This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Feb. 22, 2011 - As Habitat for Humanity St. Louis prepared to celebrate its 25th anniversary, participants knew they wanted to have fun, but also to build the Habitat community.
As Director of Resources Courtney Simms said, "We're looking to expand our circle, which is why we're doing a lot of smaller events." The biggest of these events will start at 6:25 p.m., Fri., Feb. 25, when volunteers, administrators, donors and supporters are invited to Jive & Wail on Washington Avenue.
By telling what Habitat has been doing to become a more environmentally friendly organization, the PR team hopes to find a new generation of volunteers and donors. Using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp, they are pitching the Jive & Wail as a venue to appeal a younger set.
"We hope to get more young professionals involved with Habitat because that will be our future. They will be our future board members, so we're running this event instead of a sit-down chicken dinner type of deal. It's young, it's fresh, loud music -- that kind of thing," Simms said. "Plus we wanted something where the ticket price will be $25."
Officially, the event benefits Habitat's "efforts to eliminate substandard housing in the St. Louis area," a project most visible in the 300 houses the organization has built for first-time, low-income families in neighborhoods across the region. But Simms says it's the people -- more than the 125,200 pounds of nails and 31,300 feet of electrical wire in the houses -- that make Habitat work. "I hope it works to pull more people into our fold," she said, referring to the event.
Family of Volunteers
According to Volunteer Resource Manager Jacinta Witherspoon, a fold it is. Though many people begin their Habitat experience with one-day Saturday projects sponsored by churches, universities or businesses, many return. Regular participants make up a significant portion of the organization.
"I just show up on Wednesdays, every Wednesday, all year long," long-time, volunteer, crew member Martin Wohl said. "It changes over the year, and people age out, but there are guys who are 85 years old who are still in there working. There's a basic group of about 25 or 30 who I can recall having been there for about 10 years."
Some regulars have taken on more responsibilities within the organization, such as construction resource volunteer Kent Lytle. He handles the training of new members as chair of the Leading Edge Committee, where crew leaders learn the practical skills required to oversee a project.
"When you're working with like-minded people, things tend to go pretty smoothly. The culture on our building projects is one of cooperation and collaboration. and I think most people who work on our projects sense that. Everybody's going out of their way to get along," Lytle said. "In most cases people who work with us keep coming back. We wouldn't have that kind of commitment unless the volunteers really sensed that what they were doing made a difference, that their individual participation makes a difference. That people value their time and energy. They wouldn't do it if they didn't find it rewarding. That's what I find most compelling. Initially people do a Saturday here or there, but once you get to know the people and get involved with committees, people do that for a decade or more."
Witherspoon says people tend to think about Habitat as a construction-only organization. However, of the 3,000 people who volunteer with Habitat each year, many contribute by handling administrative tasks in the office or communicating with volunteers. Others staff the ReStore, a resale shop on Forest Park Avenue for home improvement goods, such as furniture, building materials and appliances.
Sweat Equity
Each family is required to contribute at least 350 hours of "sweat equity" in order to secure its 20- to 30-year interest-free mortgage. Home buyers spend most of these hours working on what will become their home, but they are also enlisted to maintain the gardens, composting heaps and recycling projects in their neighborhoods. Each house typically requires the work of 215 volunteers.
Habitat has also been increasing its efforts to build environmentally friendly homes. In 2008, the Habitat project in the JeffVanderLou neighborhood was recognized as one of the largest LEED Platinum certified developments in the United States. All 41 houses constructed since then were also built to LEED Certified standards. Beyond recognition for helping the environment, Simms says these construction decisions should also save homeowners money on heating and electric bills.
Over 25 years, long-time Habitat employees and volunteers have tracked changes in the organization. The most recent economic recession, for example, has increased Habitat's workforce, as it simultaneously decreased its working budget. Over the past five years, the 501(c)(3) non-profit has seen smaller donations from struggling businesses, some of whom could no longer afford to give anything.
"We are one of those organizations that get in our own way. We have such a great reputation in the community, that a lot of our funders feel like 'Oh well, it's Habitat. They'll find the money someplace.' It's really very interesting, because that's not the case," Simms said.
Ariana Tobin, a senior at Washington University, is an intern at the St. Louis Beacon.