‘Work from the heart’
Alpena teachers volunteer to help build Habitat for Humanity home
Alpena City EA and Alpena Community College faculty members joined forces to help build a Habitat for Humanity house last summer and fall. At the house are (from left) Tim Kuehnlein, vice president of the Alpena CC EA; Alpena CC counselor Julie Robarge; Alpena City EA President Donice ZiBerna; the homeowners--William and Melissa Hildreth with children Cheyenne, Ashleigh and Billy; Craig Brownridge of Habitat for Humanity; and Matt Kolar, Alpena City EA member.
Alpena Community College counselor Julie Robarge never expected to be part of a home-building team, hammer in hand, in her northern Michigan community on the shores of Lake Huron.
Not until last year, that is.
She was one of more than 30 MEA members from the Alpena City EA and Alpena CC faculty who volunteered to help build a Habitat for Humanity home.
"Teachers build—we build the lives of students, we help build their careers and with our work with Habitat, we're helping to build our community in another way," Robarge said.
"This was a great opportunity for us to reach out to our community," Alpena EA member Matt Kolar said.
Over the summer and fall, the teacher crew completed the rough frame, installed windows and doors, siding, shingles and decks on the four-bedroom, 1,248 square foot ranch home at 421 Adams Street.
"It’s gratifying to really see the results of your work—a home that will serve a family in need for years and years," Alpena EA President Donice ZiBerna said. "You sometimes don’t see immediate results working with students."
The Alpena Area Habitat for Humanity has completed 35 houses since 1990, helping needy families achieve home ownership. The houses are sold at no profit and with no interest charged. Families selected to buy Habitat homes make mortgage payments that go into a revolving Fund for Humanity that is used to build more houses.
William and Melissa Hildreth and their children moved into their new home on Adams Street in December.
The Hildreths helped build the home, pouring more than 300 hours of "sweat equity" into the project.
"We are so grateful for Habitat and for the work of the teachers in building our home," Melissa Hildreth said.
The teachers are grateful as well.
"I enjoyed working with my colleagues in a non-school environment on such a gratifying project,” Kolar said.
Robarge also endorsed the experience.
"Watching the joy of the homeowners, with the biggest grins on their faces, has been rewarding for all of us," she said. "It was also fun working with my MEA colleagues from the Alpena City EA because our paths don’t cross that often.
"I’m extremely impressed with the work of Habitat for Humanity. We’ve certainly gained from this. It brings a smile to your face, because you’re doing work from the heart."