Habitat for Humanity

Volunteering in your community is not only rewarding but worthwhile and makes a difference!  There are so many incredible volunteer opportunities and one of my favorites is Habitat for Humanity. 

I first got involved with Habitat for Humanity by helping with a local home that was built. My part was interior painting and cleanup. After I fell in love with their mission, I became a member of the board which I served on for six years! Becoming a board member opened my eyes to other Habitat opportunities like traveling to Vietnam where myself and over 200 other volunteers from around the world helped build houses. In total there were  20 houses built in 6 days. These aren't your conventional homes! They are very simple, humble homes made out of brick and built above the flood level of the river. And you've got to go about it the old fashioned way; using bags of sand, a shovel and wheelbarrow...no cement mixers! The homes consist of a bathroom (toilet only) and two interior walls.  The house I worked on was for a family of 6; the grandparents, daughter, son in law and their two children.  When the house was dedicated, the grandfather had tears streaming down his cheek and he said, "But I have nothing to give to you".  He had never had a house without a dirt floor or running water. The photo attached to this post is from a conference where we were asking for donations and fundraising for Habitat. This experience was challenging for me as talking in front of large crowds is a bit stressful, but definitely worth it. 

There are several ways to get involved in this nonprofit organization from donating at the local Habitat Store, volunteering to work at the store, shopping at the store or working on a local or international building site. It’s an exciting and great way to make a difference and learn new building skills. 

Interested in learning more?

https://tillamookhabitat.org/

Blog contributed by Debbie Carr, Rob Trost Real Estate, Tillamook, OR

https://www.robtrost.com/agent/debbie-carr/