Creating Social Value Blog / Service in Action

Habitat Build in Vero Beach Florida

Today, the Babson Habitat for Humanity collegiate chapter continued our work building homes in the Indian River community. We performed a variety of tasks both individually and in teams: roofing, painting, sanding, etc. We think we speak on behalf of the entire team when we say we’ve learned so much from the “sweat equity” we’ve put in thus far. Besides the tasks, we’ve also fostered great relationships, both with each other and with the volunteers. We all love our supervisors Richard, Charlie and Ishmael because they teach us with so much patience, which was reinforced every time I incorrectly nailed a shingle. Additionally, speaking with the homeowners gives us a level of insight which we couldn’t have foreseen. It is amazing to see that our work will make such an impact on the lives of the people we just met. Furthermore, we were amazed by the great lengths they go to to earn the opportunity of a Habitat house—exemplified by their willingness to work alongside volunteers and, in some cases, take long bus rides to and from the build site. To say this trip, which we are hardly halfway through, has already had a huge impact on us as people would be an understatement.

–Kenrick Alfred ’19 and Justin Dill ‘17