- Emily

Since my unfortunate incident, I haven’t been to the Habitat site for about a month. Mostly because I’m afraid I’ll be klutzy and hurt my other foot. And since that time, I’ve been thinking back on my first few visits to the Habitat site.

One of the things I found different from the Habitat for Humanity in Colorado and the Habitat here in Texas was the length of “job” shifts at the construction site.  In Colorado, people are normally assigned a shift of about 3-4 hours on site, rather than an all-day shift. My first volunteer day here I thought I was going to die. It was physically exhausting, and difficult to get used to.

But the more I reflect on those shifts and the difference here in Texas, the more I realize that working all day is actually better for us volunteers. By working for 8 hours on the Habitat site, you are working with dozens of different people, maybe even a hundred a month. I wonder, exactly how many people would you interact with if you only worked for 3 hours once or twice a month?  How many stories would you be able to hear, to empathize with? How many families’ struggles would you be able bear witness to?

It might be sentimental, but I can’t help but think that every time I meet someone and hear their struggle, their story, or their heartbreak, it makes me want to be a better person. And the more people I can interact with, the more relationships I create, the better I want to become. I think that’s worth the extra 4 hour shift.

Now keep your fingers crossed that I’ll be seeing you all on-site within the next few weeks.

In a story entitled, “At The Community Garden, It’s Community That’s the Hard Part” by Dan Charles of NPR, neighbors in several cities across the country banded together to beautify, revive, and take back their towns. They worked together to develop community gardens, and what made these gardens different was that no one staked out individual plots. Everyone worked on the gardens together.

The problem with these gardens was that there were very few people that felt invested enough to work hard, while there were several people who only showed up to pick the fruit of other’s labors. The more people felt overworked and resentful, the more discouraged they got.

There were, however, a few gardens that managed to overcome these odds. And here, the camaraderie between people that developed was more important than the garden itself. Says Betsy Fortuna of the Grosse Pointe Park in Detriot, “There’s neighbors helping neighbors, people getting each other jobs, and all kinds of good things. Just knowing everybody – knowing that if you need something you can go ask anybody on the street:  It changes everything.”

I couldn’t help but think of Habitat when I heard this story. I’ll be honest, it’s frustrating working with people who perhaps aren’t trying or working as diligently as you think you are, or who have different personalities than you do. But stories like this remind me that no matter what the annoyances, building relationships and opening yourself up to a new community of people have benefits that go beyond making a new friend. It’s about developing a network of relationships and communication that lasts for decades and generations. And isn’t that worth a sunburn or two?

My first day on the construction site at Austin Habitat, I helped raised walls. I really know how to ease into manual labor! And when the day ended around 5:00, I went home exhausted and pleased that I hadn’t died. But the more I think back on that day, the more I think about how selfish my motives were. Habitat isn’t a weekend workout or a bragging right; it’s a way of living and thinking. While it’s nice to be able to spread the news of what Habitat is doing and let your friends know your hobbies, this organization isn’t a place where people advertise how amazing they are because of what they do. That is where Habitat is a way of thinking. Any of us are capable of falling onto hard times, losing a house or loved one, or making a bad decision. We aren’t any different from the thousands of other Austinites that live here. And by knowing and recognizing that we are all the same, we can stop the perpetuating thought that we are better because we have a house in this neighborhood, or how many karma points we are earning by giving up our Saturday to paint. We aren’t better people for helping out someone in need, we’re the same people helping out a fellow mom or dad, sister or coworker. We believe that we’re all in this together. Now let’s start nailing!

- Jeff Hurst, Senior Director of Strategy

“One of the reasons I decided to work for HomeAway was because it is a company that contributes to organizations like Habitat for Humanity. It’s been a great opportunity for me to get to work on this home with this family today.”

-Dyron Taylor, Sales

“I feel really privileged to be able to get involved in something like this. It really feels good to come out and get your hands dirty.”

- Tessa Ruddy, International Account Manager

Saturday, October 15, 6:30am

Volunteers showed up on site this morning before the sun came up. By lunchtime, the walls were all up! A huge thank you to HomeAway and all the volunteers that came out to partner with us today to change lives.

Saturday, October 15, 11:30am

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