Painting Ladies

Hey there friends!

Ladies rocking Habitat

Day two of my West Virginia adventures started off on a much cooler note-thank goodness. Temperatures were a much more agreeable 70° F with a steady breeze, which made building throughout the day much more enjoyable. I arrived at the same site as before and found Tiny in his red hardhat and shirt combo, as expected, milling around the site. I caught up to him, signed in, and also got to meet my two teammates for the day. I was excited to see that for two days in a row I got to work with women-usually I’m the only woman on a site and it’s empowering to see more of us working together and learning new things! One volunteer was Casey, who had volunteered once with Habitat in Texas and was excited to learn more about building so she could apply skills learned to her own newly purchased home. The other volunteer was a future Habitat homeowner, who was working through her sweat equity hours so she could be selected for a home (I forgot to ask permission to use her name, so for her privacy I’ll keep it anonymous). Her friend is also a Habitat homeowner, and she was excited to someday live near her with her two sons. Tiny rallied us together and had us get right to work painting the foundations of the homes Darby and I had worked on the day before. With paint and tools in hand, I led the way up the hill across the site to get down to business. 

Getting my tan on

Both women were a bit unsure of themselves at first, so I took a few minutes to explain how to paint in order to fully fill the small holes in the concrete bricks and have good coverage. I strategized the best way for us to work around each other, and gave them instructions on where to begin, and how to proceed along the walls to ensure we fully covered each of the walls of the home. Once we got going, both of them seemed to get more comfortable and we got into a groove. It was fun for me to have an opportunity to take the lead and teach others about the tasks we were doing. I’m usually the student at these sites, so it meant a lot for me to feel comfortable enough to be able to mentor volunteers and teach them something new. Again, it’s another thing I love about volunteering with this organization. It’s given me a chance to gain confidence and learn new skills in a once unfamiliar environment, and grow into a mentor for others who are in the place I used to be in when I first started my journey.

As we were painting and enjoying the summer breeze, we all got to chat and learn more about each other. Casey and I had the privilege of working alongside someone currently going through the program, and we had the opportunity to hear her perspective of how it is to be in the process of receiving a Habitat home. She spoke about working the sweat equity hours, and how informative she thought the homeowner curriculum was she was required to complete before accepting a home. She was learning new skills and felt more prepared to take on home ownership once the time comes. She mentioned that she was a phlebotomist and was hoping to go back to nursing school. This homeowner was motivated to make a better life for her family, and it felt really good to know we were quite possibly working on a home where she and her kids will one day be making happy memories together.

I think it’s important for me to touch on the fact that this woman has a stable job, a loving family, and yes, qualifies for a Habitat for Humanity home. Many people think this organization gives away homes to the homeless or gives handouts to bums who don’t earn or appreciate the kindness given to them. That’s not the case! Habitat homeowners are honest people trying to make a life for themselves and their families. Life circumstances sometimes get in the way, but these folks have jobs, make mortgage payments and pay bills just like everyone else. Like Tiny mentioned, Habitat for Humanity is simply giving people an honest shot at owning a home when life has dealt them a less-than-ideal hand in some cases. Habitat for Humanity selects homebuyers based on three things:

1.       Their need for adequate shelter.

2.       Their ability to pay for the home.

3.       Their willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity.

The selection process is thorough, often comprising of home visits and comprehensive reviews of applications. Information materials provided to me by Trevor, this chapter’s volunteer coordinator, state that the selection process can take up to two or three months. After selection and becoming acquainted with the program, homebuyers are able to really take ownership of the process and have a sense of pride in the effort they have to put in to get the keys to their home.

All this to say, I always really appreciate the times I get to work alongside people going through the program, because they are the reason this organization exists. Sometimes it’s easy to think that you’re not making that much of a difference, but when you get to meet those who benefit from the work you realize how much your own sweat equity hours matter. Even when you can’t see massive progress at the end of a day, eight hours of honest work takes the project farther than when it was when you arrived that day!

Losing track of which
brick I was on

Well I better get off my soapbox and get back to the story. The three of us worked diligently through the rest of the day; I spent much of my time on a ladder taping off the siding and painting the upper portions of the foundation. It was slow and methodical work, but was honestly quite peaceful once you got into a rhythm. I felt like the Karate Kid practicing “paint the fence” for hours. By the end of the afternoon we had painted six walls, which wrapped up painting the foundations of the two houses we had been working on. And just like that, it was time to go. It was a bittersweet moment to say goodbye to the ladies and to Tiny. To be quite honest, the past few weeks leading up to this trip had been tough for me, and I really needed to be surrounded by goodhearted people. It felt nice to be around others who were just happy living in the moment, and doing some good for others while they’re at it. I missed them as soon as I started driving down the hill back into town, but didn’t let that get in the way of my plans to explore downtown Charleston for one more night.

