DC Habitat was fortunate to host Cal State San Marcos’ Alternative Spring Break trip for the third year in a row. During the first week of April, a group of generous and motivated students lent their spring break to our affiliate – and what a fantastic group of volunteers they were! On their first day, the group helped prepare our new construction site at 56th Place in Deanwood, digging a long trench and setting up the perimeter fencing. In Ivy City, the group created the framework for the decks and fences at 1955 Capital Street, and they offered tremendous help with finishing touches on the interiors.

Cal State San Marcos group leader Sara Gallegos said this year’s experience was a great one because the group took part in a variety of projects.  In order to be of service to additional community members, the Collegiate Challenge group spent one day volunteering with City Year, an AmeriCorps program.

“The students enjoyed the day we worked with Starbucks and City Year in Southeast DC to repaint and spruce up an elementary school.  It was a nice change of pace of service and good for them to see a different area,” Gallegos said.

A few of the students were veteran DC Habitat volunteers, including some who fondly recalled working on the Empowerhouse  during their last spring break trip to DC. Fortuitously, the group got to see Dorothy Jackson on Saturday, when she was on site at her soon-to-be Empowerhouse home, fulfilling some of her “sweat equity” hours.

“We hope to have the pleasure of hosting Cal State San Marcos again at DC Habitat,” said Jenna Widmann, DC Habitat’s Volunteer Services Manager.  “It was truly a pleasure to work with this group of diligent, energetic students.”

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After the clean up, residents gathered for a celebration under a beautiful spring sky. Children threw scores of frisbees and adults received blood pressure checks, two surprises provided by Walgreens staff who were on hand to participate in the event. Among other activities were balloon animals, bean bag tosses, and face painting, all of which resulted in a great time for Ivy City residents and their children.

Councilman Kenyon McDuffie arrived to share his commendation of Ivy City’s accomplishments, and ANC Commissioner Peta-Gay Lewis reminded residents that safe communities begin with clean communities. Marchim Williams and Carl Thomas of the Mayor’s office were also present, and they were followed by the Dancers for God, a troupe of artistic young ladies that graced attendees with an endearing choreographed routine.

The most spectacular display at this Earth Day Celebration was the camaraderie among residents, developers, and volunteer. Georgetown students worked side-by-side with local barber and caterer Rodney Glover to feed attendees. Residents pitched in with new homeowners to not only clean but also serve food. Housing agencies worked with local businesses to bring services to the community, and a much needed celebration took place in a neighborhood that has undergone a lot in the past two years. It was fun to watch and participate in such an inspiring event. At DC Habitat, we are proud to be Ivy City neighbors and look forward to the continuing evolution of this neighborhood and all others in which we work. Make sure to check out pictures of the event on our facebook page.

Special Thanks to: Commissioner Peta-Gay Lewis, Americorps members Ernesto Matal Sol, Kiersten Kelley, and Saundra Catalina, Chef Rodney Glover, DJ Kip Shelton, residents Ms. Veda Simmons and Ms. Jeannette Carter, Georgetown Habitat Volunteers, Pamela Mae Catalina, Young Marines, Dancers for God, New Columbia Distillers, Douglas Development, Mi Casa, Manna, and Byte Back for their attendance and involvement.

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Learn more about how you can become an AmeriCorps member here.

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Our recent work has been concentrated in Ivy City, a community once deemed a “warehouse neighborhood” with little prospects of sharing in the District’s revitalization. The efforts we’ve made have brought it one step closer to benefiting from the District-wide renaissance of the past few years. We are working to foster lasting stability in troubled neighborhoods like this one.

We mobilized nearly 5000 volunteers last year, helping to strengthen America’s commitment to serving the community and strengthening partnerships. By utilizing volunteer labor, we keep our costs down and help to make housing affordable for our partner families. This means that every dollar we receive from sponsors is stretched to its maximum potential.

We’re changing the way the industry approaches housing. Last year we built the first passive house in the District, earning us our first ever Mayor’s Sustainability Award. “Green” building reduces our carbon footprint and keeps energy costs down for the families we serve. That’s why we’re building six more in the coming year, reaffirming our commitment to affordable housing and sustainable growth.

