Bobby G Lends a Hand

Building a Home and Strengthening a Community

Volunteers, local businesses and Southeast Volusia Habitat for Humanity came together to help one local build a place to call home. Sometimes all it takes is a hammer, a nail gun and a handful of people willing to give up a Saturday morning to remind you what a community is supposed to look like.

My wife, Tiffany, and I spent the morning volunteering with Southeast Volusia Habitat for Humanity, joining about a dozen people to help first-time homeowner, and personal friend, Stacey Wells build the home she has worked so hard to earn.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I know my way around a restaurant or a kitchen. A construction site? Not so much. Within minutes, I realized this day wasn’t just about building a house. It was about building hope.

From Volunteers to Homeowners

Stacey spent more than a year completing 350 hours of “sweat equity,” volunteering at Habitat’s ReStore, helping on other builds, working community events and taking classes on budgeting, mortgages, insurance and homeownership to get where she is today.

“It’s just a great program,” Stacey said. “The mortgage is based on your income, it’s zero percent interest, fixed for 30 years. It’s well worth everything you have to do.”

After helping build homes for other families, it was finally her turn.

One Day of Service, A Lifetime of Impact

One of the highlights of my morning was learning something completely new. I knew what a wall stud was, but I’d never actually seen one become part of a house until Matty patiently walked me through the process.

Then he handed me a nail gun. That didn’t go exactly as planned.

Somehow, I managed to fire a nail straight into the concrete slab, completely missing the wood. I was convinced I’d ruined the entire project. Matty smiled, showed me what I had done, explained how to avoid it next time and encouraged me to keep going.

That simple moment stuck with me.

Matty has been with Habitat for Humanity for 35 years, and his patience and willingness to teach said everything about the people involved with the organization.

The people themselves were just as memorable. There were all kinds of personalities, some joking, some quietly working, some with years of construction experience and others learning as they went. None of that mattered. Everyone showed up for one reason: to help.

Executive Director Mark Billings said Southeast Volusia Habitat for Humanity has been serving local families for 37 years. This home is the organization’s 172nd build, and last year alone Habitat completed 11 homes.

Southeast Volusia Habitat for Humanity is a volunteer driven, nonprofit housing organization founded in 1989. The organization builds strength, stability and self reliance by partnering with families in need of decent, affordable housing.

The Power of Community Partnerships

Mark said Habitat’s success depends on volunteers, churches, civic organizations, generous donors and businesses like SunPro Property Management, whose employees volunteer on Habitat projects one weekend a month, every year. This lot was also generously donated by Buddy Davenport of State Farm, another example of a community investing in its neighbors.

As the morning came to an end, I looked around at walls standing where there had only been a concrete slab a few hours earlier. More importantly, I saw neighbors encouraging one another, sharing laughs and working together to help Stacey get one step closer to walking through the front door of her first home.

Why Habitat for Humanity Changes Lives

The night before we volunteered, Tiffany looked at me and said, “You should write about this.”

She was right.

We only gave a few hours of our Saturday. Others have given hundreds. Some donated land. Others donated materials, time and talent. By the end of the morning, it was obvious that Habitat for Humanity builds more than houses. It builds hope, opportunity and community. And that’s something worth showing up for.

Bobby G, Out.

Southeast Volusia Habitat for Humanity

(386) 428-5010

habitatsev.org

@SEVHabitatforHumanity