Celebrating a job well done

I ended my second build day by taking myself to dinner downtown, and walking to the waterfront to watch the boats drift by with families enjoying the summer evening. I wandered down the main drag of town and stumbled upon a small music festival, where a crowd had gathered in a small courtyard to listen to tunes as the sun began to set. I sat for a while and listened, watching small town America come together for a fun summer night. After a time I left, packed my bags, and went to sleep early to prepare for one final adventure the next day on my way home to Virginia.

Bridge walk

Waking up on Sunday morning, I felt energized and ready to tackle the six hour drive back home. I had to make one pit stop though-to do The Bridge Walk. This is an opportunity to walk across the New River Gorge Bridge, the iconic single arch bridge you may have seen on the West Virginia state quarter. I paid someone good money to get hooked to a harness and walk along a two foot wide catwalk, traversing the 3,030 foot bridge as I took in the view of the New River Gorge from 851 feet in the air. To put that in perspective, that’s a little more than 300 feet higher than the Washington Monument in DC! It was chilly under the bridge, with temperatures hovering around 50°F with the wind and shade from the road above. The view of the gorge was spectacular; you could see the original bridge, part of the famous river rapids, and peregrine falcons soaring over the trees many feet below. The mountains were a lush green and met the bright blue sky, dotted by the occasional cloud. I loved taking in the picturesque mountain view and getting some fresh air before climbing back in my car to head home. Don’t worry, I didn’t run into any madmen on the freeway this time.

I walked under that!

All in all, this was a much needed trip. God has created a beautiful country for us to enjoy, and has put some pretty great people in it too. I was reminded of how impactful a kind gesture and an open heart can be, and I really believe the Lord prompted me to come here to refuel and use the gifts He’s blessed me with. As a parting word until my next build, I encourage anyone reading to give Habitat a try. If building isn’t your thing, find another way to give back to your community using the passions and gifts you’ve been given. It helps others so much, but also impacts you in a way you can’t imagine until you’re right there in it. Get out and enjoy the world around you while you’re at it, there’s so many things to experience that make life truly rich. I’m already dreaming about my next building adventure, and you’re welcome along!

Until Next Time,

Lisa

Almost Heaven

 Hi everyone, or should I say, yee yee!

This summer I’m getting back to doing the things I love, and you all know Habitat had to be at the top of the list. I’ve felt a prompting on my heart for a while to visit West Virginia, and I’m so glad I made the trip out to the land that’s “Wild and Wonderful”.

12 states down!

The trip began with some unexpected excitement, that I am simply lucky to be able to say I avoided safely. While driving down the interstate, I came across a SUV parked in the middle of the freeway with all of its doors wide open. As I looked just beyond the vehicle, I noticed the police drawing long guns on the vehicle, and another officer waving at the stopped traffic behind them in an effort to make them back away to a safer distance. Later, I discovered the driver of the SUV had been attempting to shoot at those in traffic, and was specifically targeting officers. Thankfully, I was in the opposite lane and was able to drive away from the situation; an officer was shot by the gunman, and the suspect was eventually killed by police, ending the standoff. This isn’t one of the happier ways my trips have begun, but hey, you can’t make this stuff up. It just goes to show you never know what can happen on a given day, and I thank God for His protection in that moment. For those interested, a link to an article about that incident is here.

Thankfully, I made it to Charleston, West Virginia early in the afternoon without any other issues. It was a sweltering hot day, with temperatures reaching near 100°F. To beat the heat, I stopped at the Sweeter Side of the Feud Distillery to taste some genuine West Virginia moonshine. When in Rome, right? I met the owners, Mark and Brenda, and they told me all about the history of their family and their business while I sipped samples of their moonshine. All of it was delicious! Mark is the great great grandson of Devil Anse; their family was part of a famous American feud between the Hatfield and McCoy families during the Civil War era. After checking out the distillery, I moseyed to downtown Charleston and had a bite to eat at Pies and Pints along the main drag in town. They had an Italian sandwich that was perfect after a long day’s drive, and the Blue Moon I had to wash it down wasn’t half bad either. Once I finished dinner, I headed to my Airbnb and turned in early so I would be fresh and energized for my first build day.

Look at that foundation

In the morning, I woke up early to don my building clothes and slather myself in sunscreen. It was expected to be around 95° again, and I was trying to prepare for it as best as I could. Once done, I made my way to the build site. As I drove, I began to see signs of the need this particular community has for organizations like Habitat for Humanity. West Virginia is an old state, and for those used to big cities it may not seem like much as you pass through. As the lyrics go in “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, “Life is old there, older than the trees/Younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze”. The buildings in the area were small, and many I passed by were in significant stages of disrepair. In the area I was building in many of the homes and storefronts were boarded up, signage was faded, and it felt vacant. The few people I observed walking along the road appeared to be suffering from drug addiction; they drifted aimlessly along the sidewalks. The capitol city is a mere hour away from what 60 Minutes has called, the “overdose capital of America”, where people have been devastated by the effects of prescription pills, heroin, fentanyl, etc. This scene was a stark contrast to the beautiful winding Kanawha River that the rest of the city is built around, and the lush mountains that rose up around us. It saddened me to witness the reality of what some people in this particular area were living through, and it reassured me that this was precisely where Habitat needed to be, and where I wanted to give my time to help in the small way I could.

