Sometimes, one person’s decision to get involved can create a ripple effect, drawing others in and starting a wave of positive change.
For a group of volunteers that was crucial to Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia’s wildfire relief project, the start can be traced back to Jim’s decision twelve years ago to start volunteering for Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia.
Jim had recently retired from a long career as a research scientist for the Department of National Defence. After adjusting to the change, he was considering his next steps. “My wife got tired of me sitting around and just reading books all day and going for quiet walks by myself,” he says, laughing. “She said, ‘You’ve got to go do something.’”
Jim knew about Habitat for Humanity: he had once donated to the ReStore in Calgary, where some of his family lived. With considerable home renovation experience under his belt, he knew he could lend a hand on a construction site. Plus, he enjoyed building and fixing things. All in all, Habitat seemed like a good fit.
In 2013, Jim started volunteering with the ReStore, picking up donations on the ReStore truck and occasionally helping uninstall donated kitchens. Several months later, he volunteered on his first Habitat home.
Over a decade later, Jim hasn’t stopped volunteering. “I’ve been involved in pretty much all the builds since then,” he says. Plus, he still volunteers weekly at the ReStore, now in the store’s workshop. Tallying up the numbers, Jim has volunteered several thousand hours of his time since 2013 – a remarkable achievement.
That kind of dedication tends to be infectious, and in 2017, Jim recruited Dave, a friend and former colleague at the Department of National Defence, to join him on a Habitat build site. Dave says he and Jim had helped each other on home renovations over the years, and both shared the same do-it-yourself mentality.
“He thought that Habitat would be a good fit, and it was,” says Dave. “It’s sort of the best of all worlds. You get to build things, you get to hang out with a bunch of fun people, and at the end of the day, you’ve created a home for someone else.”
Dave quickly found himself drawn to the hands-on nature of construction. “I’ve spent 35 years fixing houses, but I’ve never built one,” he shared. “There’s a huge difference between the two, and it’s been fun to learn all the new things that go into building a house.”
Dave isn’t the only former colleague that Jim recruited. In 2020, Neil joined the fold. He has 41 years at the Department of National Defence under his belt and still works part time. The Hammonds Plains project was Neil’s second Habitat build to contribute to, and it won’t be the last. “It’s been enjoyable, and I’m looking forward to doing more,” he says.
In addition to helping with the construction, Neil also lent his expertise in helping coordinate volunteer schedules. Looking forward to the future, he is also hoping to recruit even more volunteers from the Department of National Defence to join Habitat’s efforts in the future. “I’ve got a couple of people in mind who would be great additions to the team,” he said.
With the Wildfire Relief Project finished and Phil and Sue in their home, Jim, Dave and Neil are looking forward to working on the next project and passing along their knowledge to a new generation of volunteers.
When asked about his experience, Jim says putting his skills towards a good cause has been a uniquely rewarding experience: “I think that there’s something to be said for trying to give back to your community to support people who could really use it.”
Interested in volunteering? Visit habitatns.ca/volunteer to learn more!