Last Saturday morning, 34 Fairview Ave. rang out with the sound of sledgehammers. A group of Wesleyan students had rolled up their sleeves and joined community members for a common cause: building a Habitat for Humanity home.
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that builds low-cost houses “in partnership with those who lack adequate shelter,” according to the group’s website.
34 Fairview Ave. is the future home of Jennifer McNeil, currently a Meriden resident. McNeil is just beginning her work with Habitat, which requires participants to put in 200 volunteer hours.
“[I am] absolutely ecstatic about owning this house,” McNeil said. “And I’d like to thank everyone who has come down here to help so far.”
Greg Burritt, Habitat’s local Site Supervisor, has worked with the organization for five years, and this will be the fifth house he has seen completed. Burritt believes that this site can be finished by late summer, but only if volunteers keep showing up.
“There is a lot that volunteers can take away from working with Habitat for Humanity,” Burritt said. “In my five years of work, I’ve learned how to build a house. But even better than that is the fact that I’ve helped a lot of people to have the houses that they deserve. We’re doing good work for the community.”
Burritt said he hopes more Wesleyan students will volunteer with the project, pointing out that “this house is practically in their backyard.”
Wesleyan student Gabe Knight ’06 used his position as Psi Upsilon Vice-President to recruit volunteers for Habitat.
“I tried to get as many brothers as I could to come work,” he said. “It feels good to help people have a place to live.”
When pressed on his motives for volunteering, Knight grinned and admitted “Oh… and I like tools.”
In a move sure to please destruction-loving volunteers, Saturday morning was dedicated to removing portions of the house’s first floor ceiling and walls. The workers’ goal was to strip the old portions of the house down, and to put it back together later with new material.
Another Wesleyan student, Allison Torpey ’07 said that she was encouraged to volunteer by a friend of hers.
The building site is located at the end of Fairview Avenue. Last Saturday the bottom level of the old house was cleared out, in what Burritt called “record time.” Next Saturday, Dec. 11, the volunteers and Habitat employees intend to strip down the top floor as well. Work will begin at around 10 a.m.
When asked if he would be returning the next week, Gabe Knight hefted his sledgehammer.
“Oh, I’ll be there,” he said.
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