If I had a Hammer . . .

_{Community Services Committee helps build dreams for a new homeowner}

By Roxanna Lucas

Becoming more active and involved in our communities is a call that members of UAWLocal 2209, Fort Wayne Ind., heard and responded to when they participated in aHabitat for Humanity Women’s build in September, 2011.  Members of the CommunityServices Committee — Jannie Burkhamer, Kathy Jordan, Ronnie Hampton, DanelleHoffman, Jermail Craig, Kandice Basnett,  Melissa Forrer, Cathy Calzadillas, Annie Brooks, and myself — volunteered at a home under construction  not far from the General Motors plant where they work.

         After a prayer circle, a safety talk and once the hard hats had been distributed, work began for the day.

         We came to the site not knowing how to do anything except work hard, and maybe swing a hammer. That day we walked away with a feeling of accomplishment, having learned some new skills. We also had a sense of satisfaction knowing we’d helped the new homeowner get one step closer to moving into her new home.

         Working right alongside the homeowner, we installed new windows, doors, siding and the roof on a home that was a shell when we’d arrived. We worked under the supervision of dedicated volunteers. You don’t need to be an expert when you work at a Habitat project, you just need the willingness to help.

         Each hour donated gets the new home one step closer to completion.

         Habitat for Humanity is not a handout, it’s a hand up. The affiliate family is chosen “based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the loan.” Habitat homes are built through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials. In addition to a down payment and monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” into building their own Habitat home and the houses of others.

         I became involved with Habitat just a couple of months before the Women Build in Fort Wayne. I’d always wanted to be involved, but didn‘t know where to start. I definitely didn’t know anything about building a home or even much of anything about home repairs.

         When I called the Huntington, Indiana, Habitat affiliate, Executive Director Jean A. Daily Wright invited me to the groundbreaking ceremony for the 24th project in Huntington. I attended and was hooked.

         Meeting the new homeowner and her kids, meeting some of the dedicated volunteers, praying over the land on which the home would be built, just being involved from the very beginning have left me feeling

very invested. My experiences with the building of the home have left me feeling empowered. That home is scheduled to be completed early next year. While I have not been on site for every step of the process,

I do go as often as I am available on days that they work on it and do whatever I’m asked. I know, from myexperience, that even an hour of my time is appreciated when I’m on the work site. I often have a hard time leaving.

         I have walked away feeling more confident about my own home.  Now I look at home projects not with a “woe is me” attitude, but an idea as to what tools and materials I might need in order to fix or replace whatever I see. This is really empowering for me.  Being involved with Habitat for Humanity is a very rewarding experience, spiritually and emotionally.

         To get more information about Habitat for Humanity, or to become a volunteer in your area, “like” them on Facebook, or go to their website www.habitat.org to find Habitat projects. There are lots of ways to help.

UAW REGION 3 MOVING FORWARD • Maurice “Mo” Davison, director • Mike Ailes, assistant director • Regional office: 5850 Fortune Circle West, Indianapolis, IN 46241 • Phone (317) 247-5515 • FAX (317) 247-8218 • send articles to Nancy Dea, editor, at nancyregion3@yahoo.com      26

REGIONAL NEWS

^{January-February 2012}