Thirty-three teens and seven adult leaders from Saint Andrew Lutheran Church in Centreville joined forces after last Sunday's service to help Habitat for Humanity with a worthy cause: building homes for needy families in Rocky Mount, NC. The Volunteers started building a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house for a family of four on Sunday, July 10, and will return to Centreville next Saturday — before church service on Sunday.
"THERE ARE economically underprivileged families who need houses everywhere," said Dale Walsh, 50, a 15-year veteran of the project who leads student volunteers and oversees much of the construction. "This program gives [some of these] families an opportunity to move into a house when they normally wouldn't be able to get in one. And our whole congregation [of about 1,000 people] is Involved."
Saint Andrew Lutheran has been building homes with Habitat for Humanity for 15 years. "We've been to South Carolina four times and we've gone as far North as Vermont," said Walsh of Gainesville in Prince William County.
After finishing the first home this week, the volunteers will have an opportunity to help finish others that have already been started. "There's going to be a concrete slab waiting for us [at the first house]," said Amanda Eberle, 18, of Cavalier Woods, a graduate of Centreville High School. "We hope to have a roof on it by the end of this week. We'll put up the frame and then start working on the siding." Amanda, who will be attending James Madison University this fall, then added: "We don't know [what's waiting for us at] the second house."
Students will be working with leaders and professionals who have experience in drywall, roofing, landscaping and other skills related to construction and maintenance. "We hope to use God's gifts for the betterment of his children," said Ray Weimer, 63, of Chalet Woods. An engineer by trade, Weimer is one of the leaders who will be overseeing the construction. "God gave me some gifts and I need to use them. I built my own house; I'm a licensed electrician and a plumber. God's given me a lot of talents, and I'm glad to use them."
A successful project revolves around having volunteers who are enthusiastic about going beyond the call of duty to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. "It's not so much about all the work you have to do, but it's who you're doing it for," said Amanda. "And at the end of the week when you meet the family, the hours of work and sweat are worth it."
"I do this to build houses for God, but also for the people," said Gate Post Estates resident Ashley Gibson, 18, who graduated from Westfield High and will be attending Radford University this fall. "I met a bunch of new people and we have our own Habitat family. I think the best part is meeting the people you're building the houses for and [seeing] their expressions and their thanks."
STUDENTS PAY $200 to volunteer and the Saint Andrew Lutheran community helps raise money by making personal donations and hosting fund-raisers. "Everybody from our church has offered their skills and services and crafts to help raise money," said Walsh. "We had a guy with a boat who would take people out for the day; we had students baby-sitting; we had a chef put on gourmet dinners in his house; we basically had a talent auction [in which] members put up their services and crafts for auction."
Saint Andrew Lutheran has raised more than $90,000 over the past 15 years — $6,000 of which was accumulated over the past year. "We've raised enough money to pretty much pay for two houses," said Walsh. "I have a check for $7,000 in my wallet to buy building supplies with. The church also has a fund-raiser, but we send [the proceeds from it directly] to the Habitat folks."
But houses are not given away for free — each family must help build and pay for their own home, which, in North Carolina, usually costs between $45,000 and $55,000 after accounting for donations and volunteer work. "Most families put in hundreds of hours [of labor]," said Walsh. "We [then] sell the homes [to the families] for the price to build it with a no-interest loan — someone in the family must have a job sufficient to pay the mortgage."
After 15 years of success, this program has become a tradition at Saint Andrew Lutheran Church. Though building houses for disadvantaged families is a veritable learning experience, students generally volunteer to build stronger interpersonal relationships within the church and make positive impacts within their surrounding communities. "We go with the specific goal of giving affordable housing to those who are less fortunate," said Eric Schulte, one of the 33 student volunteers. "It gives you a great feeling when you know you're helping others out. And there's great fellowship."
"I'M GOING to serve God and get closer to people at our church," said Torie Eberle, a soon-to-be senior at Centreville High. "We really form a family."
By Wednesday, July 13, the group had already raised all of the walls for one house, encased each wall with plywood and installed all of the roof trusses and windows. "When they give the house to the family [in December], we're going to come back and see the finished work," said Walsh. "We'll start the cycle again in January — we'll try to find a different place to go, we'll have the talent auction again in spring and we'll be at it again next summer."