Transform Chattanooga

From the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga:

Posted on September 23rd, 2011

A group of undergraduate and graduate students put their skills to good use this past summer while volunteering for Habitat for Humanity for Greater of Chattanooga. The students assisted in building several homes as part of Service Learning Lab course in the University’s construction management program.

“Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity helps them to learn how to build a home by applying what they’ve learned in the program.  They also receive short training sessions on site about safety and usage of power tools. This is a great learning experience for our students as they serve our community,” Dr. Nesli Alp, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs and Research in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, said.

Heather Adcox, graduate student in the Construction Management program, worked on four housing projects this summer. She built a staircase, back deck, house framing, and installed vinyl siding.

“This experience confirmed for me the disconnect between design and construction. I have drawn plenty of stairs, but had never built a set before.  There is nothing like swinging a hammer and actually, physically building a stair to understand what all goes into the construction process,” she said.

“The physical act of doing helps me to understand the industry better. As an architect, seeing and doing helps inform my design decisions. As a construction manager, even, you are rarely out actually participating in the labor.  It’s so easy to forget the physical and mental demand that exists on a job site,” Adcox continued.

In addition to learning practical job skills, Adcox also enjoyed helping others.

“As architects and contractors, the class allows us to use our hands, knowledge, and skill to make a difference in someone’s life. It allows citizens who get caught in their daily lives and the doldrums of their jobs to step out and give back in a meaningful way. I think this has been a great class and I am delighted to have been a part of it. I will definitely continue volunteering for Habitat for Humanity,” she said.

Scott Haulsee, an Engineering Management graduate student, echoed Adcox’s sentiments about the importance of gaining real world experience.

“It is a great experience to be able to step outside the classroom.  In my career so far, I have applied much of what I learned in school, however, in life there is usually not one correct answer to a problem. Despite all the drawings and plans for a house you will find that walls are never square, boards are not straight and you will often have to cut to fit rather than rely on what dimension a drawing indicates,” Haulsee said.

“Particularly for those in the undergraduate program with limited work and life experience, this course will be very beneficial for helping them understand some of these real-world situations,” he continued.

Here’s a link to UTC’s website with the article and more pictures:

http://blog.utc.edu/news/2011/09/students-assist-in-building-houses-for-habitat-for-humanity/

Every Thursday, a dedicated group of volunteers arrives at the construction site with tools in hand, ready to work. Starting on Saturday September, 24th, the same group will be raising the walls of the 15th home to be completed by Rivermont Presbyterian Church.

This build is not only special as a milestone for the church but will also be built in memory of Ross Russell by his family, friends and members of Rivermont.  Ross was a native of Nemaha, Nebraska.  After serving his country as a Naval Aviator in World War II, he went on to earn a PhD in Chemical engineering from Iowa State University.  He later joined DuPont, which brought him to Chattanooga, where he retired in 1982.  Ross spent much of his life serving others, through civic involvement and his church.  Ross was a long time supporter of Habitat for Humanity. He worked with several mission teams on construction projects in Haiti and Mexico and was a regular volunteer with the local Habitat chapter up into his 80′s.

Rivermont’s 15^th home is being built for Tiffany Kyle and her son Daniel.  Tiffany learned the value of hard work at a young age.  Her early childhood was transient—when she was in the 8^th grade she moved in with her grandmother and began working.  After high school, Tiffany enrolled in Chattanooga State where she is working towards a nursing degree.  She currently works as a Psyc Tech at Moccasin Bend Hospital.  Before becoming a partner with Habitat, Tiffany lived in subsidized housing at the Villages in Alton Park.  The Villages provided helpful information that for Tiffany, who was hoping to buy her own house.  She discovered a program with the Bethlehem Center and Church Koinonia Credit Union that helps area residents save towards their first home by matching deposits to a special account.  After completing the program, Tiffany heard read about a Habitat partner family with circumstances so similar to hers that she decided to apply for a Habitat home.

“Becoming a homeowner will be one of the greatest accomplishments of my life, and an important investment in my son’s future,” Tiffany says. “I am so excited about working with Habitat to reach this goal. My partnership with Habitat has inspired me to set new goals and recognize that nothing is beyond reach when you have confidence.”

