| Habitat for Humanity homes expected to be ready by spring (Sun Newspapers) |
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Four Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity townhomes in Plymouth are off to a good start, thanks to the construction skills of 80 Boston Scientific employees who volunteered their muscle power Oct. 17–21.
Three of the townhomes have two stories; the other is a one-story, handicap-accessible home.
Coordinating the volunteers are three full-time Habitat representatives. Excepting some home-improvement projects or construction jobs during college, none of the volunteers has much carpentry experience, Loomis said. Each day, 15 to 18 employees, men and women both, have showed up at the job site. Some days, if their work schedules permit, the future homeowners are working beside them - they are required to invest some "sweat equity" to qualify for a home. Getting involved in a project of this magnitude was an easy decision. Loomis and an executive at the Boston Scientific both had been involved in Habitat projects before, and others were eager to help when the project was suggested. In addition to contributing manual labor, employees at the Maple Grove and Plymouth branches of Boston Scientific donated $4,000, which was matched by the company for a total donation of $8,000. Despite a few blisters and a lot of sore muscles, participants are willing to help build other Habitat houses in the future. "I've heard people say that we need to make this an annual event," Loomis said. About 50 Twin Cities Habitat for Humanities homes are being constructed in the metro area this year, most with the help of groups like Boston Scientific, said Sharon Rolenc, public-relations specialist for Habitat for Humanity in Minneapolis. "Most of our volunteer opportunities during our construction season are in groups from corporations, churches, schools or youth activities," she said. "We get a lot of calls from people who want to volunteer individually. Sometimes we can fit them into another crew that's a little thin, but we have the most need for them during the off-season." Noting she didn't want to discourage anyone from volunteering, Rolenc explained that volunteers are also needed for office work with Habitat, as well as finishing work during the off-season, and retail work in their re-sale store. Earlier this year, two Habitat homes were completed in Wayzata. The four homes in Plymouth are expected to be ready for occupancy by spring. Other projects are underway in Chaska, Anoka, Ramsey, Hastings, Woodbury, St. Paul and Minneapolis, Rolenc said. The townhomes in Plymouth were partially funded by the city of Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Association, she said. As Habitat undertakes more multi-housing projects like the townhomes in Plymouth, the end units can easily be adapted for accessibility. So, Habitat is encouraging to apply people with disabilities who would like to own. "We need to see what kind of need is out there," Rolenc said. For more information about Habitat for Humanity, go to www.tchabitat.org. |
