Habitat for Humanity Archives - Nevada Volunteers

MLK Day: Hard Work Makes A Dream Come True

Bright and early on MLK Day, 35 Great Basin Institute Nevada Conservation Corps (NCC) AmeriCorps members gathered with volunteers from Habitat for Humanity to build a house for a family in need. Members spent the day helping the single mother create a home of her own, and worked tirelessly to clean up three empty lots surrounding the house so that she could feel pride in her neighborhood when she looked out her window.

Krista Johnson, NCC member, shared her experience, ” I was initially disappointed that I wouldn’t be working on the house and would be cleaning up trash and pulling weeds at a vacant lot across the street until I realized the view the family would have from the front would be that of the vacant lot. It reminded me that a house never stands alone; it’s always a part of a neighborhood, the way a person is never just a single person but part of a community. By helping beautify and improve the neighborhood, we were helping the family too. In the end, I felt great about our work on MLK Day.” (more…)

MLK Day 2011: A Day On, Not A Day Off

“Service above self will be the cornerstone of my administration as Governor,” Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval proclaimed. He joined approximately 70 AmeriCorps members bright and early in Las Vegas, Nevada on Martin Luther King Jr. Day morning to celebrate the Day of Service.

Partnering with Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas, Nevada Volunteers’ AmeriCorps members gathered together to build three special homes in honor of the 25^th anniversary of the holiday recognizing one of America’s great heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. More than 40 years after his death, Dr. King’s example continues to guide Nevadans in addressing the state’s most critical issues.

The event in southern Nevada brought together AmeriCorps State members from Great Basin Institute’s Nevada Conservation Corps, Luz Community Development Coalition, and the United Way of Southern Nevada, along with AmeriCorps VISTA members serving southern Nevada nonprofit agencies. The Governor jumped in to lend a hand with the AmeriCorps members, at one point even aiding them on the roof by nailing on shingles. (more…)

Roadpost #2: Shopping Around

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puogbMyagQg]

Joyce is a nuts and bolts kind of gal, literally. She volunteers at the Truckee Meadows Habitat for Humanity Discount Supply Store, and she sorts, among other things, nuts and bolts. She’s a real fun person to be around, but she also is very pragmatic. She has some great advice for those looking for the perfect place to volunteer—shop around.

Joyce has always been a person who helps out, but while she was working and raising a family she lived with an ultra-tight schedule. When she retired, she didn’t want a schedule, so she was very careful not to jump into any regular volunteer commitment for the first year. She shopped around, doing random opportunities like one-day events with her friends. Joyce says, “I held back from commitment because I was afraid if I didn’t take the time to have an unscheduled life, I wouldn’t know how to retire.” It makes perfect sense, and that’s Joyce. She’s down-to-earth and practical. (more…)