Habitat for Humanity

This past Saturday I spent a half-day working on a Habitat for Humanity home with a few co-workers. Though the house was in a pretty run-down neighborhood, it was a not in real bad shape. Bob, our project leader, explained that this home had been purchased for the sole purpose of being fixed up and sold to a qualifying low-income family. The proceeds from the sale of the house will support the construction of some of the brand-new homes that they work on during the summer months. As with all Habitat projects, they rely heavily on volunteers from the community to get the job done. Our job on Saturday: painting! We worked on the upstairs bedrooms, a hallway and stairwell, a bathroom and the living room. It’s surprising how much work can be done by 5 people in 4 hours! While we painted, Bob worked outside on the yard and talked to some of the neighborhood kids.

I’m glad to have the kind of co-workers who believe in giving back to the community. It’s easy to get caught up in our own lives and our own problems, in our own little worlds. Since I’ve worked at CB.com (only 9 months) we’ve done a walk-a-thon to raise money for diabetes, volunteered at the FreeStore/Foodbank downtown, donated bags of groceries to MercyWorks, and we’ve served a meal at the local Ronald McDonald House. Sometimes it’s a struggle to get everyone to participate, but everyone does what they can. I find that it always turns out to be a win-win proposition - it really feels good to give back to those who are in need.