By Marion Braum, F178198
March 2013
The family fun experienced at FMCA’s 87th Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase, held August 27 through 30, 2012, in Indianapolis, Indiana, continued for nine member families of the FMCA Chapter: Habitat for Humanity® who traveled east toward Hamilton, Ohio, a town north of Cincinnati, following the international event. The owners of these motorhomes settled at Hueston Woods State Park near Oxford, Ohio, where they met the Edwards, Johnson, and Reyes families, who currently were living in substandard housing. During this outing, the group would build three decent, modest houses for these partner families.
The mission of FMCA Chapter: Habitat for Humanity® is to help Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) build houses by organizing and staffing builds with chapter volunteers. The chapter’s build coordinator contacts local affiliates of HFHI that are located within a 100-mile radius of an FMCA area rally or Family Reunion with the hope that they can provide the chapter with an opportunity to build for two weeks. TriState Habitat for Humanity, which serves counties in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, provided that opportunity beginning the day after Labor Day. Each Habitat for Humanity affiliate has different housing projects going at any time, and the TriState affiliate had three houses ready to be built on one city block in Hamilton, Ohio. What a great opportunity and challenge!
On Tuesday morning, September 4, with mud-soaked ground and three basements already poured, team leaders Corbett and Connie Pool introduced the build volunteers to Randy, the construction supervisor for this project. Other chapter members participating in the build included Tom and Marion Braum, Mark and Donna Crick, Tom Garcia, Pete Hays, Steve and Pat Jackson, Alan and Cheryl Schmiedt, Fred and Barb Thum, and Fred and Arlene Kaminski. After a quick Christian meditation and the proclamation, “Habitat is not a handout but a hand up,” Randy ran through his list of tasks to be accomplished for the week. It was mind-boggling! He hoped to have two walls finished in each house for the wall-raising ceremony on the upcoming Saturday.
Our build team consisted of 13 experienced volunteers who had participated in previous builds, and three new members who were on their first build. With wide-eyed gazes and fresh energy, we all approached the materials to lay the sills and I-beams. By the end of the first day, two houses had most of the flooring in place.
The sun brought temperatures as high as 90 degrees on the following three days as we hammered in what seemed like a million nails. Spirits were even higher than the temperature on Saturday morning as the build team looked over the crowd of approximately 100 visitors, including the mayor of Hamilton and the three partner families, because we actually had those six walls ready. Not just the studs, but sheeted walls with windows cut out. Speeches and expressions of thanks brought tears to our eyes and warmed our hearts. Photo opportunities abounded as the children from the partner families crouched in the window areas as the walls were raised around them. The three families who had been living in substandard housing could actually see their new homes taking shape.
Meeting and building with the partner families is the absolute best part of the building experience. They, like some of our members, have little knowledge about how to build a house. But with a willing attitude, everyone quickly learns how to use a speed square and a chop saw; discovers the difference between a 16-penny nail and an 8-penny nail; and realizes the importance of safety and knowing your own limitations as you lift trusses or hydrate yourself after an hour of nailing oriented strand board (OSB) in place. Whether they hammer next to us or bring water and ice to the job site, the partner family members demonstrate their appreciation for our efforts, and very special relationships are formed.
As our two-week build came to an end, three houses already had interior walls, were in the process of being roofed, and had temporary steps up to the ready-to-be-poured porches. Through the effort and love of our build team, the partner families, some local volunteers, and high school and college students, these houses were becoming homes.
Each FMCA Chapter: Habitat for Humanity® build experience is different. This was one of the more challenging builds. Most projects consist of one house and begin with a completed foundation or slab. Some builds involve two houses — one being started and the other being finished (door hanging, landscaping, painting, etc.).
Does this sound like a volunteer project that interests you? Do you need a “workation” from your retirement life? If so, join us for two weeks of hard, but gratifying, labor, plus the fun of working and eating with other build members, which often leads to lasting friendships. You can find out more about the FMCA Chapter: Habitat for Humanity® activities and how to join at the chapter’s Web site, www.fmca-hfh.com. Our online newsletter includes a list of upcoming builds with information about how to sign up to be on a team. As one affiliate states on its T-shirts, “Team Work Makes The Dream Work.”