Alternative Spring Break 2007 Blog  

                    
To contact the author or group, please write to srickets@lesley.edu

Friday March 16, 2007

Please excuse the gap in the blog; fatigue and a busy night kept me from writing.

To review, last night we met with President McKenna and alumni from the local Lesley cohort.  We enjoyed much greasy food, good company, and the fun of a diner where nothing is written down, but instead shouted down a line of short order cooks by a blind man that yells, “caaaaall it!” when he means for you to order.  Intense!  (That word also describes the indigestion that occurs after consuming piles of fried catfish, hushpuppies, and milkshakes.)

In other events, the Ernest Rice Center is sprayed clean, mopped, and sanitized.  The vans sit gleaming in the driveway, gassed up and ready to go tomorrow morning at 5 a.m.  (We’re still trying not to think about it).

The house on Center Street has beautiful vinyl siding and much more roofing than it had before we came.  It looks like a filled-out version of the skeleton we started working on.

We can’t deny it any longer—our trip is coming to an end.  We have received our Habitat t-shirts, taken the last group picture (maybe), and watched the last slideshow of photos from the build.  We’ve said goodbye to David and Lach (I am maintaining that after working with him exclusively today, I may be in love).  There is something sad about leaving friends behind.

But anyone who’s done service knows when you leave something behind, you take something back with you, too. While some of us learned what a 2x4 is, how to swing a hammer, where “trusses” go, how to lay shingles, or how to cut a piece of vinyl siding—in other words, while we all learned about different projects—we all learned some things about homeownership, poverty, community, and service that don’t fit into a blog, that can’t be ever completely explained to anyone not here with us this week.

However, I hope that I’ve helped keep you involved with our trip.  You’ve been with us from the beginning of the week, and for this I thank the people who’ve been diligently reading the blog and sending e-mails of support.

I also hope reading about our group may have inspired some of you to reach out to help with Habitat for Humanity.  They rely so much on their volunteers.  Please check out their website at www.habitat.org.

There will never be another ASB 2007 again.

So I say this blog is written for:  Carol Streit, Daniel Flynn, Katie Falkoff, Ravi Prasad, Jill Shreider, Nicole Shunamon, Cintia DePina, Thomas Morgan, Bryon Hefner, Kate Fisher, Heidi Kuchenbaur, Ana Arajuo, Ashley Howard, Shannon Ericksen, along with our new friends from William & Mary.

If and when you see these people on campus, I urge you to talk with them about their experience with Habitat for Humanity here in Spartanburg.  They have a lot to say.

Sarah Ricketson ‘07

Wednesday March 14, 2007

Friends and family, we have made it past the halfway mark!  We have been working three days so far on the same two projects—installing vinyl siding and finishing the roof of the house—meeting much adversity and many opportunities for problem solving.

For example, how do you accurately cut a 1-centimeter square out of a 10-foot-long strip of siding with a giant pair of shears?  How do we semi-trained college students shingle a house with the knowledge that $300 worth of materials had once been ruined on-site due to a careless mistake?  (“Very carefully,” is the answer to both questions, by the way.  Ha!)

The best part of the day for many of us occurred after lunch.  From my seat on the scaffolding today, I watched as a mother and child, very curious about the goings-on in the construction site, made their way to the side of the house.  Tiffany and her 8-year-old son Taikwan (spelling subject to change) introduced themselves as the new homeowners.

There was nothing today like seeing Taikwan be escorted inside his soon-to-be-new home by a fellow Lesley student.  This was the first time he had seen his house.  He wisely chose the master bedroom for himself.  Taikwan’s eyes lit up when he explained his choice; it has the big tub right next door.

In completing the little day-to-day tasks, I’ve gotten caught up in varying levels of frustration and wonder if the other group members feel the same.  Before lunch, I found equipment to be too heavy, my body to be too clumsy, my brain to be too sluggish to do math.  But in meeting Tiffany and hearing her thanks for our “good work,” her appreciation and enthusiasm for her new house, I remembered that no matter how many trims of siding or rows of shingles we have to do over, we have a remedy for something as simple as frustration—we have a reason to be here.

Sarah Ricketson ‘07

Tuesday March 13, 2007

We were a little late to the site today, as a train indefinitely held up traffic this morning at a railroad crossing.  Dan Flynn led a vigorous session of calisthenics while we waited, and our friends from William & Mary provided the tunes, via car stereo, to get us psyched up for our day of work at the site.  Eventually, we found an alternate route and made our way to our site on Center Street.

