SW FL Service-Learning Trip: Day 4 Recap

June 6, 2023

On the fourth day of our service-learning trip, we again split into two groups: One group aided at Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity, and the second group helped All Hands and Hearts.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is an organization centered around building houses for people in need, specifically those unable to obtain the conventional house financing. They are mostly a volunteer-based organization, and through help from local members of their communities, they are capable of supporting individuals who are in need of housing. Through the leadership of a head Architect as well as a group of volunteers, Habitat for Humanity is able to complete the construction process.

The group who went to Habitat for Humanity started putting up plywood paneling and nailing it all down. They started at 9:00A in the morning and worked until 2:30P. The project had to wrap a little earlier than planned because of how hot it is getting outside. We are very excited to see how the house is going to turn out, and we are also happy we are building it for a family in need.

Working in the Florida heat was a setback for many of the students, yet we continued and tried our hardest to finish the task at hand. Today, seeing the primary structure of the house felt rewarding, and encouraged us to work our hardest. It was incredibly important to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity again since it allowed all of us to experience a new method of service; many students hadn’t worked in construction before. Regardless of the heat, the group persevered and was able to complete the paneling of the house. Afterwards, we also assisted in cleaning up the worksite and the whole event allowed us to come together as a team. This team was able to overcome struggles through our shared love for service.

After being at Habitat for Humanity, we took a trip down to Ft. Myers Beach and saw all the devastation that happened in September. We felt very sorry to all the people who lost their homes and personal belongings. A lot of houses were destroyed, roofs were gone, trees were flattened, and many stores went out of business.

All Hands and Heart

The second group volunteered with All Hands and Hearts to help muck and gut a house that suffered from flooding and other damage due to Hurricane Ian. All Hands and Hearts is a nonprofit organization focusing on local community needs caused by disasters in the area. They support homeowners by assisting with any help necessary to lead them to recovery as fast and as efficiently as possible. They also help various food pantries and other organizations with a similar goals to achieve hurricane recovery for the city.

When we arrived at the All Hands and Hearts headquarters, we were divided into three groups and assigned to muck and gut homes in a neighboring community. At one site, we began by quality controlling (QC) the walls, so the base structure of the house could be free of all staples and nails. This prepared for further action in repairing the damaged home. Then, we ripped up the floor and stripped the boards of insulation and water-damaged wood. Finally, we cleared the foundation of the house and picked up trash and debris surrounding the mobile home.

During our lunch break, we learned about a homeowner who was stuck in her house during Hurricane Ian. As we know, the hurricane was not expected in the Fort Myers Area until it was too late for many to evacuate. This homeowner was stranded in her flooding house with her dog. This story made the significance of the job that much more important to us because we knew how much of an impact our actions contributed to the life of someone recovering from and unexpected natural disaster. The whole neighborhood was in this same state, and although it was very hard work, the reward was knowing that we were helping people in need.

In service,

Timothy Dingman, Courtney Johnson, Nishra Kothari, Leyton Perkey, Elise Weber