“It was a hard, fun-filled week that was worth every drop of my sweat, and I would pack my bags in an instant and go again,” raved senior Chris Millett about this summer’s Habitat for Humanity trip. 20 RMHS students, mostly incoming seniors, myself included boarded a flight headed for Charlotte, North Carolina at the end of July. Accompanied by teachers Mr. Broken Rope, Ms. Bailey, and Ms. Jones, and parent Mr. Loughlin, we landed and hopped into our two ten passenger vans, later dubbed “Vicious and Delicious” and “White Lightning.” We then began the one-and-a-half hour trek to Winston-Salem, where we would be working on building houses for the next four days.
We arrived at the brand new, very impressive Habitat for Humanity Forsyth County volunteer lodge. The boys and girls each had one shared bedroom and bathroom, and everyone had a shared common room downstairs. We ate meals home-cooked by volunteers at the huge family-style table, and sat in different arrangements each night in a successful effort to get to know new people. At night, everyone shared their highs and lows of the day, and what they were looking forward to for tomorrow.
The trip was very well planned by RMHS’s Habitat club co-presidents, seniors Emma Loughlin, Julia Hand, and Alyssa Carangelo, with the help of Ms. Bailey. The days were never packed, so there was always enough downtime, but still something to do. Workdays lasted from around 7:30 am to 3:00 pm, with breaks for a snack and for lunch. After work, we typically did something at night including visits to the arcade, mini golf course, Krispy Kreme, and a Winston-Salem Dash baseball game. We even played kickball and ate at a barbeque restaurant for our last dinner.
The best part of the trip were the people. Everyone we worked with were incredibly kind, supportive, and knowledgeable. With their help, we put up scaffolding, hurricane ties, a porch, and a roof. Club co-president Loughlin described the trip as “a great experience”, adding that it was “rewarding to see how thankful people were for the houses they received.” Co-president Carangelo agreed, saying, “It was awesome to see how people who don’t know the families take time out of their day to help build a house that they otherwise may not have.”
This trip left me with a feeling of accomplishment knowing that I volunteered a week of my summer to serve others, and it is something that I’d definitely like to do again. If there is enough interest, Loughlin, Hand, and Carangelo plan to organize another trip for this year, either over the summer or a school break. The club is always accepting new members, so look out for posters or announcements regarding the date of the first meeting of the year!
