Shelter Island students build with Habitat for Humanity: Helping a family make a home
On Saturday, Feb. 8, while many of their friends slept in, eight teenagers rolled out of bed early to meet at North Ferry for a morning of service.
Along with two adult volunteers, members of the Shelter Island High School National Honor Society and friends loaded in two vehicles and headed to the Habitat for Humanity build site in Riverhead.
Thanks to a grant from the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, the students were able to bring along many wish-list tools for the builder, generously discounted by Shelter Island Ace Hardware store.
Once on site, our students learned a bit more about the Habitat for Humanity model. It is a “hand up, not a handout,” to a working family. The soon-to-be homeowner, Dennis, a Vietnam veteran and a lung cancer survivor, currently lives with his adult brother with Down Syndrome in a cramped studio apartment. His down payment is paid in the form of sweat equity.
He works 300 hours on his home and other homes within the Habitat network. He also performs community service in his new town of Riverhead, and takes homeowner maintenance and financial fitness classes.
His mortgage is low interest, significantly lower than an average home purchase because most of the labor is essentially free, and the land was donated by the Town.
The National Honor Society students and friends spent the morning hanging sheet rock, measuring, drilling, cutting, and more.
Construction site leader Nicole Mahoney was impressed with their efforts and abilities. She also loved the thoughtful questions that the students asked — one being, “But what about furniture?”
Perhaps this is another need that the NHS can work to fill in the future. Superintendent Brian Doelger, Ed.D., stopped by to offer a much-appreciated donut break midway through. Adult volunteer and master builder Mike Dunning’s skills were invaluable. He overheard the students, as they cleaned up on site, commenting, “We should do this again soon.”
Indeed.