There was much roofing going on, and a lot more vinyl siding installation, and constructing more trusses and other supports for the roof.  We have sore arms and backs, but we’re learning more about tools and terminology (“Why do they call them 2-by-4’s if they aren’t exactly 2-by-4?” we all suddenly want to know.)

There was a lot of “firsts” talk today—the first time someone realized she knew how to use a hammer, the first time another used a circular saw. 

It was wonderful to hear two girls exclaim over hamburgers, “I got up on a roof today.”  Then, as if for emphasis, one went on: “No guys, really.  I went up on a roof today.”

Highlights from today included a walk through the Habitat-built neighborhood across the street from our homestay, meeting neighbors near the worksite face-to-face, and visiting Spartanburg’s Habitat for Humanity thrift shop, where we bought cheesy romance novels to be read on Saturday when we (ugh) clamber back into the vans for our homecoming tour of the East Coast.  We can hardly believe that we only have three more days here.

The neighborhood across the street from us is centered around Habitat Way, a street with sensible looking, pastel-colored houses.  Neighborhood Watch signs line the streets.  Bikes, play trucks, and toddler ride-on toys lay in the front yard like proud testaments to the presence of children.  While walking by, we saw residents walking their dogs, kids riding tricycles, and families playing at the Habitat playground.

As we see clear progress with the house we’re working on, we hope that we’re starting the same positive process on Center Street.  While we’re only helping with part of the construction of one house in Spartanburg, twenty years from now there could be the same sense of community in a different section of the city.

Sarah Ricketson ‘07

Monday March 12, 2007

Nicole Shunamon, class of '09, installs
vinyl siding at the Spartanburg site.

Sure signs of hard work:
Sore arms, sunburn, and stiff joints.
First day: a success.

Just like our first day at any job, our group woke up excited and a little unsure, and clocked into the work site at 9 a.m. Looking up at the house (just a frame and foundation), we saw that our work is cut out for us.

It wasn't long before we met the boss. David Fleites, Construction Coordinator for Habitat Spartanburg, outlined safety procedures and pepped us up like a pro. He outlined our work projects- hanging vinyl siding and trusses for the front porch- and told us a little about the family we'd be helping to build for, a single mother named Tiffany.

We also met our new community connection, Lach Hyatt, a long time volunteer and resident of Spartanburg.

"I retired one week, started with Habitat in Spartanburg the next week, and I've been here ever since," he said with a chuckle, introducing himself.

"Teamwork" was the number one response from the group when asked about positives for today. As much as that word gets thrown around a lot, when you're building a house, teamwork somehow doesn't lose its sense of meaning. I saw it today when nails were wordlessly passed between friends, when people helped to carry equipment others were struggling with, and when three students coordinated the lifting of a truss onto the roof. I saw it when David shared stories about his wife and 11-year-old daughter in Miami, and when Lach offered his words of wisdom to a group of hammering students: "Use the tool. Don't let the tool use you."

At first, figuring out the pace of work was a challenge to our group. It seems our New England work ethic tends toward the overenthusiastic and (possibly) rushed. Southern is so much slower, we are learning, and construction is a structured process that takes patience.

I watched the other group members today measuring and cutting vinyl siding. After struggling with making mistakes, removing the siding, and replacing it, they were adopting their own southern method.Their trick for assured accuracy? "Think 3 times, measure twice, cut once."

Sunday March 11, 2007

Today's news headline: we have arrived!

Yesterday's trip down South could be described in many ways, but let it suffice to say we snacked, slept, and chatted for an inhumane 22 hours of traveling. But what we students handled was nothing in comparison to our group leaders. Imagine 22 hours of driving noisy, cranky undergraduates through 10 states. Now that is service. Including the effects of daylight savings time, we were overjoyed to finally arrive at Habitat Spartanburg's Ernest Rice Center and settle into our sleeping bags sometime after 3 a.m.

So far, we have been very much occupied by catching up on lost sleep, taking the vans for short tours downtown, and buying out the local Ingles Supermarket. With our work schedule on hold until tomorrow, we also managed to make some time for fun and sunshine with a visit to the Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve, a 10-acre public garden a few miles from where we're staying. After being cooped up in those vans yesterday, freeze tag never felt so good.

Today, we are joined at the center by a small group of students from the College of William & Mary who are also doing service during Spring Break. We're working out the possibility of getting to know them better over a shared dinner later this week, and we may be working with them at our Habitat work site.

