Friday, November 19, 2010

Working In The Rain



Last Saturday was not the prettiest day in Dickinson. It was rainy, cold and windy. The day was dark and dreary, and the worksite looked like a giant mud pie; one of those days when you want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers up real tight.

When I arrived on the site at 7:30 am, Tom, our Construction Manager, and a few of the "regular crew" were out there, trying to complete any little job they thought they could. Because of the thick mud and the slick roofs, there wasn't much exterior work that could be done, even though all that was planned for that day was putting up siding and nailing down shingles. I asked Tom what the plan was. He replied by admitting it just wasn't a great work day, and that he was telling the volunteers who called for confirmation just to stay where they were. He and the regulars were going to do what little they could, and planned on leaving in a couple of hours. I offered to go get them some fresh kolaches, and when I came back, I was greatly surprised to see the whole street lined with cars and pick-up trucks! Some of the volunteers decided not to call ahead, and showed up to help in any way they could.

Over 20 volunteers from Wyle Labs, Hope Lutheran, Peace Lutheran, and St. John's Lutheran, completely committed to their designated day of service, decided to face the elements and were willing to do whatever was needed. At 12 pm, two hours later than any of us thought we would be out there, two of the homes were completely cleaned and swept, insulation was brought over and installed, windows were hung and decking put up in the rafters. Overall, it was an extremely successful day! Some volunteers headed home early after completing their specific jobs. Others stayed and helped with more cleanup. For those who were still there at 11:30, lunch was provided by three wonderful ladies from St. John's. They brought a huge spread of hot dogs with all the fixin's, chips, cookies and drinks. The ladies asked me to take pictures of them serving the food at the site, to take back and show to the rest of the congregation. They wanted to emphasize the point that there are so many different ways people can volunteer to help Habitat besides picking up a hammer and saw. And that is so true!

A big thank you to all of the volunteers who came out, when they rightly could have justified staying indoors where it was warm and dry. We truly appreciate your commitment and willigness to serve.

For more information on how you can use your talents and abilities to help Habitat (both on and off the worksite), please contact our office: 281-337-3590; developmentteam@bahfh.org.

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