AmeriCorps Experience

Allen is Coming Back to Habitat!

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Allen just finished first Americorps term recently with Habitat for Humanity Seattle – King County and is coming back again in September. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have him out on the build-sites again! Allen has a long history with Habitat for Humanity. His mother was on the Habitat board of directors in Minnesota and North Carolina, and his brother did an internship with Habitat for Humanity in NC. Allen did some work on a build site in North Carolina in high school, and later worked at a re-store when he was in college.

Before graduating from college, Allen worked as an intern at an architectural firm for about a year. He had taken the position because he wanted to go into construction, but after being there for a while he realized that sitting at a desk did nothing for his spirit. Later when two cousins signed up for Habitat AmeriCorps and told him how great the program was, Allen decided to make a change in his life and sign-up.

I asked Allen why he joined Americorps and he had several reasons for joining. He tells me he wants to be an architect, and so the construction knowledge is good to have. Allen also believes in service and helping other people. Habitat is an organization that his values align with, and he believes in their mission.

“With habitat even on the worst days when its 40 degrees and raining you go home knowing you made a real difference. You go home knowing what you are doing is important. This is easily the best job I’ve had in my life.”

Thank you Nate!

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Every time I go to one of our Habitat build sites I can find Nate hard at work. He will be moving dirt, setting up fences, or doing any number of other jobs around our construction sites. Just recently Nate signed up for his second term with Americorps, and we couldn’t be more happy to have him with our program!

Nate Talking to a Group of Volunteer

After graduating in 2017 from Colby College with a degree in Environmental Policy, he signed up with EarthCorps which does restoration work and trail building for local hiking trails around Washington state. After spending some time with EarthCorps Nate decided that it was time to get involved with Habitat and signed up for the Habitat AmeriCorps program. Nate grew up going to a Methodist church that did regular volunteer trips to help out at Habitat at build sites so the decision to sign up was an easy one. He looks back on those times working on build sites as some of the best days he had in high school.

One of the things Nate likes most about Habitat is that every job is different. One day he will be working on siding and the next he will be taking down roofing or doing a dump run. Nate tells me it’s nice to mix things up, and he loves that he has an opportunity to help people out and give back to the community.

His fellow AmeriCorps member Sareena had this to say:

“t’s hard to have a gloomy morning when Nate’s right there with a smile and something funny to brighten your day. Even when he’s beat by a long day of work, he still manages to make the best of it and make everyone around him smile. “

Welcome Back Ben!

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Ben Wolstenholme Helping out at a Habitat Booth

Our resident Homeowner Services Specialist Ben just completed his first year of service and took the step of signing up for his second term at AmeriCorps.  It’s thanks to the hard work of people like Ben that Habitat for Humanity Seattle – King County can continue serving our community.

After graduating from college, Ben lived with his parents working service jobs to slowly pay off his student loans. He did that for a few years and was considering heading off to law school but made the decision to join the Habitat for Humanity – AmeriCorps program instead.

Ben learned about Habitat for Humanity when his career counselor in college mentioned it as an option, he likes the idea of helping people and several friends he knew had already applied.

As our resident Homeowner Services Specialist, Ben explains the housing application process to potential homeowners and helps them through their applications. Essentially, Ben acts as the liaison between the applicants and the staff in homeowner services.

Ben told me about a time about a year ago when he was tasked with helping people with SIVs (Special Immigrant Visas) from Afganistan. Basically, an SIV is someone who helped out the United States Government (for example as a translator) who was then given a visa to thank them for their service. When people with SIVs come to the US they are coming from a wartorn country, and usually have no financial support or family to lean on. Ben reached out to a lot of non-profits that work with immigrants and found a group of SIV holders who needed help finding affordable housing for themselves and their families.

Many of the SIV immigrants were working 9-5 jobs while also taking night classes to get their lives back to the point where they were when they were living in Afganistan. Ben was able to place many of them in houses with their families, and he remembers being struck by just how grateful they all were for his help.

Coming from a comfortable middle-class family, Ben tells me he never had to worry about rent or housing. He tells me he always knew intellectually of course that people struggled with housing, rent, etc – but knowing that and actually seeing it are very different things. Joining AmeriCorps allowed him to learn about other cultures and backgrounds and really opened his eyes to the need for affordable housing and the importance of all the work Habitat for Humanity does.

Thanks for all the hard work Ben!