We’re building partnerships and strengthening the private sector’s commitment to the District. Foundations, corporate sponsors, and individuals alike donate to our work.  Using private funding for our work maintains our independence and makes us accountable to a wider base of ideas.

It’s not just what we do, it’s who we are. Habitat’s mission is to bring people together, and we’re doing just that. By building homes, we’re building communities, partnerships, and hope. See how you can join us!

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The AmeriCorps program works to better local communities through over 15,000 nonprofit, faith-based, and neighborhood organizations nationwide. The 800,000 AmeriCorps volunteers who’ve served since 1994, not only have helped to improve the lives of those they’ve encountered on a day-to-day basis, but have given our nation the support it needs to make sure Americans receive the help they deserve.

“AmeriCorps Works”, the theme for the annual week highlighting national service, is the perfect premise to me when discussing this program. As an alumna, and now host site manager of members, I’ve been able to not only give my time to the DC community, but have also had the chance to see how important and impactful AmeriCorps members are to organizations like Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. and other area nonprofits.

When I served in 2009-2010, I was pretty impressed with the dedication some of my peers had for both affordable housing and national service. I wasn’t quite on board with the entire, year of volunteering thing when I first began, but serving alongside passionate, inspirational people quickly got me to come around. The real sticking point was the Dhimbil family, now Habitat homeowners for three years. Jama, the father, quite possibly is the sweetest, most determined man I’ve ever met. His love for his family and hopes for their future was evident each Saturday he volunteered to build his home. And even after finishing his 300 hours of sweat equity, continuing to volunteer to build his neighbors’ homes. My role as an AmeriCorps was to help recruit and manage volunteers who would build, advocate and fundraise to make the Dhimbil family’s house a reality. While some days I wasn’t too sure how much of an impact I and other AmeriCorps members were making, now, working at a host organization, it is clear that the AmeriCorps program is vital to our country.

As a host site manager, each year I recruit, screen and hire new members. It is amazing to see the variety of backgrounds, talent and interests of applicants. One of the reasons why I think the AmeriCorps program is so effective, is the variety of personalities and talents that members bring to organizations. You aren’t just recruiting for one skill set like most normal jobs, but for someone who truly wants to jump in feet first and work their hardest without too much in return.

Most Habitat for Humanity affiliates and other nonprofits would still exist without the AmeriCorps program, but I have no doubt capacity would drop and fewer community members would be helped without the resource development and capacity building work of VISTA members and the direct service of National members. DC Habitat is greatly impacted by the service members provide to our affiliate. We are able to work with larger groups of volunteers, so that we can build more houses each year and serve more families. We are able to strategically fundraise and market our program to new community players because of AmeriCorps members. We are able to build greener and more energy efficient homes due to research collected and analyzed by members. And we can develop stronger relationships with individuals, companies, local government and faith organizations because of the projects done by AmeriCorps members.

The bottom line is the AmeriCorps program does work, for those who serve, the individuals and organizations they help, and our united communities overall.

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Upon entering my senior year of college, I found myself lost. I had spent the past three years dabbling in liberal arts courses, changing my major from Business to French to Political Science (followed by a short stint in Linguistics, then back to Political Science only to double major in World Politics and French studies). With little to no idea of what I wanted to do after graduation, I spent my first few weeks as a senior crippling underneath the overwhelming stress of lacking a post-graduate plan. My free time was spent sifting through job boards for internships or entry-level positions that would suit my interests, only to be disappointed by the jobs presented to me.

This was when a friend approached me with the idea of joining the Peace Corps. Being fluent in French and having studied World Politics, primarily in peace and conflict resolution, the Peace Corps seemed like the perfect fit for me. However, the process seemed daunting and the fact that I would have to leave my family for almost two and a half years was a large deterrent. My research into the Peace Corps wasn’t fruitless though, I came out of it realizing that I did have two great interests and motivators: social change and community service.

