Making their mark

Volunteers are the foundation of Habitat for Humanity and they are literally leaving their footprints at the site of two new homes in Westfort.

Eight volunteers placed their feet in a strip of concrete Friday that will be buried between the two houses the organization is building side-by-side on Mary Street.

"We can’t do it without the volunteers," said CEO Diane Mitchell, adding that it not only represents the volunteers who help construct the houses, but the companies that donate gifts in kind to help keep the construction costs down.

They’re burying the strip of concrete between the houses as a bridge not only connecting the homes, but the community to Habitat for Humanity, Mitchell said.

Gerald Casey left his mark in the concrete and has been volunteering for the organization for eight years. With some builds, he’s put in 40 hour weeks when needed.

"You get behind schedule, you pick up the pace," he said, noting retirement has left him with time to help out and his experience in most areas of construction made Habitat a good fit for him.

"I just believe in their motto, giving the person a hand up rather than a hand out and I enjoy doing the work," he said. "It feels good. I think everybody should get involved in something like this. If it isn’t Habitat, volunteer somewhere."

With the foundation laid for both Mary Street homes, Habitat will finish building one before completing the other with the help of Confederation College in the fall.

"We’re hoping to have the first house completed and the family moved in by Sept. 1," said Mitchell. "It’s a family of four; it’s Mom, Dad, a 13-year-old boy and 11-year-old daughter. They’re quite excited to have bedrooms of their own and space that they’re gong to be able to run around in backyards and have a great life."

Both houses will be 1,100 square feet of main floor space with a crawlspace for utilities. The design of the second house will be the same but flipped.

"It’s easier for the volunteers to build them because they understand the house and how it looks," Mitchell said. "It’s easy for us to be able to do the estimates of how much it’s going to cost to build a home when we know the design."
In addition to the Mary Street homes, Habitat for Humanity will also be renovating a house for a third family this year.

"The more homes we can get access to, the better it is for our community. We have families on a waiting list," said Mitchell. "We’re quite excited to house three families this year."