AmeriCorps to Habitat: The Danielle Lavy Story

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Habitat

Why did you choose AmeriCorps and was the Non-profit industry always something you wanted to be a part of?

I chose AmeriCorps because I always wanted to help people. My parents always volunteered and I did lots of volunteer work as a child. I also was the philanthropy chair for my sorority. My sorority sister completed AmeriCorps in Connecticut and encouraged me to apply.

Where are you from originally and why Seattle?

I am originally from a small town called Yuba City, California. I chose Seattle because of the weather, because I love to hike and ski/snowboard, I really enjoy the pacific northwest vibe, and because I really really wanted to work for the ReStores.

Why Habitat for Humanity? Were there other organizations you considered going to?

I applied for Habitat specifically because I knew the organization and because I built houses during high school with my youth group in Mexico. I applied to many organizations before picking Habitat, actually. Most of them were housing related, family related, or otherwise people-oriented (something like College Access Now) as my degree was in Psychology. I thought it made the most sense. J

How has the AmeriCorps experience helped you when you transitioned over to Habitat staff?

AmeriCorps prepared me for the workforce in many ways. I wasn’t ready for a full-time job when I started AmeriCorps in 2015. I think I had a basic idea of what I needed to do, but working in an office setting for 2 years really prepared me for the soft skills required to work full time. There are so many things that you don’t learn while in college that you gain from working in an office. I also NEVER would have said yes to supervising AmeriCorps members; I was terrified to lead volunteers when I first started as a VISTA. Now, I love it. Supervising AmeriCorps members is one of my favorite parts of my job.

What is one piece of advice you would give to those considering the AmeriCorps program?

I wouldn’t say that everyone is cut out to make the commitment to AmeriCorps. Think long and hard about your financials, what kind of position it will put you in after your term, and really think about the pros and cons. Plan for the unexpected. But really, if you’ve thought it through, TAKE THE CHANCE. You never know what will happen.

Worlds Collide in Seattle Tacoma Joint Build: An AmeriCorps Experience

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Do it together, defines Friday, May 4th as Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps members from the Seattle and Tacoma affiliates worked together in repairing a home in Pierce County.

Christina Penafiel organized the event between the two affiliates providing a chance for AmeriCorps members to meet one another while repairing a home in need.

“Meeting other service members is always a really exciting time. Service members tend to have a really great balance between our similar motivations for becoming an AmeriCorps member and a crazy amount of differing interests and life experiences. I feel like I always get exposed to new things that peak my interests both locally and sometimes as far as what the next phase of my life looks like. It’s invigorating and makes my time serving that much more interesting.” Said Jaylana Walton, an AmeriCorps member who is in her second term.

With members collaborating in synergy with one another, groups broke off to finish several projects from painting the interior of the house to lifting sheds. The pierce county home was jumped forward in its progress.

The joining between the AmeriCorps teams made an impact on their site project and provided a channel of communication for members to meet one another.

“I definitely hope joint builds continue to happen. It’s a great way to switch up the work routine. I’m not on the construction crew so I can’t say for sure but I think it’s nice for the construction crew to have the extra help if they need it. As an office AmeriCorps, I think it’s nice to have that exposure to what Habitat does and how we operate on multiple levels. I think Habitat is very much a people-to-people organization and the “building-side-by-side” model is such a central piece of how Habitat works. I think it only makes sense to continue doing them.” Said Walton.

Habitat for Humanity’s repair program is in place to help low-income homeowners with necessary repairs while teaching volunteers important skills that they can take home with them.

AmeriCorps members in the repairs department take on projects that involve:

  • Roofs
  • Windows and Exterior Doors
  • Gutters
  • Siding
  • Steps, Ramps, Porches, Decks and Retaining Walls
  • Walkways and Driveways
  • Landscaping
  • Brush and Junk Removal
  • Exterior Painting

Habitat is taking in applications on a daily basis to suit the needs of the public. Homes are fixed throughout the week with the help of local volunteers in the area.

Those applying to the program must meet several criteria such as home ownership, willingness to pay, and willingness to partner to be accepted.

The joint build provided a means for AmeriCorps members to come together, build connections, and fix a home in need with a do it together attitude.

This post is part of a series dedicated to our AmeriCorps members who have donated a large chunk of time as well as their skills and willingness to learn to the Habitat for Humanity – Seattle King County mission. You can find more stories like this one by clicking on the “AmeriCorps Experience” tag.