Guest writer: CORE Volunteer Member, Matt
I’ve been a CORE Volunteer with Habitat Oakland since August 2017. At that time I had taken an early retirement from Hewlett Packard after 41 years of service with GM / EDS / Hewlett Packard.
I was looking for something fulfilling to do that would also contribute to the community. I had considered volunteering for Habitat for many years but I never felt I had the construction skills to make a contribution.
I discussed my concern with a Habitat CORE Volunteer who essentially told me there is plenty of opportunity to contribute to Habitat regardless of skill level. Habitat will mentor you for what you would like to do. He invited me to come with him to a Rock the Block in Southfield that year to see what Habitat Oakland does in terms of home repairs. I partnered with him on his RTB team and he introduced me to Site Supervisors and the Habitat front office people.
Following the Rock the Block experience, I began volunteering at the House for Autism new house build in Auburn Hills. Over the last three years, I have volunteered for seven to ten house rebuilds. I enjoy working on the homes a couple of days a week, learning new skills, building friendships with the other volunteers and contributing to the community.
