Habitat Focuses on Leadership
by Cynthia Jobe
Habitat House Leaders…Leading us into Our Future. Building a Legacy that Lasts Forever.
Ask Joe Cardon, a Habitat house leader for six years and a Habitat volunteer since 1994, why you should become a leader and he will explain, “It will be one of the most rewarding things that you ever do.” Joe, who continues to give his Saturdays to lead Habitat crews, will tell you that it is hard work, but extremely rewarding. “It is such a strong sense of accomplishment when the home is completed – a sense of pride. It really feels good to know that you are making a lasting impact on a family and a community. Sometimes I drive by the homes I have lead and I see the kids playing outside or the family working in the yard. I don’t stop, I just smile because I know I helped to change their lives forever.”
Or ask Dale Somer what he enjoys most about being a house leader for Habitat. He will also confirm that the experience is rewarding. “It’s very satisfying to teach and lead others on projects they have never done before like raising walls, installing roof trusses or hanging a door.”
Habitat for Humanity St. Louis has built 186 homes under the leadership of people like Joe, Dale and countless others who give their time and leadership to help people obtain the most basic necessity: a place to call home. As our home-building goals continue to increase, we are faced with an enormous need for more house leaders and crew leaders. Historically, our generous corporate sponsors have provided house leaders and crew leaders as a part of their sponsorship. However, increasingly these skills are not available from our sponsors and we must look elsewhere to fill these critical roles.
Our board recently approved a long-term growth plan for Habitat to build 50 houses per year by 2015.
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“It’s very satisfying to teach and lead others on projects they have never done before like raising walls, installing roof trusses or hanging a door.”
House Leader Dale Somer
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As we continue to increase the number of homes we build per year, we will attract more and more sponsors that will not be able to provide this crucial resource for a successful build. The shortage of house and crew leaders will directly impact the number of houses we will be able to build and our ability for continued growth. We are very proud that Habitat for Humanity St. Louis is ranked 34th of the 100 top Habitat affiliates in the nation. We would like to maintain or improve this ranking, and need the valuable resource of leaders to do so.
What Does a House Leader Do?
A house leader is the person who oversees each home as it is constructed, ensuring safety and quality construction. He or she works directly with the Habitat for Humanity construction manager or site coordinator in directing and supervising crew leaders and volunteers. A house leader should have the experience or ability to lead the crew through most aspects of residential home construction including: reading construction documents, developing work plans, laying out specific material placement and explaining the layout to crew leaders and volunteers. It is often possible for two to three qualified people to share the responsibility of house leader throughout the duration of a build.
Most of the tasks can be taught and Habitat does provide training for those with a basic aptitude for working with their hands and the ability to lead and teach others. The most important characteristics of a house leader are the ability to organize, lead and motivate people, and having a dynamic “get it done” attitude.
What Does a Crew Leader Do?
Habitat relies on crew leaders to work hand-in-hand with site volunteers to ensure job site safety, quality and productivity. Crew leaders are charged with making sure volunteers have enough meaningful work to do on the site. Each crew leader guides a team of four or five unskilled or semi-skilled volunteers. The crew leader demonstrates and teaches specific construction tasks such as putting up siding, painting or laying a floor.
The most important characteristics of a crew leader are the ability to learn quickly and a knack for teaching and coaching others. Multiple persons who rotate on a schedule can also share the crew leader job.
How You Can Help
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“Go ahead and make the call. We’ll teach you what you need to know, as long as you are willing to help others.”
House Leader Jim Kennedy
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We all know people who are good with their hands and love spending time on home repair or renovation. Maybe it’s a retired person who is a do-it yourselfer or a carpentry student who needs work experience. Maybe it’s a construction professional who wants to give back to the community. Maybe it’s your neighbor or your brother-in-law. Regardless of whom it is, these are the types of people who have what it takes to make a difference within the Habitat family.
We know that often people don’t volunteer simply because they have not been asked. On behalf of the thousands of people needing homes in St. Louis, please ask your friends to consider becoming a house leader or crew leader at Habitat. We need volunteers and leaders so that “one house at a time we can change lives forever.” As Jim Kennedy, a long-time Habitat house leader says, “Go ahead and make the call. We’ll teach you what you need to know, as long as you are willing to help others.”
On behalf of Habitat St. Louis and all of our wonderful partners, we want to give a special thank you to all of our house leaders and crew leaders. You make our mission possible.
For more information, contact Vinita at 314-371-0400 or vinita@habitatstl.org
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