Features

Volunteer Spotlight: Erin Grantham

In the past few months we have brought you stories about volunteers who help assist us on build sites. But we have volunteers that do more than hammer nails and spackle walls. This month, we shine our spotlight on one of our administrative volunteers!

Erin Grantham, 26, is one of the many volunteers at Habitat for Humanity who does not wear a hard hat. Instead, Erin works to put together this very newsletter every month.

“I’m not very good with manual labor,” Erin, a graduate of the University of Georgia, laughs. “It took me three hours to hang shelves one time so I’d really hate for someone’s house to be in my hands!” What she is good at is writing and talking to people even if she has never met them.

“My favorite part of the process is talking to the families and the volunteers and really getting their perspective,” Erin explains. “The gratitude and appreciation they each have for each other and the process is just mind blowing.” Erin loves to hear their stories because many times they overlap. She also loves the kind of pay it forward mentality that comes through when speaking with the families.

Erin came to Habitat for Humanity by accident while at Panera searching for a job. She needed an outlet to plug her computer in and asked the woman next to her if she could reach past her table to do so. That woman was Patsy Lee, Project Manager for Habitat for Humanity. Patsy and Erin struck up a conversation which led to an offer to help work on the newsletter. Erin got to put her journalism degree to use and Patsy had someone to help with one of the many tasks she handles on a daily basis.

The process is not very long in putting the newsletter together but it can be difficult juggling schedules between Erin and Patsy as well as anyone they talk to for stories like the Volunteer Spotlight and Meet The… “Patsy and I sat down at the beginning of the year and kind of formulated a loose idea of where each month needed to go in terms of addressing things like build schedules and fundraisers.” After the initial meeting, Patsy and Erin email back and forth and iron down what features will be highlighted each month. Then Erin gets to work; calling and emailing people, locating pictures and icons to use and laying out final stories.

“It’s fun because there is a loose layout and idea but we can play with it each month depending on what we will be focusing on,” Erin said. The biggest challenge can be getting families on the phone and talking. “The first family I interviewed, the Haidairis, had to communicate through the son with the parents. A lot of slang terms you don’t even realize you use cannot be used. It was great because that happened to be an obstacle they had been working hard to overcome and they just did a great job getting everything across to me!”

Erin is grateful for the opportunity to work on our newsletter for not only the skills she continues to develop but also for the people she meets along the way. “It is absolutely incredible to hear these people’s stories and how excited they are to have a home to call their own… then to be able to talk about it? It can be like they won the lottery because they know people care,” Erin says. “And it’s a great feeling to know that I do care and I get to help bring their stories to the people who spend the time and money making these dreams come true.”

Meet the O’Shields!

Jennifer O’Shield’s says she and her son, Kiah, wouldn’t be where they are right now if it weren’t for Habitat for Humanity. While we are flattered, we believe that much of Jennifer’s current success is due to her own hard work and willingness to ask for help when she needed it. Of course, we were willing and able to lend her that helping hand!

Jennifer is a 32-year-old single mom who works as a Field Support Specialist for The Scooter Store. She spends her days scheduling and handling administrative tasks and thinks her story is pretty boring compared to others we might hear. But we don’t!

Several years ago, Jennifer was going through a divorce and was at loose ends. Believe it or not, she saw a Habitat for Humanity ad featuring Reba McIntyre and thought she would give it a shot. “I actually thought, ‘I can get a home for free?’” she laughs. “But it’s really not like that. It’s better.”

Jennifer, a native of Gwinnett County, did not think she had a shot at Habitat for Humanity but she attended orientation and was accepted into the program to her surprise. During the year and a half process, Jennifer took classes on caring for her yard, her home and her car as well as her finances. She helped with other homes and befriended other families. She gives thanks for great sponsors like Scientific Atlanta and Ruth’s Chris for their support and dedication during her build.

