Base volunteers help construct Habitat for Humanity home

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Cherice Bryant
  • 97 AMW/PA
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- --  Volunteers from Altus AFB are helping to construct a Habitat for Humanity home, which is being built for a local family in need, and is projected to be completed by April 2011.

Base volunteers have contributed to the construction of six new homes in the Altus community since 2000, when the local branch of Habitat for Humanity began.

"About 85% of volunteers are from the base. It gives a multiple sense of accomplishment to the volunteers. One, they learn traits they may not have learned on their own. A lot of volunteers are in the dorms, so they don't have their own residence to learn how to build and maintain. And two, it gives the young airmen on base the opportunity to learn more about the city as a whole. They get to meet and work with the electricians, general contractors and architects while working on the site," said Master Sgt. Michael Getlinger, avid volunteer and head of the construction committee.

Base personnel also volunteer within the six committees that make up the local Habitat for Humanity. Examples of these committees are the family selection committee, which helps applicants with applying for a home, and the construction committee, who are in charge of building the homes to meet the federal, Habitat International and local standards. The promotion and fundraiser committee arranges the monthly luncheons held on the third Tuesday of every month at the Altus Community Center. This committee also seeks out grants and supplies from different corporations, and finds local food establishments willing to provide lunch for the volunteers while working on the construction sites.

"We raise the funds through the community in order to build the houses. There are a lot of national manufactures that donate materials and equipment. The money is all spent locally, and recycles itself within the development of the local neighborhoods. Therefore, it's a win-win situation for the community," said Charles Fields, architect for Habitat and retired base deputy civil engineer.

In keeping with the tradition of helping to improve the community, the Habitat home that is currently under construction is for a community member named Courtney Wallace, who is a single mother with a hearing disability.

"I'm touched that Habitat and all the volunteers want to help build my home. I'm glad my daughter will have a stable home, and we won't have to keep moving", said Wallace.

Before Habitat could build a home for Wallace and her daughter, she had to meet three main qualifications, as do all applicants of the program. The first main qualification is that the applicant must have a verifiable need. An example of this would be a person or family living in a home that is run-down, or has too many residents. The second qualification is the ability to pay. The financial creditability of the applicant is very important, as well as a steady job. If the family chosen for a home does not qualify under Habitat's terms, Habitat can offer financial advisors to work with the family. The last qualification is the willingness to partner. This entails the applicant's willingness to volunteer within the community and the construction of their home.

"Habitat is a hand up, not a hand out. We don't give them homes. They have to be able to afford them and be willing to work with the volunteers during the construction of them," said Ronald "Sam" Lindner, executive director of the local Habitat for Humanity branch.

A single adult member must put in 300 hours of volunteer work towards the construction of their new home, while a married couple must have 500 volunteer hours before actually obtaining the keys to the home. Once granted a home, the applicant must provide a reasonable down payment, but will not be charged any interest for the loan.

Habitat for Humanity offers great volunteer opportunities to reach out to those in need, and learn valuable information about the construction and maintenance of a home.

Base members have been volunteering in Altus since the local branch was started, and are greatly appreciated for their time and efforts.

"The base has always been very supportive of Habitat for Humanity. We have volunteers with a lot of experience that come from a construction background, and people with no experience that learn how to build and maintain a home at no cost," said Lindner.

"I defiantly enjoy volunteering with habitat. In high school I took a lot of construction classes to broaden my skills, and hopefully I can become a contractor in the future," said Getlinger.

This charitable organization is known world-wide for its efforts to provide residence for those in need. For the volunteers of Altus Air Force Base it is all a part of service to their community and its people. 

For more information on how you can get involved and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, call the main office at 580-480-0041, or e-mail your questions to hfhaa@sbcglobal.net.