By Heidi Lai
Nowadays,
it can be hard to find an organization worthy of your time and effort. After
all, in a lot of organizations, you don’t see direct results in the things you
care about. And more importantly, you don’t see direct results in your
COMMUNITY. But you’ll find that Habitat for Humanity is different, in that all
your time and energy will be well spent. If you volunteer for Habitat, you’ll
be helping out the people in need in your local community, and making your very
own community a better place. “Everybody comes to volunteer for a different
reason. Some people are trying to make friends, some people are trying to learn
a skill, some people are trying to get to know the area,” Maritza Solis, the
volunteer coordinator at Habitat, says. “But volunteering gives you a sense of
fulfillment. When you help other people and you see that it's making a
difference in your community…it just brings a smile to your face.”
Lee Peterson, who was been a volunteer
for Habitat since October of last year, completely agrees. “It’s rewarding,
fun, and it feels good at the end of the day,” he says. Truly, the benefits of
working at Habitat are endless. First of all, having a good and enjoyable time
is guaranteed, because you have a whole number of options to choose from when
volunteering. All you have to do is pick what suits you! For example, Lee’s
already done almost everything one could possibly do at Habitat. He’s worked in
the ReStore, been apart of the marketing committee, and also worked on site,
helping out with constructing the houses. Besides those options, you can also
choose working in the office. You see, you have plenty of options as a
volunteer as to what you want to do, and each has its own unique perks.
1. Volunteering
at the ReStore:
“Working
in the ReStore is really nice; it’s really laidback. Everyone's working to do a
good job and keep the place clean and help out the customers,” Lee says.
Working in the ReStore is just like working in a store. It includes stocking,
cleaning, sorting items, and helping out the customers, according to Solis. If
you’re a people person and would love to interact with others on a daily basis,
working at the ReStore would be the perfect choice for you. You only need to be
14 or older to volunteer.
2. Volunteering
at the Office:
Are
you interested in future receptionist-like careers? Perhaps volunteering at the
office would be the right thing to do. Volunteering involves typing, filing, and
answering calls, in a nice, quiet office atmosphere.
3. Committees:
The
volunteers run committees online. There are separate committees for specialized
purposes. For example, there’s a committee for marketing, a committee for
family selection, and a committee for construction. Committees are a perfect
way to meet new people and take leadership roles.
4. Volunteering
On Site:
“At
the build, you get to meet the family you're directly helping, you get to see
the before and after, and you can see all the improvements made,” Lee says. And
he’s absolutely right. Working on site is as “direct” as you can get to helping
out your community via Habitat for Humanity. Here, you literally help build the
house of a family in need. This may include painting, framing, etc. No
experience is necessary. "Even if your skills are limited, or you have no
construction experience, you don't need any because we have a construction
director that will guide you through it,” Solis says. In fact, she has
first-hand experience with construction. She actually joined Habitat as a
construction volunteer! “I actually wanted to learn more about construction because
I had no real experience,” she says.
So
you see? You have many, many options to choose from, when it comes to
volunteering for Habitat. And the best part is, you will feel absolutely great
after volunteering. Maritza still remembers her very first Habitat volunteer
experience: “At the end of the day, when I met the home owners, the first home
owners I met, they were just so…thankful. And it just makes you feel really
good that you're helping someone. They were just so filled with joy. I felt like
I had accomplished something.” And Lee has only positive things to say as well:
“Anyone I run into, I mention Habitat because it's just a good environment. All
the people you work with are really nice and really driven to help others. It's
a super fun place and a great place to spend some time and help other people
out,” Lee says. These two people are only two examples out of many, many more.
But every person counts, and Maritza is very aware of that fact. “Volunteers are
the foundation of our organization. Without them, we wouldn't be able to do
half of what we do,” she says passionately. So the question is, how do you
volunteer? It’s super simple and super easy.
HERE’S
HOW:
1. Call
the Habitat for Humanity office at 909-478-1176 or go into the office. All you need to do is fill out a
little bit of paperwork, and you’re good to go!
OR
2. Go
onto the Habitat for Humanity website: http://habitatsb.org/. Click on the
“Volunteer” tab, then the “Volunteer Up” option to sign up!
So
will you open up your mind and arms to the endless benefits of volunteering at
Habitat for Humanity? Will you be our next volunteer? You’re only one click, or
one phone call away from influencing your local community and improving the
lives of the people around you.
