YP Volunteer Event: Habitat for Humanity Demolition!

WOW! What a weekend! It might've been cold and rainy out on Saturday morning, but while the rest of the town was moping about the weather, an active group of YP and Habitat for Humanity volunteers were up early and ready to work.

A group of us helped a team of Habitat folks take apart a home out on the Old Mission Peninsula that will be town down and rebuilt. All the things we took apart--trim, cabinets, sinks, doors--and everything left in the house that we hauled out ended up in a garage ready for an estate sale. Some of our team spent the day pulling of aluminum siding to scrap, and given the constant downpour outside, let's just say I was totally content to stay inside and pull trim off of walls and remove nails.

The garage was STUFFED with stuff four or five hours later. There were some real gems hidden in that house if you've got the eye for that kind of thing. I all but went ballistic when we came across an original Sega Genesis (complete with Mortal Kombat and Sonic the Hedgehog games)! I'm not sure when the estate sale is, but I may consider driving back up the peninsula specifically to own that Genesis...

I had a great time working with my fellow YPs. We had a lot of hours together this past Saturday morning, and I learned more about all the people there that I don't get to see in passing at the meetings. It's amazing how close I feel to people when I work with them on a great cause, like Habitat for Humanity. There's nothing like sitting on the floor pulling out nails with someone to bring you together, right? And I'm pretty sure we all felt bonded after removing a shelf from an upstairs closet and saw a really old and nasty bagel (with peanut butter) slide off the shelf onto the floor. I mean, those are the things that build friendships, people.

The homeowner graciously cooked everyone up some brats and hot dogs for lunch, complete with potato chips and chocolate chip cookies. How could we not have a good time?! The sun came out for a brief few moments, as did a beautiful Leonberger dog named Bella, who pretty much stole all of our hearts. I may or may not have given her potato chips to show my affection, but I'm pretty sure all she really wanted was a hot dog. Maybe next time, Bella.

There are more YP volunteer opportunities coming up in the next few weeks, so if you're interested in doing good with good folks, keep your eyes and ears open for announcements about upcoming opportunities on our Facebook page. Thanks to everyone who braved the crappy weather to join us, and a big thanks for the Habitat crew for showing us the ins and outs of demolition! (Some of these photos came from the Habitat GTR Facebook page...check 'em out!)