Debbie is a retired senior who lives in a lovely Tudor home in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. Since her 1977 move from Michigan to Seattle, she has opened her home to multiple generations of family members, leaving little time for home improvements. With her son and two grandsons currently living in the home, along with a mixed German shepherd, Oliver, the original hardwood floors were traffic-worn, notably in the living area and kitchen.
The Habitat repair crew, including AmeriCorps members Jess Schell, Cari Firriolo, and Matt Musetich, installed new vinyl flooring from the Tukwila Habitat retail store. Additionally, the repair team built new stairs to create better front door access – complete with new wooden steps and handrails, tying into an existing ADA ramp. They installed landscaping pavers to adjoin the sidewalk, as well as a new gutter and downspout along with some general brush clearing and cleanup.
Debbie expressed gratitude for her new flooring and the other projects Habitat had impacted. Habitat SKC Repair Site Manager Mike Inocencio described Debbie as an active and engaged homeowner. Over the course of the 10-day repair, Debbie served homemade lunches to the AmeriCorps “kids,” as she called them. Once repairs were complete, the AmeriCorps team was so touched by Debbie’s hospitality, they gave her a card, which she treasures greatly.
Recognizing AmeriCorps Week: March 13-19: This special week recognizes the commitment of the more than 1.2 million Americans who have chosen to serve their country through AmeriCorps–and millions more–who have served in AmeriCorps Seniors and their community partners, and to encourage more Americans to follow their footsteps in service.
Habitat for Humanity International was one of the first nonprofits to partner with AmeriCorps when it formed in 1994. Since then, more than 7,000 Habitat AmeriCorps members have performed over 12 million hours of service, serving more than 15,000 U.S. families. Here at Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties, AmeriCorps and Habitat have teamed up since 1998 to help meet the housing needs of communities and families, with 268 AmeriCorps members.
AmeriCorps engages 250,000 Americans each year in sustained, results-driven service through our AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs. These dedicated citizens help communities manage COVID-19 response, ensure students stay on track to graduate, combat hunger and homelessness, respond to natural disasters, fight the opioid epidemic, help seniors live independently, support veterans and military families, and much more.
We honor all of the selfless, hardworking AmeriCorps members doing so much for our communities and homeowners like Debbie. Meet our current Habitat SKC AmeriCorps team here http://www.habitatskc.org/who-we-are/americorps/.