Since high school I had participated in community service in various capacities. I loved giving back and actively sought out opportunities to do so: I volunteered at the food bank with Girl Scouts, delivered meals on Christmas to families in low-income communities, volunteered every week at our local animal shelter, and I tutored both middle and high school students in all different subject matters. Volunteering was a passion of mine and as I researched the Peace Corps, I thought, “Why couldn’t I make a profession out of giving back to my community?”

That is how I found AmeriCorps. In September 2010, I applied to my first AmeriCorps program: City Year Chicago. Three months later, right around Christmas time, I received my acceptance call and remember bawling my eyes out from joy. I had finally found a post-graduate opportunity that interested me! I could work with young people, take part in community service initiatives, meet people who cared about social issues, and be paid for it (albeit the stipend’s meagerness). This was too good to be true.

My first year of service with City Year was one of the best opportunities of my life. I grew both as a professional but also as an agent of change. I committed over 1800-hours of service to tutoring, mentoring, leading afterschool programming, service projects, and community outreach initiatives. However, I will not deny that it was emotionally and mentally taxing to spend 12 hours a day both working to help kids who were failing academically and trying to make the community a safer, more supportive place for those young people. There were days where I was so overwhelmed that I thought I couldn’t go on, but I had mentors and AmeriCorps teammates who kept me going and became my greatest support system. We helped each other and reminded one another that change doesn’t come quickly or easily.

Jenna Widmann, Kiersten Kelley, Saundra Catalina, Kathleen Alvin, and Nina Holzer at MLK Day of Service 2013

Upon graduating from my first year of service, I knew I wanted to commit a second year to AmeriCorps. My passion for community building led me to research opportunities with Habitat for Humanity, an organization that I had learned about during college. Being that I had visited Washington, D.C. numerous times during college and was really interested in the city’s social and community dynamics, I sought out AmeriCorps opportunities with the local Habitat affiliate. Currently, I serve as a Volunteer in Service to America (AmeriCorps VISTA) in Project Development with Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. I have been here for nearly nine months now, working to grow our fundraising initiatives so that we can build more homes and have more impact in the nation’s capital.

As my second year of AmeriCorps comes to an end and I think about my personal and professional goals, community service and nonprofit work remain central in my plans. Domestic service has truly been one of the greatest opportunities for me; it has allowed me to exercise what I love while shaping my future trajectory. I am confident that AmeriCorps is one of the greatest agents of change in the United States, and I stand by the fact that it is one of the best opportunities for people to give back to their communities and country.

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I had never swung a hammer (or stepped foot on a construction site, for that matter), but in the spring of my sophomore year, I found myself in suburban Texas, doing just that.  Two weeks before, on the hunt for some sun and warm weather, I signed up for an alternative spring break with Habitat for Humanity.  Looking back, this trip would pave my way to AmeriCorps, and with it, a long lasting commitment to service.

When I returned to my college campus, I joined the chapter board, and for the next two years, I supported my local affiliate through building, fundraising, and taking the lead on two spring trips.  As graduation approached in 2008, my thoughts turned to how my work with Habitat, which had slowly become a significant presence in my life, could continue and grow beyond college.

Enter AmeriCorps.  I explored many opportunities to serve affiliates across the country before ultimately landing in Santa Ana, California, with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County.  As Family Services Coordinator, I organized homebuyer selection for a pilot program serving active military and veterans and took full advantage of putting my bilingual skills to work, leading Spanish language homebuyer orientations and translating application materials.

Ten months and 1,700 service hours later, I swapped coasts to begin my second year of AmeriCorps as a capacity building VISTA with Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C.  Working in the nation’s capital presented unforgettable opportunities, including meeting the President and First Lady and participating in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.

Though no longer an AmeriCorps member, I remain active as an alumna while I translate my experiences and skills to new challenges.  To echo the theme of this year’s week of recognition, I heartily affirm that AmeriCorps works, and I’m proud to be counted as one of the 800,000 strong who continue to get things done for America.

