We attended our 2nd Build Day of 2017 this past Saturday, June 24th. Bright and early, the weather started out a little misty and it was a bit humid, but by clean up time, the sun was shining & the mosquitoes had disappeared!
Each Build Day, I like to seek out the homeowner upon my arrival so I can introduce myself and get to know the person who is about to experience the American Dream of homeownership. Gracious, thankful and a hugger (as am I), Permercial was overcome with emotion at the sight of her new home just days away from completion.
It was Day 6 and the tasks to accomplish included; hanging soffit, painting the exterior crawl space, painting the banisters, columns, window and door frames, installing baseboards, caulking, adding molding, painting the interior walls, doors, and frames and installing kitchen cabinets.
We joined forces with Metlife and I have to say that regardless of the weather, this was my favorite Build Day of the 3 that I have participated! The Metlife group was a ton of fun to work with, we had great conversations and shared many laughs.
I also had the opportunity to speak with a man who was training to start installing kitchen cabinets for future Build Days - this was going to be something he would start participating in, outside of his regular profession. Recent retiree, Fred, was also on hand and was just starting out on his venture with Atlanta Habitat, to assist the project leaders.
I'm always blown away not only by the fellow volunteers at these builds, but the passion that radiates from the project leaders. They are 100% committed to each and every build, they're unbelieveably talented, organized, gifted and overall great communicators. (The fact that someone can take their talents and actually teach other people - some whom never even picked up a hammer in their lifetime - to hang soffit, build a roof, install cabinetry & more, is simply mind boggling to me!)
Our project leader Denise, was on point. Her organizational skills would give any obsessive compulsive Type A person, a run for their money! Every single piece of equipment that we worked with (saws, ladders, hammers, measuring tapes, paint brushes, right down to the pencils) all had a specific place in the utility truck - labeled, of course. Needless to say, clean up time was a breeze!!!
Denise also struck a cord with me when she advised me on a more efficient way to caulk the baseboards. She specifically said, "this is the quality of work that we're after" and took the caulk gun and provided me with instruction. To me, that spoke volumes about the pride and passion she has for these projects.
Here's Denise, hard at work!
I'm looking forward to our next Build Day (in September) and as with each one that I participate, I'm encouraged and motivated by each and every individual that I work with side-by-side.
If you're interested in volunteering your time and helping a deserving family with the opportunity to own a home, please contact us and visit our website for more information about Giveback Homes through Atlanta Habitat for Humanity.