“It didn’t seem real to me until John handed me the keys to my new home,” Jennifer explains. “That’s when I started crying.” Jennifer had helped build other homes so the process and the end result didn’t feel real to her until that moment. John, her home site supervisor, made the biggest impact on her through her journey. “He didn’t have control over many decisions in regards to the house, but the things he did have control over, he would ask me about. He really made me feel like it was MY home.” John’s attention to details and Jennifer’s involvement helped her own the process.

“It was the first time I was on my own with my son,” she explains. She had spent time bouncing from home to home within her family so she had never been a true head of a household. The most exciting for her was to make a home-cooked meal and sit down with her son to dinner. “At that point, even going to bed was exciting!” she laughs. Just knowing it was hers made all the difference in her outlook on life.

Since moving into the home in Duluth, Jennifer has had troubles including car problems and switching jobs, but is well-equipped for these challenges. “I have no complaints about where we are now,” Jennifer says. “We’ve been in the house three years and we are doing well ever since we moved in.”

Next up for Jennifer and Kiah? “More home improvements!” she says. Not only does she continue to make her mortgage payments, Jennifer also continues to put her stamp on the home she shares with her son. She has painted every room because she dislikes white walls but would like to add a back deck and clean up the landscaping. Habitat for Humanity continues to wish her great success!

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May 22, 2010 From 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

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Please click the buttons below for additional information

Volunteer Spotlight- March 2010

Volunteer Spotlight: Bill Shad

Bill Shad began is journey with Habitat for Humanity while working as a manager for Publix. The 58-year-old attends 12 Stone, a church that regularly sponsors Habitat for Humanity homes, and between 12 Stone and Publix a routine of joining projects for Habitat for Humanity evolved.

Bill is now not only a volunteer, but also a member of our staff as a site project supervisor. What began as a way to help out when he could has become a passion he dedicates 24-30 hours a week to. He first joined us as a site supervisor on our 100th home. This was no small task and Bill easily rose to the challenge. Since completing the 100th home, Bill has begun work on another set of homes at Stokeswood.

“We are in overdrive right now,” he laughs. “We have 4 homes in progress right now and are expecting to finish them in mid-May.”

As site supervisor, Bill helps to set schedules, develop and follow processes for building each home and provide knowledge that many of our volunteers do not have. Safety is the biggest component of his job. He strives to provide a knowledge that the average layperson does not have and to ensure that when they perform the tasks it is done in a safe manner. He is naturally handy and possesses a certificate from the Georgia Association of Home Inspectors. Add in his on-the-job experience as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and you have a great site supervisor!

Currently, Bill is acting as the floating supervisor and working in conjunction with 4 other site supervisors on the Stokeswood project. He is excited to be gearing up to help out with the Women’s Build and is enjoying getting things done.

“The most rewarding part is the look on the homeowners’ faces when they are completed,” Bill explains. He recalls last August putting the finishing touches on a house 12 Stone sponsored. “It was the day before the dedication and the homeowner came by and didn’t notice the mailbox I had just stuck in the ground.” He pointed it out to her and said, “It doesn’t matter what is inside of the house, you’ve got a mailbox now so you have a home.” The homeowner had tears in her eyes as she surveyed her new home, complete with a mailbox that Bill had a hand in creating. After helping to complete this project, Bill was offered the opportunity to work as a site supervisor.

When asked to recall his favorite Habitat for Humanity project, Bill can’t be forced to choose just one. “They are all favorites, kind of like a ride at Six Flags. You get finished with it and you’re ready to go again!”

Bill for all that you have done and all you will continue to do for Habitat for Humanity, we thank you!

Volunteer Spotlight- December 2009

Volunteer Spotlight: George

Who are the volunteers of Habitat for Humanity? You may be surprised to see some familiar (and friendly!) faces at our sites. In the ensuing months, we will be focusing a spotlight on a few very special people both in our newsletter and on our website. This month we spoke with George, a member of our Thursday crew.

