ICC Foundation family works with communities. Our organization is moving beyond the traditional bounds of the typical ICC business through a mission to reduce the devastating effects of natural disasters through education and training.
As a nonprofit subsidiary of the International Code Council® (ICC®), the ICC Foundation has established innovative ways to educate communities about building safety, generate much needed relief funds for those in areas recovering from disasters, and distribute thousands of informational guides and references. We've developed close relationships with disaster relief organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and established the first-ever Memorandum of Understanding with Mexico to help that nation deliver a sound program of building safety. And finally, we've set in motion a terrific program called Project H.E.R.O., which helps disabled veterans make their homes accessible after returning from battle.
All of this is possible because of the incredible outpouring of support from organizations and individual volunteers — building professionals just like you — who are willing to give your time, energy, ideas and donations to help those in need.
As you read this inaugural newsletter, I hope you find stories that inspire and make you proud of the work we've accomplished through the ICC Foundation. We've got a lot more work to do. Thanks for your continued support and I look forward to even greater work in 2006.

Paul Myers President, ICC Foundation

Vietnam veteran’s home
chosen as H.E.R.O. pilot site
Vietnam veteran Shelby Bowling's home in Hamilton, Ohio, is about to receive much needed reconstruction as the pilot site for the Project H.E.R.O. program.
Earlier this year, the ICC Foundation teamed with the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and supporting organizations to initiate Project H.E.R.O., which stands for Homes Eliminated of Restrictions and Obstacles. The program will help disabled veterans rebuild or remodel their homes for easier handicapped accessibility.
DAV recommended Shelby as the first beneficiary of the Project H.E.R.O. program. Over the years, Shelby has struggled with diabetes and relies on a scooter to get around his home and community. Unfortunately, he lives in a two-story home with the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs — all inaccessible to Shelby with his current disabilities.
The Project H.E.R.O. coordinators, spearheaded by the Southwestern Ohio Building Officials Association, brought together a local architect, engineers, contractors and code officials — all volunteers — to remodel Shelby's home. The plans are currently in the works with construction scheduled to begin by the end of this year.
"The volunteer support for these projects has been overwhelming," said Paul Myers, President of the ICC Foundation. "Once we've defined the necessary working protocols and processes, we'll be ready to transition to the national program. Volunteers across the country are anxious to become part of this program and we still need your help."
The Project H.E.R.O. national campaign will kick-off during Building Safety Week in May 2006. For more information on Project H.E.R.O., click here.

Silent Defender honorees announced
The ICC Foundation has named the Honorable Ted Stevens (R-AK), the Inter-American Development Bank, and The Home Depot as 2006 Silent Defender honorees for their work to improve public safety, health and welfare.
More honorees are expected to be named before the official induction ceremony at the Silent Defender Awards Dinner on May 11, 2006, in Washington D.C. during Building Safety Week activities. All ICC members and constituents are invited to this event, though space is limited. Please make your reservations as soon as possible. Sponsorships are also available.
For more information on the Silent Defender program, click here.

Silent Auction benefits YouthBuild Detroit
During the ICC Annual Conference in Detroit, Michigan, the Foundation sponsored the third annual Silent Auction, which generated $3,700 for YouthBuild Detroit, a nonprofit organization that teaches young people trade skills while they rebuild communities. To date, YouthBuild Detroit participants have helped build or rehabilitate 60 low-income housing units under the supervision of licensed builders and journeyman carpenters.
This year's auction items ranged from a night at a nearby bed-and-breakfast, fine dining certificates, tickets to a major league baseball game and much more. The 2006 Annual Conference and Silent Auction will be held in Orlando, Florida. For more information, click here.

Signing the MOU between Mexico and ICC were (left to right): Foundation President Paul Myers; Carlos Carciavelez, Vice President of Design & City Planning, GEO Corporation; ICC Board President Frank Hodge; Sara Topelson, General Coordinator of CIDOC; President Fox; CEO James Lee Witt; Alberto Herrera and Gilberto Toledo of International Services; and Carlos Gutierrez, Mexico's Housing Manager.

Partnering to create a residential
building code in Mexico
Earlier this year, the ICC Foundation hosted the official signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Mexico's National Commission of Housing Promotion and ICC. Under the MOU, the International Residential Code® developed by ICC will serve as a guide for the creation of new residential codes and standards for Mexico.
As part of this agreement, Mexico and ICC are selecting two pilot sites that are currently in review. The focus of these pilot projects will be to shape the scope and parameters of residential codes and to establish training and education programs for building inspectors. The subsequent plans that emerge from these two projects will form a nationwide implementation program for all cities in Mexico.
Meetings are ongoing with the World Bank to establish funding for this unique program that is expected to roll out in the first quarter of 2006. The agreement with Mexico is representative of the relationship that the ICC Foundation is developing in many countries to raise the level of building safety to protect people's lives from natural disasters and increase the quality of construction.

ICC Foundation President Paul Myers (far left) and Chairman and ICC CEO James Lee Witt (far right) recognize Board of Governors William Duck (second from left) and Don Pratt (second from right).

Foundation recognizes members
The ICC Foundation recognized Don Pratt and Bill Duck for their service on the Board of Governors at the International Dinner during the ICC Annual Conference in Detroit.
Pratt is a home builder in Michigan who currently is in charge of the Building Research Center for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). As part of the ICC Foundation Board of Governors, Pratt will develop policy and programs and offer guidance and direction toward building mutually beneficial programs between the Foundation and NAHB.
Duck is Director of Inspections and Codes for the City of Columbus, Georgia. He will serve as the ICC Board of Directors representative to the Foundation Board of Governors.