Ministry Highlight: Arlen Packard, Habitat for Humanity
How long have you been volunteering with Habitat? What was your first experience like?
My first experience working at Habitat was on the Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County’s (HHMC) very first project here in Monroe County. At that time Dr. John Martin, a member at FUMCB, was the director of the HHMC. Together with Rev. Dot Avers, an associate pastor at FUMCB at that time, they recruited a group of members from FUMCB to do some outreach work by volunteering to work at a HHMC project. On a given Saturday in the early 80s we began. The project was the remodel of an old house in downtown Stinesville,IN. (John and Norma Martin lived near Stinesville). Our workday at this site consisted mostly of removing materials from the house that were either going to be scrapped or replaced. The job I was assigned included removal of scrap materials in and around the house, as well as from the existing crawl space. At that time, as I recall, John was not only the director but also served as the volunteer coordinator and job-site supervisor. This first experience at Habitat was a good one. The work was not too strenuous, there was good camaraderie with the other volunteers and John was a good supervisor, even if I thought he was a bit gruff. While I would have liked to have returned to continue work on another Saturday and install the new materials, my schedule at the time did not work. It would be about 20 years before I would return to volunteer one Saturday with my grandson and help prepare for and set trusses on a HHMC project located on North Hopewell St. That project would be followed by building a ramp at the HHMC headquarters on North Lindbergh Dr. and then beginning to volunteer on a regular basis at a new house, next to the railroad, on North Maple St.
Do you have a favorite or most memorable project you worked on?
There has not been a single project that I could identify as a favorite, but I believe some of the most memorable projects were the ones HHMC calls the Whirlpool Projects. These have been projects that were coordinated between HHMC, the Whirlpool Corporation and the Kelly School of Business at IU. Over a two-week period and working every day, volunteers from HHMC, Whirlpool Corp., IU Kelly School of Business staff and students and local contractors started and completed the construction of a house. These houses were constructed on the IU campus, built on a movable base prepared by the HHMC crew leaders and later moved to a prepared site located in Bloomington. Over the years, it has been a real pleasure to meet and work with the many volunteers from Whirlpool and from the students and staff of the Kelly School of Business.
How have you seen yourself change and grow from working with Habitat, and likewise how have you seen the organization grow?
When I first started working at Habitat, I would say that I had a good understanding of the materials and the methods of construction required for constructing a house, but minimal, practical hands-on experience. In time I found that the hands-on experience was something I really enjoyed. More than that, I found that working side by side with other volunteers and helping one another in the construction process was a very rewarding experience. Over time, the camaraderie of the group of volunteer crew leaders has grown and made the work even more rewarding. While we may not always agree on the method of our work, we do agree on getting the work done and creating a quality product. Certainly, one of the most significant growths in our HHCM has been from acquiring one or two lots throughout Bloomington and the county for the construction of new houses to the development of an entire community. Such a community is now in development at Osage Place in the southwest corner of Bloomington, adjacent to RCA Park and near Switchyard Park. Already, homes have been completed in this development and more are on the way. This growth is in no small part due to both the current and the previous HHCM leadership and the hard-working staff of our HHMC.
What is your advice for someone who wants to get involved but has no experience?
Give yourself time to learn the ropes. Certainly not everyone that shows up at a Habitat project for the first time knows how to use a hammer or a saw, a drill, a driver, or how to paint, or how to apply caulking, or what a 2X4 looks like or what 10 mil vapor barrier is and on and on. It takes time to learn what all these tools and materials are and how to use them. That’s why there are site supervisors, and the crew leaders to help you learn as you go along. If you are interested, try volunteering for a few Saturdays to get a feel for the different aspects of the construction process. Additionally, from time to time throughout the year the site supervisors and crew leaders hold training sessions that focus on some of the specific skills used at a Habitat build without the pressure of having to complete a specific task. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
What would you most like people to know about working with Habitat?
Habitat is a place where people come together to work together to try to make the world a better place for their fellow human beings. And who knows, you may find that hammering or drilling or sawing or painting or insulating is something you enjoy doing with your fellow volunteers. What could be better than doing something you enjoy and helping a brother or sister at the same time?