George is a 69-year-old retired truck driver who has been involved with Habitat for Humanity for 10 years. Not only has he worked with Gwinnett’s Habitat for Humanity but he has also contributed to projects in New Jersey! George first got involved through his church. After relocating from New Jersey, he began working on Saturdays. He quickly moved to join a small group who worked on Thursdays. There are usually about 10 people in the group that is mostly made up of retirees who volunteer on a regular basis as well as some people fulfilling community service requirements. George finds it to be a very rewarding experience. “Habitat for Humanity does a good job of selecting families,” he said. “These are very responsible people who will care for the home.” He also enjoys the camaraderie of the group and having an opportunity to do some hard work.

He said his favorite experience to date was last summer while working on a home in Lawrenceville. The group had the opportunity to meet the new homeowner when she prepared lunch for them. He remembers the family well because the homeowner worked for Gwinnett County Schools and was raising two special needs children. She still found plenty of time to help out on site or stop for a small chat with the volunteers.

George has learned a great deal from this experience and really enjoys building homes from the ground up. “Sometimes it’s just nice to get out there and swing a hammer!” he laughed. He is currently enjoying working on townhomes but hopes to help build a new house soon.

Wine Tasting – October 23, 2009

Our annual wine tasting was one of the best we have had. There were 80 people who helped us meet our goal for the event. Sperata on the Square in Lawrenceville made their bar available to us as well as providing light appetizers and the wine to taste. Lynda Breault and Deb Terry were recognized for their effort in organizing the event. One of the highlights of the event was the raffle drawing valued at $400.00 – and the winner was Tommy Liotti of Gwinnett County. Take a look at some pictures of the event!

CareerBuilder

CareerBuilder.com, the largest online job site in the U.S., puts over 1 million jobs in front of poised job seekers wherever they are - at home or at work - in print and on the Internet.

They also are one of our partners... the staff of CareerBuilder took time out from construction one of the Stokeswood Townhomes to let us take a quick photo of the group. Lewis Chapman, second row on the left, is our Construction Manager.

’98 Worth Cobras lend a helping hand to Habitat for Humanity

What kind of person helps out Habitat for Humanity?

The answer is easy: Every kind of person!

In the ensuing months, we will focus on some of our volunteers through both our newsletter and our website. This month we spoke with the ’98 Worth Cobras about their experience lending a helping hand to Habitat for Humanity.

The ’98 Worth Cobras is a talented group of young ladies with compassionate hearts. Not only did they finish runner up at the ASA Girls Fastpitch 10 and under Nationals in Johnson, Tennessee but they also credit their experience with Habitat for Humanity as helping them accomplish this exciting feat! Working with Habitat was a great bonding experience and taught some excellent lessons to everyone involved. To find out more about their experience, check out their website which contains exciting details about their projects as well as pictures and video!

The event in Tucker was not the team’s first interaction with Habitat for Humanity. The girls presented the Opoku family with gift baskets at the dedication of their new home in September 2008. Rather than just purchasing generic gift baskets at the store, the team personalized a basket for each family member and filled it with bath products. The opportunity to meet and impact a family in need was a great one that the girls will remember for a long time but still they wanted to do more. Five months after meeting the family in Dacula, the girls remembered a fun event but still didn’t quite grasp the magnitude of their generosity. In May, they spent an afternoon serving lunch to the volunteers building our Tucker townhouses . The lessons the girls learned over the course of this afternoon are credited with adding a cohesiveness to the team—the process of learning how to give back to the community and getting involved in activities outside the team helped to make the girls better teammates as well as individuals. The time and effort of this moment cannot be summed up into words.

But we had to wonder... how did these amazing girls choose Habitat for Humanity to gain this learning experience?

Softball moms (and former players themselves) Kelly Moreno and Kim Dowell envisioned a team that trusted each other not only on the field, but off the field as well. For them, this would be the key to success. They have made it their mission to continue to reinforce the importance of community service and, through that, their vision for the team. They can’t take all the credit for the girl’s open hearts. Courtney Floor was a fifth grader last year who was a member of a club teaching community service. She would ask for updates and then relay the information back to her fellow club members. Her excitement for Habitat for Humanity solidified the impact for the other girls and helped drive their enthusiasm for their Habitat project.

