The Many Faces of Habitat
Below, read a Q&A from an HFHSA board member.
Habitat Board Member Jim Heath
Jim Heath has been is in his third year as a Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio volunteer. He is also a weekend volunteer.
Q: What does Habitat mean to you?
A: Initially, Habitat meant an opportunity to do some construction work at the job site to help build a nice home for low income families. It was a charitable opportunity offered through my church. As I took the opportunity more and more, I met some of the families and had a first hand look at the effect of what these homes meant to the families. One of the families came and spoke at our church. When I was offered the opportunity to become a board member, I considered it an honor to serve in that capacity for such a worthwhile organization. I have learned so much more about the structure of the organization and about the incredible depth of commitment that I saw by employees and other board members was infectious. To be a small part of this incredible organization is an honor and I feel as though it is the best thing I can do to serve mankind and help those in need.
Q: What do you feel Habitat means to our community?
A: Habitat has built so many affordable homes in San Antonio for people who would otherwise not be able to afford to own a home of their own and in many cases would be living in dangerous neighborhoods where the children would have less opportunity for education and stability. They not only offer nice homes for needy people, they add to the tax rolls of San Antonio, they add nice neighborhoods to areas that would otherwise remain undeveloped, and they provide safe family-oriented neighborhoods for the families to raise their children. These children contribute to the community as they grow up as more stable adults and responsible citizens. They are able and willing to return to their community what they were offered.
Q: What is your involvement with Habitat and how has it changed you?
A: I am currently serving as a board member for Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio and I volunteer through my church to do weekend work on the houses. The board has given me insights and so much appreciation for the organization and its employees and management. The complexity of the organization and the ease with which the operation is run is a compliment to the management and staff. It is not an easy thing to manage an organization of this size with so many pieces to keep running smoothly. Having spent many years in business management, I have learned to appreciate the style of management and the effectiveness and intelligence of the wonderful staff from top to bottom. I have also learned a great deal more appreciation for the cause of Habitat. I had always had an interest in Habitat as an occasional weekend worker, but it is so much more educational and rewarding to give back to the community in very practical ways that you can see every day. To take a drive through some of the Habitat subdivisions and see the families that have been able to take advantage of the homes and have added to the homes, and to see how they have decorated them and taken care of them since moving in to their own homes is so heart warming for me and my family. To think that we had a small part of helping some of these families to get here is humbling.
Q: What is your most memorable Habitat moment?
A: My most memorable moment has to be when I was working on one of the homes one weekend and was digging in the back yard to plant a tree. A man came over to help and we started talking about the house and how it was coming along. After talking for a while about the house, he said to me that it is not a house it is MY HOME. I had no idea that the man I was working along side was the owner of this home. Never again could I just look at the place I was working and call it a house.
Q: What would you tell others who may not be familiar with Habitat about the program?
A: I tell people about Habitat all the time. There are so many really unique parts of Habitat and its programs. I have had many opportunities to tell friends and other business people about the no-interest loans, the low rate of foreclosure, the fact that the owners take a part in the construction, that they all invest 300 hours of sweat equity in their own homes, learning how to make repairs, how to budget, how they get to know their neighbors and how economically frugal Habitat is when it comes to the money being spent. I was not aware of the Home Centers and that the proceeds derived from them are funding the overhead for Habitat allowing for the other contributions to be used solely for building homes. Most business people are very impressed with how well thought out this organization is and how well their money is spent if they contribute to Habitat. Contributions go so far to helping people and not to administration costs.
Q: How important do you feel Habitat is and why?
A: That question is easily answered. Just go talk to some of the families who are sitting in their own homes and listen to some of their own stories. They tell of how they were living in areas where they heard gunshots every night and were afraid to go out at night. Now, thanks to Habitat, they walk every night and enjoy the neighborhood friends they have made and they tell how happy their children are in their schools and that they are no longer afraid to go outside and play. To those people, Habitat is not just important, it is the only reason they are alive in some cases. Habitat is so crucial to so many families in so many ways. Some families would never own homes, never have yards to play in, never have friends they can go out and play with, or would never get to live in nice neighborhoods and get a new start in life if Habitat did not exist. Habitat serves an income group that is NOT served by any other entity. And offers to help fix credit problems, teach them how to budget and repair their homes.
Q: As a board member, how have you benefitted from your service?
A: My own personal growth from giving of myself to this kind of organization is the best benefit. Anytime one gives to someone else, you get it back in return many times over. Love is one of the few things that grow when you give it away.
But also, when I tell people that I serve on the Board of Habitat for Humanity, they immediately have recognition for what that is and they recognize the wonderful service that Habitat provides. Just the mention of Habitat somehow brings a little bit of a different side of me that they might not have seen previously. They somehow allow me to have a small part of the respect that Habitat has, and it means something to the community when you give to this kind of an organization.
Q: How do you explain the mission of Habitat to those you come in contact with?
A: I usually start by asking them what organizations do they consider when they decide where to send their charitable donations. From their answers I can figure out what their key points are and then decide the best way to approach them for Habitat. In most cases, the person making the decision is the CEO and the CEO wants to know that the money being donated is being used for a worthwhile purpose by a reputable organization in the best and most economical way. That leaves the door open for me to walk through. Habitat meets all of those criteria. So I will tell them the purpose of Habitat which is to build simple, decent and affordable homes for people who would otherwise not be able to own a home. I explain to them the benefits of the homes for these as well as the community. Habitat recognizes the benefactors continually all year long at all of its events and at the work sites. This gives the ones donating the maximum exposure for the least amount of money and benefits the most amounts of people. Then I go into the financing terms, the qualifying criteria, the 300 hours of sweat equity, the direct involvement of both the business world as well as the recipients of the homes. And then explain to them that these houses are shown to thousands of people every year so that their investment is a long tem investment and not a radio spot or newspaper ad that is gone in a few days. If they are not sold by then, I tell them that we have the lowest foreclosure rate for our loans that we carry and make the loans at no interest charge to the homeowners. Then I show them some pictures of the thousands of volunteers who spend their own time to come out every weekend to help build these homes to help these families have the dream of their lives. And all of this happens because good people like you donate the capital to build the houses. Try building a house anywhere else for $50,000.
Q: Do you feel volunteer service of some kind is important for everyone? Why?
A: Without a doubt, volunteering helps those who perform the service more than the recipients. When you give something to someone else freely as in volunteer work, you get to see the end result in the faces of the people you have helped, be it Habitat or at hospitals, or homeless shelters, or wherever you volunteer. We are all so blessed in this country with the freedoms and the richness we have and we have to give of ourselves, share some of that with those who are in need. As Mother Theresa said in her famous prayer…”It is in giving that we receive” We are all blessed when we give. It makes us a much better person when we give to others and takes our focus off of our little world of “ME”. Reach out and touch others in need.
Q: How would you describe the families who are a part of the Habitat program?
A: I have had the good fortune of talking to and listening to many of the families who are living in the homes that Habitat has built. They are the most grateful people I have ever met. I have heard some of their stories about how they were on the brink of bankruptcy, death, divorce, disaster, homelessness or other kind of life chaos and Habitat was able to save them from that near disaster. Most are not able to say thank you enough without being emotional. There is such an overwhelming gratitude from deep inside them, and it never goes away. Years after they have moved into their new homes, they are still so grateful to Habitat for what they have received and so many have gone on to get their diploma or degree because they were given the chance by Habitat.
Q: What led you to your decision to support Habitat as a board member?
A: It was not a hard decision. I had read the story about Clarence Jordan who was instrumental in the founding of Habitat for Humanity, and he is one of my heroes. I had been involved with Habitat through my church for years on a regular basis and already a strong backer of the program as a volunteer. When one of my very good friends called me and asked me if I would like to become a board member for Habitat, there was not much to think about. I prayed about it and my answer was very quick in coming. The rest is history. I have not looked back or regretted one moment of it. I am in my third year as a board member and I feel as honored today as I did the first day and probably even more after having met and worked closely with the staff for more than two years. They are the most intelligent, most dedicated and courteous group of people with whom I have had the pleasure to work with. I hope to continue to work with Habitat for many years to come, if not as a board member, then as a volunteer. I will always believe in the mission of Habitat.
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