I really had no idea what to expect for our group on this well anticipated Saturday Habitat For Humanity event. I was more under the impression that we were going to be doing some light clean up, painting and things like that. Boy, was I wrong, we were quickly put into well organized groups with all necessary tools to do our specific tasks. When I mean tasks, it included installing suffit up on the roof, wrapping windows with metal for water proofing, drilling holes and securing the house, cutting wood with electric saws and the list went on and on. It was amazing to see how quickly each team got comfortable with their project and started looking like naturals out there. Everyone was determined to do their job effectively and efficiently with a great feeling of accomplishment gleaming on everyone’s faces as each team finished their assigned task and was making incredible progress visible to all.
The site location could not have been better for us. We had four houses to work on built on one lot so no one was on top of each other yet we were all close enough to be able to see what everyone else was working on as we cheered each other on with a little friendly team competitiveness showing up here and there to make it more interesting.
The Habitat for Humanity staff was friendly and very knowledgable. You can clearly see that they had outstanding systems in place and they knew exactly how this day will take shape for all of us participating. There was hardly ever a time where someone would be standing and not have something to do.
In all honesty, I feel that we were all proud of what we have done that day and we were all a bit shocked as to what we are actually capable of doing on a construction job site. Lastly, being side by side some of the families that have qualified for one of these houses was pretty rewarding for me. Watching the parents and their kid actually putting in their required hours of volunteering as part of their agreement to be able to quality for one of these houses was pretty remarkable and you could see their enthusiasm and gratitude for all that was taking place. I really can’t wait for the next one and l look forward to a long lasting relationship with Habitat for Humanity in San Diego and beyond!
