"Success is waking up in the morning, whoever you are, wherever you are, however old or young, and bounding out of bed because there's something out there you love to do, that you believe in, that you're good at-something that's bigger than you are, and you can hardly wait to get at it again today."
-Whit Hobbs
Before I leave for Nags Head in May, I am required to complete at least ten sweat equity hours with an affordable housing charity of my choice. I chose to do my hours with the local Habitat for Humanity here in Kershaw County. This past weekend I finished up the rest of my hours on Gordon Street, helping with a house Habitat hopes to have finished by June. I was fortunate enough to meet one of the family members, who will be moving in this house upon its completion. One of my jobs for the day was painting the trim and the door of the shed in the back yard. Yes!!! painting...I can definitely handle that. I was really inspired by the atmosphere at the build site Saturday. There were volunteers planting flowers, people putting up doors, and family members putting in their hours toward their house. I even got to see Mr. Richard Hagins at work. Who is Richard, you ask?
Another part of my affordable housing curriculum is interviewing someone from a local affordable housing charity. To be honest, I didn't have my person picked out last week and I kinda started to freak out. Those who know me well, know I like to be on top of my game, I'm extremely organized (to the point of almost being a perfectionist), and I'm a tad ocd. I can't help it. When I told my boss about my predicament, she gladly helped me reach out to Richard. Richard assists with the Kershaw County Salkehatchie summer camp. What is Salkehatchie? GREAT QUESTION! Salkehatchie was formed in South Carolina in 1987 as a way to renovate homes for people. It is a week long project hosted by the Methodist church, where teenagers volunteer to help renovate a house for one week of their glorious summers. South Carolina has fifty camps and each one as a director, who is in charge of all the administration and logistics. The Kershaw County camp started in 1991, and Richard was in deed a part of this. This year the camp will have 65 volunteers working on five houses. Something the Salkehatchie leaders do (that I thought was pretty neat) is they let the volunteers choose which house that they want to work on. Richard informed me that most people get their first or second choice. The camps get most of their funding through the $230 application fee people pay to be a part of the camp. This covers food, lodging, etc. This is a great way for teenagers to meet other kids their age around the state and to learn that they can make difference in the world.
Before Salkehatchie begins each summer, Richard and several other people, go around Kershaw County to select houses to work on. Marie Sheheen, who works for United Way, will pass along several different houses for them to look at. Richard told me that they are quite flexible in their selection of families and of houses. Some reasons why a house might not be chosen is because there is not enough work, too much work (RARE), or someone is not actually living in the house. (For example, it is "air property," which means someone owned it, they didn't have a will, they passed away, and now ALL their kids own it together and don't know what to do with it.) Richard also works with an organization called, WARM (Weatherization & Repairs Ministry.) Some houses that Salkehatchie can't take on, get passed down to WARM. What I really liked about Richard was how he talked about not judging people. It's important to be tolerant of others. You never know what someone else is going through. This is a lesson we all could learn.
Richard also told me that it's about MORE than just the house. It's also about the personality of the homeowner. They want someone who is going to engage and encourage the teenagers. The main reason that Richard does Salkehatchie is to teach teens that they CAN make a difference in the world. If he did this all alone, it wouldn't be worthwhile, but he has something he can pass on. If he helps just one person it was all worth it because that person will pas it on and so on and so forth. I think about this and I think about Bike and Build. This experience won't just change the homeowners we help, but maybe it will change us as well. I asked him WHY he thought it was important to engage young people in civic service? He stopped and very seriously he said, "because they are the FUTURE of our world." I can tell Richard is very passionate about what he does with this organization and just by speaking with him, I can tell that yes...he has made a difference. Sometimes I wonder if I am absolutely crazy to believe in the world and to believe that there is so much light out there. When I talk to someone like Richard, I see that I am not crazy. At his age he not only believes in the good out there, but he has seen it and he KNOWS it exists. Talking with Richard gave me a lot of hope, not just for myself, but for the world around me. What we see is what we choose to see and we can make any experience a positive or negative one. My experiences are what I choose to make of them.
Richard's favorite homeowner story is about a run down house in Bethune. One day, they were out in Bethune looking for houses to renovate for the Salkehatchie summer camp. They stopped at a house where the roof was falling in and a sweet older black lady answered the door. Behind her, stood a little girl. When she saw Richard she said, "Granny, that's Jesus." That summer they worked on her house and that family was so incredibly grateful to them.
There is SO much more from my interview that I could say. Thank you Richard for not only providing me with a plethora of information, but for giving me hope. It's not everyday that you get to see people so passionate about what they do. And also thank you to Ray at Habitat for Humanity for not only putting up with me, but for teaching me things that will be useful this summer. You guys do a great job!
Before Salkehatchie begins each summer, Richard and several other people, go around Kershaw County to select houses to work on. Marie Sheheen, who works for United Way, will pass along several different houses for them to look at. Richard told me that they are quite flexible in their selection of families and of houses. Some reasons why a house might not be chosen is because there is not enough work, too much work (RARE), or someone is not actually living in the house. (For example, it is "air property," which means someone owned it, they didn't have a will, they passed away, and now ALL their kids own it together and don't know what to do with it.) Richard also works with an organization called, WARM (Weatherization & Repairs Ministry.) Some houses that Salkehatchie can't take on, get passed down to WARM. What I really liked about Richard was how he talked about not judging people. It's important to be tolerant of others. You never know what someone else is going through. This is a lesson we all could learn.
Richard also told me that it's about MORE than just the house. It's also about the personality of the homeowner. They want someone who is going to engage and encourage the teenagers. The main reason that Richard does Salkehatchie is to teach teens that they CAN make a difference in the world. If he did this all alone, it wouldn't be worthwhile, but he has something he can pass on. If he helps just one person it was all worth it because that person will pas it on and so on and so forth. I think about this and I think about Bike and Build. This experience won't just change the homeowners we help, but maybe it will change us as well. I asked him WHY he thought it was important to engage young people in civic service? He stopped and very seriously he said, "because they are the FUTURE of our world." I can tell Richard is very passionate about what he does with this organization and just by speaking with him, I can tell that yes...he has made a difference. Sometimes I wonder if I am absolutely crazy to believe in the world and to believe that there is so much light out there. When I talk to someone like Richard, I see that I am not crazy. At his age he not only believes in the good out there, but he has seen it and he KNOWS it exists. Talking with Richard gave me a lot of hope, not just for myself, but for the world around me. What we see is what we choose to see and we can make any experience a positive or negative one. My experiences are what I choose to make of them.
Richard's favorite homeowner story is about a run down house in Bethune. One day, they were out in Bethune looking for houses to renovate for the Salkehatchie summer camp. They stopped at a house where the roof was falling in and a sweet older black lady answered the door. Behind her, stood a little girl. When she saw Richard she said, "Granny, that's Jesus." That summer they worked on her house and that family was so incredibly grateful to them.
There is SO much more from my interview that I could say. Thank you Richard for not only providing me with a plethora of information, but for giving me hope. It's not everyday that you get to see people so passionate about what they do. And also thank you to Ray at Habitat for Humanity for not only putting up with me, but for teaching me things that will be useful this summer. You guys do a great job!
It may be such
a fairy-tale secret,
this much
I know:
The road leads
wherever
you need to go.
You need to go
wherever
the road leads-
I know
this much.
A fairy-tale secret?
It may be such.
-"The Road"
by Marilyn Singer
Don't forget....Happy Poetry Month!
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