On April 5th, 2017, I went on a trip to Dover, NJ to build houses for the underprivileged with WMC’s Highlanders for Humanity club, which worked alongside the Dover Habitat for Humanity organization. Arriving at the houses, I was impressed by their size and appearance. However, I would continue to admire the hard work it takes to build a house from scratch, including the inside work like painting and vacuuming.

For around 5 hours, a group of WMC students and I worked inside the house to paint the kitchen, living room, bedroom, closet, and bathroom.  It was certainly exhausting, as many of us weren’t used to this kind of physical labor, but we enjoyed knowing that we were supporting others in the community who needed it.

John Q, the leader of the Dover area chapter of Habitat for Humanity, explained one way his organization assists the underprivileged. Habitat for Humanity has a 0% interest rate on the house, as well at a 1% down payment plan that creates managable bills so the family does not have to worry about being able to afford their house. Also, many of the houses built by Habitat for Humanity use solar panels,therefore reducing the cost of utilities.

The houses include a living room connected to a kitchen, two bathrooms, four bedrooms, and two closets on two levels. Kurt Denton, a student volunteer, said this about the day:

“It was a great experience to help out the Dover community. It was a long but enjoyable day and I liked both helping people and spending time with my friends”.

Overall, this was a great experience and it allowed me to appreciate the value of helping others.  To anyone who didn’t go this year, I highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity when you can. It was a very rewarding day that proved that anyone can volunteer and create a lasting impact for someone else.