Building Homes with Habitat for Humanity
This year will mark a milestone. It will mark 20 years that Bill Haines, US Director of Engineering, has been involved with the senior high at the Congregational Church of Topsfield (Mass.). "My wife and I were asked to go on a Habitat for Humanity mission trip to Sumter, SC with eight high school kids. The area had been ravaged by Hurricane Hugo. There were two new homes being built and we shingled one roof and put plywood on the other. I was hooked!", explained Bill.
Since that first trip, Bill has gone on 13 others. He has traveled to places such as Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota; Yakima, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; North Carolina; Tennessee; and Denver, Colorado. This year, he will travel to Crow Creek, South Dakota for another Habitat project.
"The trips are called Learning & Serving Trips and we try to incorporate a construction aspect with learning about the local culture and the social and economic issues they face", states Bill. When asked if he had a favorite trip, Bill replied, "They are all good. We get to help people, we get our kids out of their narrow socio-economic community and show them a bigger world. To see someone's life change before your eyes is a powerful thing!". The trips usually run for a week after school ends in late June/early July. Outside of the trips, Bill acts a mentor to the senior high "FAITHWORKS" PROGRAM at the church and sits on the Board of Christian Youth & Families.
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