We can't wait to meet local volunteers from Habitat for Humanity tomorrow and find out exactly where we'll be working and what we'll be working on. One student has already told me she doesn't want to leave Spartanburg, and I think I know what she means. This place has a fabulously relaxed, Southern feel with a modern downtown area and beautiful weather (I'm just relieved that the grass here isn't embedded in ice like back home).

Tonight, it's pasta on the menu and service in our hearts. My fellow group members and I have sat in the vans today and watched mostly trailers go by. It's the first spark of awareness that our mission and the community's needs coincide.

Man, I can't wait for that first hammer swing.

Sarah Ricketson, '07

Friday March 9, 2007

In just two days, 12 students and 4 staff members will be embarking on Alternative Spring Break 2007 in Spartanburg, SC. For one week, the group will volunteer with Habitat for Humanity to help provide adequate housing for low-income families in the area. As one of these lucky students, it is my pleasure and privilege to keep families, friends, and the Lesley community updated on all our trials and tribulations during our journey.

I am writing this preliminary blog to give some information on the organization and community we'll be working with. Daily blogs will follow starting Monday. I hope you'll continue to check back with the blog, because if there's something I've learned from the past two years' Alternative Spring Breaks, it's that these trips get very interesting, very quickly...

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity, founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller, is an international, non-denominational Christian non-profit committed to providing housing for those in need of shelter. Habitat for Humanity Spartanburg is one of many HFH "affiliates," or communities dedicated to Habitat's mission. So far, Habitat for Humanity International has built over 200,000 houses for 1 million families worldwide!

Habitat for Humanity provides low-cost housing by selling their houses at no-profit through no-interest mortgages to "partner families," those selected to receive Habitat housing. These families are chosen by a non-discriminatory Family Selection Committee in the partner family's community. Families are selected based on need, ability to make mortgage payments, and willingness to work with Habitat. Mortgage payments are made directly to Habitat for Humanity to help finance future builds.

Run strictly by local volunteers, Habitat for Humanity depends on communities. House construction is supervised by local volunteering professionals who generously donate their time and expertise to Habitat's cause. In addition to volunteers, partner families put in hundreds of hours of "sweat equity," or time spent helping to build their own house.

Funding is also provided by individual, faith group, and corporate donations, NOT government funds. These donations may include such things as money, land, materials, or houses that can be refurbished. Each Habitat affiliate is required to "tithe," or donate 10% of all donations to international Habitat for Humanity projects. As of 2001, $9.04 million was donated in this method to support overseas builds.

Much of the national attention Habitat for Humanity receives can be attributed to the altruism of Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who have worked with Habitat for Humanity since 1984. They are strong, public supporters of Habitat for Humanity's cause. They founded the Jimmy Carter Work Project, and co-wrote a book entitled Everything to Gain about their volunteer experience.

Spartanburg, SC

Spartanburg is a major city in South Carolina known as "the Jewel of the Upstate." We are looking forward to what the City of Spartanburg's website calls "a mild climate." Located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the 20.5 mile city has a population of 40,000 citizens. Of this number:

 47% are White
 49.9% are African American
 23.3% live below poverty
 72.4% are high school graduates
 26% of those over 25 hold a Bachelor's degree or higher
 The median household income is $28,735.

Of course, these are only demographics. Spartanburg boasts many beautiful natural resources. They have recently renovated their major downtown square. Later this year, the city is opening the brand new Chapman Cultural Center, a place for science, history, and visual and performing arts. As a group, I'm sure we'll learn lots more about what makes this community special in the upcoming week.

Habitat for Humanity Spartanburg

This affiliate recently celebrated its 20th anniversary! Started in 1987 by volunteers from two local churches, this affiliate's goal is to build 7 houses per year. They have opened both their own Volunteer Center, as well as a local Habitat for Humanity Thrift Shop. They have a Third World Partner in Uganda, which receives $1500 per house built in Spartanburg ('tithing' in action). As of 2001, Habitat for Humanity Spartanburg had built 60 houses for 60 families (that's 210 kids housed) and put in 535,000 volunteer hours!

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with this truly committed affiliate.

And so...

I hope this has given you a good sense of where and with whom we'll be working next week. As for what, exactly, we'll be doing, we'll have to wait and see on Monday.

We will leave at 5 a.m. Saturday morning for Spartanburg via the Lesley University vans. Think of us as you're snuggled in bed, sleeping in. Send us good thoughts as we strive to stay sane during a 12-hour ride to South Carolina. Most of all, remember us while we're basking in the 70-degree heat on Sunday afternoon. But remember--it's off to work Monday for us!

Until then.

Sarah Ricketson, '07