Hammer Swings for Humanity: Class Trip Dispatch 4

Writing out of Bay St. Louis, Missouri
Tuesday to Friday, June 15 to 18

We arrived at LESM – Lutheran Episcopal Services in Mississippi – in the late afternoon on Monday. This church-based group housed and fed volunteer groups from all over the country. They work closely with Habitat For Humanity and other similar services. A representative from Habitat came to talk to us about the program, we all learned more about what we would be doing and why.

One of the things we talked about is how people must go through extensive training before they can receive a Habitat house.

They must have an income; they must take financial classes and homeownership training classes, and they must put in 250 "sweat equity" hours before they can receive a home. "Sweat equity" is when potential homeowners work at other house construction sites, or on their own – for a minimum of 250 hours. This helps them get in touch with their house and what goes into making one, and it gives contractors another set of hands at a build.

The next morning we woke up at 6:15 a.m. – some slept later, some rose earlier. I carefully climbed down from my rickety top bunk – not wanting to disturb Kimmy Leone on the bottom bunk.

There were nine sets of bunk-beds – all were unsettlingly shaky – for 15 girls and 2 female chaperones. The boys had the same set-up on the other side of the wall that spilt the bunkhouse in half. After we woke up we would walk across the compound to the communal restrooms, get dressed, and go to the main activity/meal room. Breakfast was from 6:30-7:30, we would eat, make our lunches for later in the day, then leave by 7:50 a.m.

I'm happy that we got there at 8:00 a.m., because if we got there any later it would have been too hot to start the day off strong.

We worked from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., with many water breaks in between, because it is so easy to get dehydrated and sick in that sweltering heat.

The fist day there were many projects at once going on – we arrived to a house that was mostly build already. Most people painted the house, a group caulked the front columns, a group built a shed, and Ariel Ginsburg and I used the power tools!  

We mastered the nail gun, and the table saw; I was covered in sawdust by the end of the day. Lunch break starts at 12:00 p.m. and we return to work by 1:00.

The next day we went to a different site – we arrived at a warehouse, where we learned how to make wood "flush," which means that two or more pieces of wood are even and smooth so there are no bumps.

We hammered planks of wood together that will be used for doorframes, and other structural components. This was hard work – it was hot and very physically demanding, especially for us because we were not used to doing tasks like this for hours on end, but... it was fun!

Everyone improved their "swing" by the end of the trip – people were having competitions to see who could get the nail in the wood in the least number of hammer strokes. 

I asked our amazing guide and Habitat contractor, Ben Niemitz, if teaching volunteers, especially teens, was frustrating.

He replied, "I would rather have a young willing-to-learn group, than a 25 year old carpenter who thinks he knows everything." That made all the SHS students who were listening smile.

On day three – the heat got to most of us. I didn't feel as strong as I had the day before.

We were at a new site, where a community of Habitat homes would be built. We did a lot of heavy lifting in the morning, then in the afternoon some painted, and a group including myself did a lot of hammering; we hammered brackets on to intersecting planks of wood that would hold up the flooring.

Later that day we started laying the floor down. This was difficult because we had to maneuver large pieces of pressurized plywood, and line it up perfectly, and nail it down. We laid almost half of the house's floor in that afternoon.

On day four we finished the floor and built a porch!

Over the four workdays we also bonded over every task we did. Since a majority of us were in the senior class play, Grease songs were always being sung.We also had some trips to Wal-Mart which seems like a "haven in the South," as one of our SHS boys noted.

These trips to Wal-Mart were hysterical, but they were not as important as our trips to the beach – where we reflected on our work and shared great memories.

While reflecting, Mr. Borgia, the teacher in charge of this trip, had said, "We only did a small piece – we put in a floor – but with other volunteers every little bit added together to makes a big difference. We are part of something bigger than us."  

With those words we realized that with our help, and with the help of others, little by little, we can make a difference in a strangers life.

For Meredith's other dispatches, read New Orleans 'No Grey NYC' (Part 2), How Katrina Built a Hero (Part 3).