Post Messenger Recorder -

Dear Editor,

During the last month, people have been watching as the house at 200 1st Avenue was demolished, a hole was dug, a basement was poured, and work was started on a house being built by Habitat for Humanity. The majority of the work was done by professionals. Volunteers tarred the basement walls and nailed on styrofoam.

Now it is time to move from watching the progress to being part of helping the build become a reality. Habitat has a motto that “we build homes, community, and hope.” As more volunteers get involved with the building home part, the building community part becomes more and more real. The majority of the work will be happening with large groups of volunteers (12 – 18) on Saturdays, with preparatory work getting done by smaller groups (6 – 8) on Wednesdays. Sometimes the work group will consist of a mixture of folks who happen to be available and are willing to work on that day. On other days the group will consist of people from an identifiable group, i.e. all belong to a given church, all work at the same place, all are members of or friends of a given family, etc.

It makes for a more organized build if Habitat knows in advance how many people to expect. Therefore, we are requesting that people make their availability known in one of three ways. If you prefer to use the phone, call Habitat at (608) 329-4024 and leave a message with your name and phone number and express your willingness to work. If you have a given day when you would like to volunteer, state that.

If you tend to be more of a techie, you have three options. You can text Leah Hanson at (608) 347-8082. You can go to the Facebook Page entitled Habitat New Glarus Build and make your interest known. Or, sign up by going to https://volunteergreencounty.galaxydigital.com. This is a website used for volunteering for a number of non-profit organizations in Green County. Once on the website look under the “Agencies” section. Look for Habitat. Simply complete a short form and become a “fan” of our page, and you’ll dynamically receive all updates and additions to the schedule. This final way is the best way to stay informed as to what is happening and when there is need.

On the first day that you arrive on site, you will be expected to complete a form and to sign a waiver. We welcome young adults ages 14 and older as long as they are accompanied by a responsible adult and have completed our consent form. Our work day is from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Snacks are offered mid-morning, and a lunch is provided by volunteers. Making food available is one of the ways that a person or group can volunteer.

As one who has given many hours to Habitat over the last 13 years, I have longed for the day when we could build in my hometown, New Glarus. This is a wonderful community where people are used to volunteering. We count on this being a memorable build and our community being even stronger because of this build.

Carol Holmes