Habitat for Humanity - The Womens Build

After just about giving the answer away last week, I got a correct guess. My last vacation was with Habitat for Humanity. I spent a rainy Tuesday helping to build a house for a hard-working mother and her two daughters. Last fall Habitat for Humanity received a large donation from the estate of Sandra Schlueter. Sandra was a dedicated Habitat for Humanity volunteer and one of the first women officers in the US Air Force. In memory of Sandra, Habitat for Humanity dedicated the Women Build Project. Women from our area have come together to build a house just outside of Maple City. It was amazing to be a part of it, even though it was just one day. I worked with a great team of women lifting and raising the roof trusses, they were heavy! Habitat hopes to have the house completed by late August so the new homeowner and her daughters can be settled in before the school year begins.


Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit our community needs now more than ever. Their purpose is to help deserving families obtain quality, low cost homes. Partner families invest hundreds of hours, also known as sweat equity, into their home and into homes of other partner famiies. Their mortgages are interest free and go directly into a revolving fund that helps Habitat for Humanity build additional homes. It's a great concept, and one that is making a tremendous impact in Northern Michigan.

Habitat uses volunteers in every portion of their existance. Every home is built under volunteer manpower - and you don't have to be knowledgeable about construction to help. I did it and I really have no idea how to build things, just ask my husband. In addition to building homes Habitat for Humanity runs a retail store they have dubbed "ReStore". They accept donations of used building materials and sell them back to the general public. At "ReStore" volunteers are needed to help pick up donations, stock goods in the store, handle the cash register and anything else that may come up during the day. Habitiat for Humanity would not be in existence if it were not for its volunteers.

If I have in some way peaked your interest in volunteering for Habitat for Humanity please contact Carrie Ullery-Smith at cullerysmith@habitatgtr.org. Carrie would be delighted to help you become involed with the Habitat for Humanity community. And if you are a woman there is still time to help with the Womens Build Project. Trust me, you won't regret volunteering!

Lastly, congratulations to the new homeowner. It was wonderful to meet you. May you enjoy many happy years in your new home. Check out some of the touching notes volunteers wrote on the walls of the home while it was being built. Don't you just love it?