Humanitarian of the Year

Habitat for Humanity just keeps on giving

By Nathan J. Comp

Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity

To say Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity had a busy year of firsts would understate the difference it made in the lives of at least 11 Milwaukee families.

And it certainly would fall short in describing the impact the organization had on the many volunteers who stepped in and helped make that difference.

First, in June, came the Builder’s Blitz, an audacious endeavor where Habitat for Humanity and its volunteers built 10 single-family homes in Milwaukee’s Metcalf Park area in just five days. With costs exceeding $600,000 and more than 1,000 workers pitching in, the Milwaukee blitz was the fifth largest of Habitat’s national campaign. The Metropolitan Builders Association raised money for the blitz.

Tom Weir said he always admired how “outrageously effective” Habitat for Humanity is. So, as president of Carmel Builders Inc., Menomonee Falls, he decided his company would help make the 2006 Builder’s Blitz a success.

Weir oversaw the organization of 225 people, covering all aspects of home construction.

“The biggest challenges were managing tight schedules, getting everyone on board and then getting them to buy into the schedules,” he said.

What moved Weir more than the project’s scale was the encouragement it gave other home owners in the area to clean up their neighborhood. With construction well under way, Weir said, he observed other home owners sweeping sidewalks and planting flowers.

Habitat, he said, fostered a growing sense of pride in the community.

“It was a real eye-opener for us,” he said. “Habitat for Humanity plants a lot of seeds, and those seeds are bearing lots of fruit.”

Next came Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity’s first Women’s Build. Launched with great expectations earlier this year, the program featured about 65 women spending the week of July 17 erecting a two-story, single-family home on Milwaukee’s North 36th Street. The project was sponsored by Wisconsin Construction Real Estate Women and Milwaukee’s Women’s Fund, among other corporate sponsors and grants.

“Part of doing the Women’s Build is because the industry has been traditionally dominated by men — and to provide women with an opportunity to learn in an environment where they don’t feel foolish,” said Barb Morgan, a Habitat for Humanity volunteer who was instrumental in organizing the event.

The female volunteers attended a series of seminars in May and June to learn power-tool safety, exterior-siding installation, interior finishing and insulation, and drywall installation. Then, in July, they raised the walls, secured the trusses and placed the roof on the home.

Not only was the Women’s Build intended to empower women, but it also encouraged them to enter the industry — and volunteer on the construction side of Habitat for Humanity.

Founded in 1985, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity has built or rehabbed 307 homes. According to its Web site, it is one of Milwaukee’s largest providers of affordable housing. By year’s end, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity will have built 35 homes in the Metcalfe Park and Washington Park neighborhoods.

There are more than 2,300 organization affiliates worldwide. Habitat for Humanity International built more than 200,000 homes since its founding in 1976.