Selfie with Tiny, in his
signature red Habitat gear

When I arrived at the site, I was met by construction supervisor “Tiny”, whose kindness and heart for service made you forget all about the hardships the community was facing just minutes down the road. Habitat’s instructions for serving mentioned Tiny would be in a red hardhat, red shirt, and overalls to stand out, and he didn’t disappoint. I met up with him and another volunteer named Darby, and I knew right away this was going to be a build day to remember. Darby was engaging, energetic, and wore her heart on her sleeve. This was her first time building with Habitat; it was a cool experience to be a part of her first memories with the organization while I was chipping away on my twelfth state’s worth of experience. We all seemed to hit it off right away, and Tiny proceeded to show us what our task would be for the day: painting a second coat of black paint over the foundations of two homes. Tiny led the way to the large work trailer, where Darby and I donned our hard hats and safety glasses and gathered our painting materials. By that point we already told Tiny we were his dream team for the day, and we set off to begin painting a wall on a shaded portion of the home. At 8am the temperature had already climbed past 80°, and it didn’t take long for us to sweat through our clothes. But we had a grand time listening to 90’s throwbacks and channeling our inner Bob Ross as we methodically painted the foundation brick by brick. I took to taping the siding to protect it, and painted the higher bricks while Darby helped a tall sister out and painted the lower bricks.

Dream Team at work

At 10am, we took a break to get out of the heat. I downed several bottles of water and a snack while Tiny sat and talked with us about his 22 years of experience working for Habitat for Humanity. He was so passionate about his work, and explained that you really need to have the heart for serving, because working for a nonprofit will never be about the money for those who do it. He repeatedly mentioned that Habitat’s mission is to not treat people differently than anyone else, and it only provides an opportunity for people to become homeowners of stable, affordable housing. He told us that the whole neighborhood was made up of Habitat homes, and he has been the construction supervisor for them all. He talked about getting close with the homeowners, who work sweat equity hours for months and who he interacts with for months or even a year at a time. At this chapter, people on the list for homes must work 125 sweat equity hours before they are selected for a specific home, and then they will work an additional 125 afterwards. If they are a couple, the number of hours increases to 500. In addition, each homeowner must complete a comprehensive curriculum, including topics like home maintenance, electrical and plumbing basics, neighborhood relations, and financial literacy. It was inspiring to see how passionate he was about the work he does, and how much pride he takes in each home. In one conversation on my second day of serving, Tiny mentioned that he builds each house as if he would be the one living in it. This was evident in his attention to detail as he explained to us how to fill in the tiny pores within the bricks of the foundation, and showed us how to avoid getting paint on the siding.

Darby and I enjoying the view

Darby and I got back to work and were able to complete two sides of one of the homes just before noon. At that point, the Executive Director of Habitat of Kanawha and Putnam County, Andrew Blackwood, arrived onsite with Trevor Anderson, the volunteer coordinator. I had a chance to speak with them about my journey to serve in every state, and we had a great conversation about the work their chapter is doing and the direction they hope to take the program. I always love getting a chance to talk to people in different roles within chapters when they are able to come out, because it shows that they care about the volunteers and that they don’t hide away from the groundwork of the program. Much like Tiny, both of them were so genuine and it was evident that they care about the work they do and the impact they get to have on their community.

Waiting out the storm
at the ReStore

With afternoon storms looming, Trevor offered Darby and I a chance to work at their ReStore and see their main office. We took him up on that offer and wound up serving there for the rest of the afternoon. A gnarly storm came through, with a torrential downpour, high winds, green skies, and rotating cloud cover that made us feel lucky for having the shelter of the warehouse instead of being out at the build site. As the storm continued to soak the town, Darby and I were hard at work helping ReStore workers price items, place them on the sales floor, break down boxes, and roll and tag rugs which were going to be for sale. For those who are just beginning to follow this little Habitat blog of mine, a ReStore is like a home improvement Goodwill of sorts, with proceeds from the sales going to fund other home builds. It’s a great way for chapters to make additional income for their projects, and for people in the area to donate home goods, furniture, and home improvement materials to a good cause.

Looks like heaven to me!

Just as the storm was lightening up, Darby and I ended our time volunteering for the day. We had so much fun connecting and serving together that we decided to meet up later that night for dinner. She took me to a restaurant that overlooked the city of Charleston and the Kanawha River, and it was absolutely beautiful. The rain earlier in the day was nowhere to be found, and the temperature was much more comfortable. We laughed, we talked about our aspirations, and we both felt like we had become fast new friends. It was a perfect way to spend a night in an unfamiliar town. I learned quickly that sometimes the most unassuming places are home to the most genuine and kindhearted people, and that truly is something to celebrate. We finished our night watching the sun set over Charleston, and in that moment I understood what people see when they say West Virginia is almost heaven.

Stick around for a rundown of day 2 of building with Habitat of Kanawha and Putnam County in my next post!

Until Next Time,

Lisa