Hellooooo Florida...

"It's on like Donkey Kong"

Yes, we've safely arrived and are proud to announce the beginning of...

Round Two: Highlands County Habitat for Humanity in Sebring, Florida!

Week 1: Monday: A day of rest, relaxation, and getting to know Sebring after our two days on the road. 

Our housing (a spacious volunteer apartment above Habitat's Home Supply Store) is located just a few blocks from a public beach on Lake Jackson, as well as many cute shops and restaurants in the downtown circle nearby (though everything closes pretty early here, it is after all a mostly retirement community...). Some of our other amenities include YMCA passes, a piano in the kitchen, and tennis courts down the street; this is bound to be a fit and musical second round....

Tuesday: Our first workday we were thrown right into the 'mix' of house-building, getting to stand shin-deep in wet concrete to help lay the foundation of one home site, and digging the 'footers' for another. Though the sky was overcast, we still got a good glimpse of what doing construction in the Florida heat will feel like. 

Wednesday: Installed foundation stakes at the site we dug out the first day, after starting the day with a tour/orientation of Habitat's work in the Highlands County area. Driving around Sebring and Lake Placid, we were shown various sites, both finished homes and undeveloped land donated to the organization. Larry, our sponsor's PR guy, tells us that this Habitat chapter is in the top 5% of Habitat builders in the nation---due to the Florida climate (they can build all year round) and to their high amount of volunteers, "snowbirds" specifically (Northerners who escape to the south each winter).

The highlight of this Highlands tour, though, was meeting a Habitat homeowner whose pride and gratitude towards here new home shined brighter than the sweat glistening off our faces after helping build one. It is families like hers, who were once sleeping on a floor together in lack of affordable housing, that Habitat helps the most. Meeting them reminded us that Habitat is in the business of "hand ups, not hand outs"...and we are happy to lend our hands to help:)

Thursday: At one site we broke apart pieces of a removed chimney to salvage reusable bricks, climbed orange and kumquat trees, and took out heat ducts from under the house; At another, we caulked baseboards, painted doors, and prepped a house for vinyl siding.

Friday: We learn a new type of roofing, with metal sheets (instead of rubber as we conquered in Baltimore...), and get sweet Habitat tees.

Saturday: The team volunteered at the Humane Society 

of Highlands County, walking and bathing adorable dogs in need of a good home. If only we could take one...or seven.

We obviously got to do a variety of construction tasks on a variety of house sites, but we are excited for next week when we will start building from the ground up!

***To send mail/packages to the beautiful members of Eagle Five (without going through Perry Point first...), 

mark "Attn: AmeriCorps" and use this address.