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We began the morning in East Menlo Park with bagels and a pep talk by AmeriCorps workers and Habitat for Humanity officials. To put it lightly, we had a strenuous day ahead of us. We were to paint approximately five rooms, including ceilings, with primer. Another team was assigned outside to jackhammer the stucco off the front and sides of the house. A third, and final team, was charged with digging holes on the side of the property for fence posts. As I walked around and examined the activities, I realized the twelve Fellows were equitably sharing the load of the project and having a great time doing the work as a team.
After so much time in offices and conference rooms, it felt great to get some physical exertion in for a good cause. After our work day, we sat down with Habitat Executive Director, Phil Kilbridge and the Director of Government and Legal Affairs, Jim Murray (both Coro alumni). We had an engaging conversation about affordable housing in the Bay Area and learned about Habitat’s recent merger. In the car ride back to San Francisco, we all discussed how tired and dirty we had become. But we never lost sight of how we, even by small contributions such as painting or putting up a fence, were making a difference – in this case for the family that would be moving into the house in the very near future. |
