Habitat Event Brings REALTORS®, Others Together In Service
Having never participated in a Habitat for Humanity project before, I was looking forward to participating in Sunday's volunteer effort here in Las Vegas. I expected it to be a rewarding and fun experience but was not prepared for just how much camaraderie and spirit was shown by the terrific folks who turned out.
The day started out with a jovial bunch of (no doubt highly caffeinated) REALTORS®, NAR staff members and friends on an 8 a.m. bus to the northern edge of the city, where Habitat is building seven homes. When we arrived at the site, the group was impressed by the progress on the homes so far - in fact, one was just about done and was scheduled to be presented to its owner, Patti Parker, at a dedication ceremony later in the afternoon. Before then, our group was divided into five smaller teams working on several of the as-yet-unfinished homes, with our tasks including carrying concrete roof tiles, removing fences, and installing insulation.
I ended up on the roof of one of the homes as part of a human assembly line to transport the concrete roof tiles from the ground to the roof, where they were placed in rows in preparation for later installation. The tiles were quite heavy, but the group was hysterical - talking, cracking jokes, and even breaking into song occasionally. My favorite exchange involved one volunteer telling another that he was "getting pretty buff" from all the hard work, and that he should think of joining the Chippendales - he could even get a job in Vegas! This lead to a rousing chorus of "Macho, Macho Man," which had me laughing so hard I nearly lost my footing. Needless to say, the work went quickly, and it was a lot of fun.
Afterward, we had a boxed lunch and then watched the dedication ceremony, during which NAR President Pat V. Combs handed the keys to Patti and her two daughters. It was inspiring to see her dream of homeownership come true and to realize that, that same day, our volunteers had played a part in making the same thing happen for another family in the not-too-distant future. Thanks to NAR for supporting this important cause and enabling our participation with Habitat!