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I remember the first day I volunteered with Habitat.  It was in February and cold.  With a small group of other volunteers I listened to a confident young woman talk to us about safety (don’t drop tools off ladders – watch where you’re going – ask if you’re not sure) and a little about Habitat itself. Armed with a hammer, tape, knife, pencil and a little bib-of-a-“tool belt”, I set off to follow my AmeriCorps crew leader, Joe, to the house where we were going to work.

Our job for the day was to install kitchen cabinets and a counter-top in one of the many houses being built at the “Northeast” site.  I had recently retired from a long career as a high school teacher and to me, Joe looked about the same age as the kids I had been teaching.  But he seemed to know exactly what he was doing.  Not only that, he seemed willing to let me do some of it, explaining as we went along and patiently waiting as I fussed around trying to get a driver bit to engage with a screw head.  I couldn’t believe that he was actually going to let me drive screws through a cabinet frame into the wall.

That day there were some challenges I didn’t feel confident enough to take on and a whole lot that I didn’t understand that Joe explained, (why do we need to find the “high spot” in the floor?) but I left feeling terrific.  No one had assumed that I was too old, too female or too unskilled to do anything and I had learned a ton.

That was four years ago and after a few more random opportunities to volunteer, I asked if I could come regularly and have been there most Thursdays ever since.  One of the up-sides of this is that I’ve watched four different cohorts of AmeriCorps “kids” (that’s how I think of them) arrive in August with few construction skills and uncertain leadership experience and, over the year, develop into superb, confident teachers (not to mention strong, smart and capable builders).  They learn to size up the volunteer groups they lead every day – learn who to watch closely and who to let alone.  They learn to anticipate what supplies each volunteer is going to need next and, when the inevitable screw-ups happen, they are invariably supportive and comforting, believing that great construction mantra – “there isn’t anything that can’t be fixed”.  Above all, they are patient.  Along with many willing and hard workers, they also deal with volunteers who complain, goof-off or fool around (I particularly remember the high school boy who spent the afternoon chasing his classmates around with a fully loaded paint roller) and they deal with all this with good grace and a sense of humor.

A lot of this AmeriCorps-crew evolution from neophyte to leader/teacher is due to the site supervisors who do a great job of teaching the crew, but a lot comes from within themselves and it is really nice to watch it happen.

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On February 5th, 2013, Mayor Vincent Gray spoke to District residents about the city’s achievements and growth in recent years, and outlined his vision for the future, noting a $100 million pledge to affordable housing. The pledge, as outlined in the Mayor’s 5-Year Economic Development Plan, includes ambitious goals such as creating 100,000 jobs and $1 billion of new tax revenue for the District. According to the Mayor, the plan will not only create new jobs for D.C. residents but will revitalize development projects that had stalled prior to his administration.

“We currently are experiencing a level of development that is unprecedented in our history. You can tell simply by counting the 55 construction cranes that currently dot our skyline—from Congress Heights to Petworth, and from Brookland to Glover Park,” said Mayor Gray. “For instance, within just a few blocks of where we are gathered now, two major, long-awaited development projects are moving along rapidy—CityCenterDC…and the CityMarket at O Project. These projects are providing thousands of construction and permanent jobs, new housing that includes affordable units, and new neighborhood amenities.”

The Mayor went on to announce a $100 million affordable housing initiative, a commitment that has grown from the $35 million he pledged to create and preserve additional affordable housing last September. His new plan calls for building and preserving more than 10,000 units of affordable housing.

“We once worried about the District becoming a city of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots.’ But now we are increasingly in danger of becoming a city of only ‘haves’,” said Mayor Gray. “A truly prosperous and successful city does not forget its most vulnerable residents, like people who are homeless and those with disabilities. This investment means we must preserve and expand affordable housing.”

The Mayor also recognized District Nonprofits for their critical role in providing social services and combating issues, such as homelessness, in the capital.

“Another area where I think we need to invest is in the critical role our city’s nonprofits play in improving the quality of life for our residents,” said Mayor Gray. “Our city’s vibrant nonprofit community makes a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of our residents every day.”

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