Beaches Build Day!

5/20/22

First build day in the books!!!

We partnered with Beaches Habitat to work on two of their sites. One site was a completed build that needed extra work with the outdoor fence, the other site was an in-the-process new build.

Some of our team headed out to work on the fence for the completed build. They worked on a house that belonged to new homeowner Alfie and her daughters Lavonne and Phoebe. Alfie and her daughter's home is unique for Habitat since it is fully customized to accommodate Lavonne's needs since Lavonne has cerebral palsy. After our work that day Alfie came by to talk to us about her experience with Beaches Habitat and the impact it has made in her life.

"I can't control how my kid gets around in the everyday world but to be able to come home to a space that we don't have to squeeze through, a home that is just as comfortable for [Lavonne] as it is for us means the world." - Alfie

She talked about all the hours she put in with Habitat - homeowners are required to work a minimum of 300 sweat equity hours - and the financial literacy classes she took via Habitat. Something Alfie said to us really stuck out to me. She talked about how much she realized she never even knew before taking those classes. "The things you don't know you need to know, until you know them!" This is so true for myself and many members of our team identified with that statement. Financial literacy is something I know I am sorely lacking in and many other Americans are too. Overall Americans score about a C+ on financial literacy knowledge, while our country is ranked 4th for highest debt per capita (source). The financial and planning classes Habitat provides are extremely helpful for their homeowners who are embarking on a journey to own their own house.

Above is the virtual wall raising Beaches held for Alfie and another homeowner Jamie. These were some of the last homes to be finished and dedicated in Haywood Estates II (see more here).

The other part of our riders worked on a new build site. This was a home that Habitat is preparing for another family / future homeowner. So far there has not been a family selected for this site. During our time there we worked on wrapping the house with weather resistant siding, prepping and shingling the roof, setting inside supports and caulking the inside walls.

Over lunch we spoke with the director of Beaches Habitat who explained their selection process more and shared with us another unique piece of Beaches Habitat. Many Habitat affiliates pride themselves on programs that are special to their area or their specific Habitat program. For Beaches this means their education program. Beaches Habitat partners with the Scheidel Foundation and Take Stock In Children to support academic achievement. Future Homeowners and their children are also eligible for scholarships through the Scheidel Foundation. These scholarships cover tuition and other expenses to help students receive a certificate, Associate's or Bachelor’s degree. I really appreciated learning about all that goes on beyond the build days at Habitat. We did enjoy swinging that hammer though!

Here are some more fun photos to look through: