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Why an Achy Back Never Felt so Good: My Experience with Austin’s Habitat for Humanity

Why an Achy Back Never Felt so Good: My Experience with Austin’s Habitat for Humanity. Leslie Lowdermilk April 29, 2012. Arrival Time: 7:45AM on Saturday, April 28,2012. Tasks for the Day: Painting Trim work Top soil distribution Shed construction Fencing. Step One: Get Your Tools.

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Why an Achy Back Never Felt so Good: My Experience with Austin’s Habitat for Humanity

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  1. Why an Achy Back Never Felt so Good:My Experience with Austin’s Habitat for Humanity Leslie Lowdermilk April 29, 2012

  2. Arrival Time: 7:45AM on Saturday, April 28,2012 • Tasks for the Day: • Painting • Trim work • Top soil distribution • Shed construction • Fencing Managing Organizational Change

  3. Step One: Get Your Tools • I chose to work on the fencing team as I may soon need to replace a fence on my own property and thought this would be a good opportunity to learn how to do it. I was right, I learned a lot! Managing Organizational Change

  4. Step Two: Get to Work! • On important lesson was that the “runners” or the 2x4s to which the fence slats were attached had to overlap different fence posts. This added stability to the fence. • As we worked putting the runners in place, another team came behind us putting up the actual fence slats Managing Organizational Change

  5. My Jobs • At the beginning, I mostly held the runners in place for the other guys while they screwed them into the fence posts. Later on, I stared screwing them in place myself. I stayed away from the hack saw although I did give it a try once. Maybe next time I’ll have more courage to use it more. Managing Organizational Change

  6. Step Three: Cut the Fence Post Tops • Cutting the fence post tops created some challenges for the team. So we brought in our team leader, Drew for some expert advice. The tops needed to be cut off before the guys with the fence slats got to them otherwise it would be impossible to cut them off without cutting the fence slats. Managing Organizational Change

  7. Step Four: Repeat! • While Drew cut the runners to the correct lengths, the rest of us would screw them in place on the fence line. By now, I was a pro at using the power screwdriver and was able to work nearly as fast as the “boys”, one of whom was an architect! Managing Organizational Change

  8. Finished Fence Line • We were able to finish this section of fence line in about 20 minutes. With four of us working in tandem – one cutting the 2x4s to length, one running them to the fence line and helping to hold them in place and two screwing them to the fence posts, the work went quickly. Managing Organizational Change

  9. Wrapping up • At the end of the workday, everything needs to be cleaned up. Everything has to be put away, back into the mini storage sheds that they came out of, all trash picked up and thrown away, everything left neat and clean and orderly. Managing Organizational Change

  10. End of the Day • It’s hard to believe that this is the same house that we started on! All of the exterior painting was completed and the entire back and side yards were covered with new topsoil. The fencing was for another house and would be completed later in the week. Managing Organizational Change

  11. Interested in Volunteering? Interested in volunteering? Just contact Austin Habitat for Humanity. You can sign up for a full day or a half a day. The benefits are really multifold. Not only do you get the satisfaction of knowing you’re making a real difference in the life of a family in need but you also get the opportunity to learn something as well. Last time I worked at Habitat, I learned how to shingle a roof. Now I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I at least know enough to get started. Same now goes for fencing. If it wasn’t for my experience with Habitat, I wouldn’t know these things. You also get the chance to meet some really neat people and make new friends. I believe that what you put out into the universe comes back to you three-fold so putting some good energy out there means you’ll get some back in return. Finally, it’s easy. Just go to the Austin Habitat for Humanity web page and sign up. There’s a quick 15 minute on-line orientation and then a waiver for you to sign and then just show up to the job site. There’s a calendar of volunteer opportunities and so you can choose what day works best for you. And if you’re not into physical labor, there are other ways to help out as well, just check the site. So think about it. And then do it. It really does feel great. Managing Organizational Change

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