For almost ten years (1997-2006) I was an active volunteer for Habitat for Humanity Detroit. I built houses, led the church outreach committee, networked the office computers, organized fundraisers, and finally settled in an area I enjoyed most: taking photos, writing website content, and designing the website.
I had a great time working with other volunteers to raise walls, install trusses, and sheath roofs.
One of my favorite memories as a volunteer is climbing the scaffolding to the top of a two-story house to talk with the house leader. And I used to be scared of heights!
Jimmy Carter Work Project 2005 in Detroit
During the Jimmy Carter Work Project (JWCP), 30 new homes were built in one week in southwest Detroit, Michigan.
Over 1,500 volunteers came from all over the United States to work on the homes.
It was an incredible week of home-building, making new friends, and late nights/early mornings as I published a daily recap along with a slideshow of photos on the Habitat for Humanity Detroit website for each build day.
For many homeowners and volunteers, the highlight of the JCWP 2005 build was when Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn visited each one of the nearly-completed Habitat Detroit homes at the end of the week.
Here’s the video slideshow of photos (six minutes with music) I created during the JWCP build in Detroit.
The video includes photos of volunteers, homeowners, sponsors as well as the Carters, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kirkpatrick.