Habitat would like to extend the biggest thank you to the entire team for their time and efforts on behalf of our organization. We would not do our jobs without your continued support!

And Congratulations on your big win!

Stokeswood Townhouses Begun

Building townhouses is a new adventure for Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity. In late September, 2008 our volunteers began work on three new units at Stokeswood Townhouses in Tucker, Georgia. Building townhouses allows us to place waiting families into homes faster than when we only built single family homes. The community spirit is strong in this neighborhood as more families join other Habitat for Humanity neighbors already living in this community. These homes were completed and dedicated in December, 2008. We are ever grateful to our wonderful sponsors that made the building of these three townhouses possible: Careerbuilder.com; Bank of America; Citi; TranSouth Logistics, LLC; Niclas Havelid and the Atlanta Thrashers; World Financial Group; BB&T; GuideOne Insurance; United Stationers; and the Grayson High School National Honor Society.

2009 Builds

We start 2009 with the excitement of building another four units at Stokeswood in Tucker. Volunteers started working on two of the units in late February and the additional two units in early March.

The Women Build Program is an important part of Habitat International’s program to train women in construction skills and the building of confidence in these new skills. One of the Stokeswood Townhouses was the site of the 8th Annual Gwinnett Habitat Women Build. We express our gratitude to Sharon Jarrell who has led all 8 of the Women Build projects for Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity. Sharon was instrumental in getting this program started for our affiliate. Sharon’s amazing dedication, knowledge, and patience has allowed us to continue to grow this program while bringing a great sense of fun to all who work in this program and the actual event. A huge thank you goes out to all the women who participated in this year’s build. We also want to thank JGA Beacon, Inc. for their continued support for this build through fundraising and volunteers and to the Women’s Realty Council for their support this year. We anticipate our 9th Women Build in the Spring of 2010.

12Stone Church and Cisco sponsored another townhouse started in the Spring of 2009. The volume of volunteers and enthusiasm has been amazing for this project. Cisco (formerly Scientific Atlanta) completed its 9th build with us and 12Stone Church (formerly Crossroads Community Church) completed its 5th build with our affiliate when this townhouse was dedicated. We greatly appreciate their continued support for so many years!

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and eight Gwinnett County Lutheran Churches: All Saints Lutheran Church, Christ the King Lutheran Church, Christ the Lord Lutheran Church, Community of Grace Lutheran Church, Epiphany Lutheran Church of Suwanee, Oak Road Lutheran Church, St. James Lutheran Church, and Trinity Lutheran Church sponsored their 5th home with our affiliate this Spring by completing one of the four townhouses built in Stokeswood. It has been an honor to be selected from Habitat affiliates throughout the U.S. to be the recipient of this program for the past several years, and we greatly appreciate the continued support from Thrivent and the local Lutheran Churches.

We are happy to welcome SunTrust Bank back as a sponsor for 2009. In 2000, SunTrust helped build a home in our first subdivision in Loganville. It is wonderful to have SunTrust to join us in the building of a home in Stokeswood, as our first townhouse building project. Our thanks are conveyed to SunTrust for continuing to work with us to provide decent, affordable housing for working families in Gwinnett County.

Our affiliate is launching our first rehab project in Lawrenceville. With the help of Gwinnett Community Development and 12Stone Church, this home will be refurbished and ready for a Habitat family to occupy by the fall. This home for the selected family of five will meet the handicapped needs of two of the children. The ranch style home will incorporate two handicapped ramps to make it perfect for the family’s new home. This is an important program, and we hope it will be the first of many rehab projects in Gwinnett County in the years to come.

In the fall of 2009 we will continue with another four new townhouses to be built at Stokeswood in Tucker. Providing homes for working families is at the heart of what we do, and we are looking forward to a great 2009 for our affiliate.