Habitat is more than just a club i joined once I got to school. It is a family that changed my life forever. Habitat is an organization built on faith and hope. Their primary purpose is to give a family a home, but most importantly they provide families with community, hope and dignity. But, beyond what they provide for their Habitat families, they provide so much for their volunteers too. I have been lucky enough to go on two Habitat for Humanity Trips so far, and both of them changed my life for the better.

The first trip I went on was to Lucedale, Mississippi. We spent the whole week siding, insulating and roofing this house for a family of four, and lucky enough for us, we got to meet that family. The awesome part about Habitat is that each family that receives a home has to put in volunteer hours too. So we got to work with them, and help them bring their house to life. They walked us around the floor of the house with only wooden beams up telling us which room was which. To them it was going to be where they slept, ate, lived their life, and I was a part of making that happen. I was able to help this family receive a home. A home that I always seemed to take advantage of before this. Not everyone has a shelter that they can call a home. You forget sometimes how privileged you are until you work with organizations like Habitat. They remind you of your blessings, and give you an opportunity to provide one for another.

The second trip I went on was to Des Moines, Iowa. Same organization, same values completely different experience and lesson. In Iowa, we sided, did demolition and chipped paint. It was a week of fastpaced efficient work. Many of us overcame our fears of heights and we demonstrated hard work. We did demolition to help clear a land for 22 homes to be built. We sided a house in preparation for a blitz build which they planned on building 8-12 houses in less than a month. We then chipped away lead paint on an elderly woman. Although we were only working on one project each, those projects were in preparation for something amazing. Us moving away branches, pulling at weeds and knocking down a garage prepared this land for 22 families. Us siding that one house helped plan the rest of the 8-12 houses. We were the baby steps to beautiful creations.

Habitat has shaped me into the person I am today, and I can't imagine my life without Habitat from now on. They change people's lives each and every day. The go above and beyond in all that they do with their families and their volunteers. They give families a chance to afford a mortgage and have a stable area to grow. They give their volunteers a purpose and teach them the value of a house. They teach them the importance of human dignity too. We all deserve to feel like we have a purpose and a dignity to stand on, and Habitat gives people that. Like I said Habitat for Humanity is more than just an organization, it is a family that I am proud to be a part of.