The Pitt-Greensburg campus chapter arrived home safely Sunday afternoon.  The following is president Marissa Shaffer's reflection on the last day on the work site, Friday.

..........

 

Hello all! My name is Marissa and I am a senior and the Habitat for Humanity president at Pitt-Greensburg! This year was my fourth Habitat trip and it was still just as exciting as the first.

 

Friday was a bittersweet day on the work site because it was our last day working with our affiliate in Mississippi. Before we arrived at the house on Friday, we were told that we were working on a home for a veteran who was currently living in a home with no running water and no heat. After arriving at the home, we found that the veteran was living in what looked like a shed that someone would use to store tools or a lawn mower. Even though the living conditions were awful, the property was still a beautiful sight because of the new home that had been started right beside it. The structure of the house was already up when we arrived, and we were working on piecing it together by putting up soffit, installing windows and insulation, and more.

 

It was such an incredible sight to see our group of 26 helping a stranger that they had just met that day. As an experienced trip attendee, I was able to help teach the new members different things and take a step back to watch them experience what Habitat is all about. Our members were very willing to help with anything they could and to learn more about the home owner every time they had the chance.

 

Not only did we help the homeowner, but we were also able to help our Mississippi affiliate by donating a $2,000 check to them during our lunch break. This donation has been a tradition for the spring break trip since I have been a member and is something that I enjoy being a part of. There is no better feeling than bringing happiness to new home owners as well as our affiliates who put so much effort into helping those in need. I am so proud of our group this year for all their hard work and positivity on the trip.

 

Sadly, because I am a senior, this will likely be my last spring break trip unless I am invited as an alumnus in the future. Even if I don’t get to attend another trip, I hope to continue volunteering with the local Habitat for Humanity with my Habitat friends that I made along the way. Habitat definitely has a special place in my heart and the memories I made along the way will never be forgotten.

Hi, I’m Bree! I’m a senior at Pitt-Greensburg and this is my second experience going on a Habitat spring break trip. This year’s trip has been full of new adventures, tasks, and friends. Each day we have had the opportunity to work on different tasks-which has granted us the ability to try our hand at new skills and projects that accompany working on a Habitat Home. Today, my team and I worked on preparing the pieces to create a new and improved porch. One of my favorite parts of working on Habitat houses is the process of taking simple materials and creating something purposeful. I had the opportunity to watch my team take turns conquering new power tools and seeing the joy that comes with these little victories. Habitat trips are so rewarding in a number of different ways, but watching these amazing individuals challenge themselves and one another to grow is such an empowering and moving moment. I am so thankful to be a part of Habitat and getting to cheer on this group of inspiring and dedicated people. Thank you for helping us give back and have this truly incredible opportunity to grow.

Today we woke up bright and early and headed to the work site. We played with puppies, demolished a porch, and tore shingles off a roof. This was my first time on a roof and getting up was easy, getting down had me petrified. I even shed a few tears and made plans to stay there for lunch. After a few tries and a few helping hands, I was finally able to get down and I laid in the grass to celebrate. Once on the ground I felt a little silly but also felt super accomplished for overcoming a fear. After spending half the day at the worksite, the crew headed to Gulf Coast Gator Ranch for airboat tours and a walk through with alligators everywhere. I wasn’t so scared of the alligators through the walk through because they were all behind fences but during the boat ride, we got really close to the gators and we could practically reach out and touch them and that had me a little nervous. Don’t worry, no one lost any limbs on this adventure. We finished the night in Biloxi for dinner. Our restaurant was right on the beach and we watched the sunset go down as we ate our delicious meals. This spring break trip so far has been a wild and unforgettable ride and I can’t wait to make more memories with my newly made friends.

On Tuesday, it was raining so we had to stay inside the Habitat for Humanity ReStore warehouse. I didn’t think that this would be very fun since we couldn’t be working on a house outside, but it turned out to be a really great and productive day. Several things got done when we were in the warehouse. One group helped out by moving furniture and other heavy things. Then a bunch of people got into smaller teams and built bird houses. I worked on a mural that represents our school with Marissa, Brooke, and Mallory. I had a lot of fun working with them. Coming up with a design was challenging at first but once we figured that part out, it was smooth sailing from there. Painting it got a little messy but the final results are something that we are all proud of. I like the idea that the ReStore collects murals of every school that comes to help them and assembles them on a wall to honor everyone. The bird houses turned out great too and each team worked hard to make several well done bird houses. These houses are sold at the ReStore, so they will help them in the future. While the day was rainy for the most part, it cleared up for us to go into town in Lucedale to check out the shops. They had a bakery that sold delicious cupcakes and cookies. There were quite a few antique shops that we went to, but some of the shops were closed by five o’clock so we couldn’t go in. The rainy day turned out to be a good one, especially with everyone’s hard work and positivity.

Hey guys! Hope you’ve all been doing well, I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for the support and for reading this! It means a lot to me and encourages me to keep posting! I am a freshman at UPG and I am majoring in Creative Writing and this is my first trip. I am so grateful for this incredible opportunity! So, Sunday was a boring day, consisting mainly of driving (blah) from Nashville to Lucedale here in Mississippi. But, the weather down here is beautiful so far! The people at the church we are staying at are so kind and welcoming; I know that I am speaking for everyone when I say I am so appreciative of them giving up their time and resources to house us for the week. Today, was our first day on the build site. We were helping to fix up a house for an elderly woman in need, who already lived in the house. We repainted the entire outside of her house, built her a porch, fixed up her lattice and shutters! The work was monotonous, but it was very rewarding at the end of the day! Overall, I believe that our group is bonding very well and I love the personalities that we all bring to the table! When we came back from the work site today, I went on a short run with Brandon, while some others went on a Walmart trip. We shared a nice dinner together and finished up the night playing Four Square and tie dying our shirts for Thursday. Can’t wait for tomorrow, I’ll keep everyone updated! xo, Sadie

Habitat for Humanity advisor Brian Root offers a brief “thank you” message to supporters of this year’s trip. Your financial support will make this year’s trip possible in various ways. 

 

Click on the link below to hear from Brian!