Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Koons | USS Wasp sailors and other volunteers gather material for the construction of two...... read more read more
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NORFOLK, Va. – A group of 10 sailors from USS Wasp devoted their time Oct. 26 to aiding the less fortunate in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area by helping the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity build two houses for needy families.
“One of the families moving in has a disabled child, and the other has a total of five children, and both are in difficult financial straits,” said Joe Rosenhouse, the construction manager for Habitat for Humanity’s South Hampton Roads chapter. “Our mission is to build houses for families that cannot afford the down payment on their homes. We don’t give these houses away, we sell them at cost. The future inhabitants put in 250 to 400 hours of ‘sweat equity’ themselves helping to build these houses. We try to stay in the $75,000 range for each house.”
The Wasp sailors, who were part of the ship’s Volunteer Service Program, aided the regular Habitat for Humanity workers in constructing the interior of the two houses, located on Red Mill Blvd. in Virginia Beach. This greatly helped in the process of getting these homes up and running, said Rosenhouse.
“While the electricity, heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and foundations of our houses are done by contractors, everything else is built by volunteers,” he said. “We try to get these homes completed on a 12 to 16 week timetable.”
According to Rosenhouse, the Wasp volunteers were just the latest in a long tradition of both current and former service members aiding Habitat for Humanity in its endeavors.
“A lot of our project team leaders are retired from the military,” he said. “They try to pass on their knowledge of building these houses to younger people who volunteer, who will then pass it on to those who come after them.”
For the Wasp sailors who aided in the construction projects, helping to build these houses was a worthwhile effort.
“I enjoy these kinds of community service projects because it feels good to know that you are helping people in need without getting paid to do it,” said Petty Officer (SW/AW) Sheri Russell, damage controlman fireman.
“It’s always a good thing when you help out those who are less fortunate,” said Airman Trenton Padgett, aviation machinist’s mate. “I know that if I was in a similar situation as those for whom we are building these houses, I would welcome as much help as I could get.”
| Date Taken: | 10.26.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.01.2010 13:12 |
| Story ID: | 59237 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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