Rivermont Presbyterian Church and Ross Russell’s family and friends have helped Tiffany’s dream become a reality.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga is making change!  We will send these petitions to Governor Bill Haslam to urge him to take a stand and eradicate substandard housing for people in Hamilton County–and all of Tennessee–and all of America–even the whole world!

Here’s the letter, followed by a link to the petition.  It’s super easy–just read it, click the link, enter your info, and click “sign.”  I know you can do it!

Recognizing that 1.6 billion people live in inadequate shelter around the world and that by 2030 an estimated 3 billion people will live in slum communities;

Expressing concern that here in the United States about 95 million or one-third of the nation face housing problems such as overcrowding, poor quality shelter, and homelessness;

Realizing that more than 18% of Hamilton County, Tennessee residents live below the national poverty level and cannot afford safe, decent housing;

Acknowledging that disasters in urban settings are a danger around the world and demand forward thinking and creative policy responses from local and national governments;

I, the undersigned, as a concerned constituent, urge you to address the world’s housing crisis in your community by taking concrete action to create a world in which everyone enjoys the stability, the security, and the dignity of a decent, affordable home.

In preparation for World Habitat Week (October 3-8, 2011) Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga will send each petition to Governor Bill Haslam to encourage him to take a stand against substandard housing in Tennessee and across America.

Our goal is to reach 500 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here:

https://www.change.org/petitions/habitat-for-humanity-for-greater-chattanooga-take-action-to-eradicate-substandard-housing

Thanks for making a difference!!

When most people think about helping out with Habitat, they think the only option is helping with construction on new homes.  But what if you can’t be trusted with a hammer?  What if you’re afraid of heights and can’t stand the idea of roofing?  What if you want to do all those things but just don’t think your back can take it?  You can still help!  There are many ways to volunteer with Habitat—construction is just a piece of the pie.

Here’s a list of ways you can help your local Habitat for Humanity chapter:

10: Join CHYP—Chattanooga Habitat Young Professionals, ages 21-40something.  CHYP’s purpose is to raise funds and advocate for Habitat for Humanity to assist with the mission of eliminating substandard housing.

9: Volunteer on build sites.  This is one of the big things we do, but not the only thing we do.  You will need to sign up for your hours in advance and take a brief orientation course.  And you have to be at least 16 to volunteer for construction—but don’t worry; we have opportunities for younger volunteers, too.

8: Attend events!  There’s the Tour of Homes, Lego Build, and the ReStore Drive in the spring, the Mud Run in August, the Chili Cook-Off in December, and groundbreakings and home dedications throughout the year.  More information become available closer to event dates.  Watch the website/facebook/twitter for details.

7: Pray!  We always need prayers for our homeowners, volunteers, and donors.

6: Volunteer at the ReStore.  ReStore takes donations of gently used furniture and new building materials and sells them to the public (not just Habitat Homeowners!) at a HUGE discount.  Volunteers are needed to help pick up donations from the community and in the store making sales and being friendly.

5: Join Youth United!  This is where the kiddos can help out.  Folks age 5-25 can help out doing age appropriate work, including writing thank you cards, stocking homeowner pantries, make a scrapbook, and tutoring partner family children, just to name a few.

4: Donate $.  Not only can you give time, but you can give money!  Habitat does receive some corporate and government assistance, but a large portion of our funds comes from individual donors.  You can give in honor/memory of a loved one, gifts of stock, in-kind gifts in the form of building materials, and planned gifts (like through your will or estate).  And remember, your gifts are considered charitable donations and can be written off on your taxes!  Every little bit helps!

3: Donate to ReStore: Send us your gently used furniture and building materials—another tax write-off!  Come in and see if there are any gems from other donors.  And remember to tell your friends!

2: Volunteer in the office: You can answer phones, do database entry, and other clerical work.  It’s easy on the knees!

1: Bring food to build sites for our wonderful volunteers!  Are you better with a whisk than a drill?  We can still use you on the site.  Bringing a breakfast of fruit and muffins or a lunch of sandwiches and cookies keeps our volunteers feeling good so they can give their all.

See?  There are opportunities for everyone.  Questions can be directed to our website, habichatt.org, or to Director of Volunteers, Dawn Hjelseth, via email (dstoike@habichatt.org) or phone (423-756-0507, ext 16).  Thanks in advance for helping out!