ASK AN AMERICORPS

We asked our AmeriCorps members to answer some questions applicants might have.  If you have a question you'd like to ask an AmeriCorps member email bvangorp@habitatcharlotte.org and we'll work on getting it answered.

What were you most nervous about doing as a member before you started?  What happened when/if you did it? 

When I arrived in Charlotte, I knew I was in a very good situation, but yet that did not hide my nerves when it came to leading a group of volunteers in an area of construction. The first time I had to lead a group of volunteers was the Building on Faith Blitz. I had to lead a group in placing up OSB/Blue board on the outside of the houses, not a difficult task but nevertheless, I was still nervous. Well, I began to lead and from the kindness of the volunteers and the understanding I began to gain from doing one after another, I realized perhaps my nerves were more built up than they needed to be. So looking back I would tell a potential AmeriCorps member to be nervous, allow yourself that because it is normal, but understand no one is on site not to help you, everyone is there to help each other. And if you’re still nervous, remember leadership at times is 98% acting like you know what is going on, and 2% you actually do know what is going on.

How do you find living in Charlotte?

I’m originally from a small town in eastern North Carolina, and so I’ve always thought of Charlotte as a “big city.”  However, after being here for a year – I can honestly say that living in Charlotte is comparative to any other medium sized city in the country.  There are plenty of activities, cultural events, and nearby attractions to enjoy – from museums to mountain climbing.  As long as you have an open mind and an adventuresome spirit, you’ll never be at a loss for things to do.

What type of person would be a good match for Habitat Charlotte?

I feel that Habitat as an organization is one that strives to empower people to work together to achieve a particular goal.  It's a wonderful organization in that it welcomes all people, from every walk of life to participate in this process.  In light of this, I believe that anyone who is willing to learn from others, to work in partnership, to share skills and stories, to sacrifice of their own personal time and energy in the efforts of helping others achieve their dream of owning a home would greatly benefit from the experience of Habitat.  Those who would not benefit, those who would not be a good match, would be those who are completely opposite. 

What has been your experience working with volunteers?

Charlotte is truly blessed to have an abundance of volunteers.  Their enthusiasm, dedication and willingness to serve are so inspiring! Obviously every experience with the volunteers is not ideal but the majority of the time it is a lot of fun. I hope your experience interacting with the volunteers is as pleasant as mine has been.

I think what is unique to Charlotte are the weekday crews who volunteer on a regular basis.  For each day of the week groups made up of 3 to 8 people help us stay on schedule doing a variety of tasks like building sheds, prepping siding, and hanging drywall.  Without these folks, we would be up the creek without a paddle, plus they’re just a lot of fun to have around!

How do you feel about the amount of responsibility you have been given?

I feel that my responsibility on the job has increased in conjunction with my proficiency in different tasks.  At this point in the year I have led groups in all aspects of construction which in turn has helped increase my confidence in my own skills.

Why did you choose Charlotte over the other affiliates that you talked with?  In hindsight where these the right things to look for?

When I decided to sign up for a year of service with AmeriCorps, I decided to move somewhere that I've never been before.  I have spent all of my life in the Philadelphia region and I looked upon this year as an easy chance to see a new place.  What I liked about Charlotte most was the amount of AmeriCorps members there.  We had 12 positions this year and when you're moving to a new place where you don't know anyone that gives you a great opportunity to meet a lot of new people at once.  So the numbers coupled with the fact that is was in between mountains and oceans as well as a short drive to some pretty cool Southern cities sealed the deal for me to move to Charlotte.  And when I look back on my decision, I really feel that I couldn't have picked a better place for myself.

You did your first year of Habitat AmeriCorps at another affiliate, how was it to switch affiliates?

I had such a great experience in my first year of Habitat AmeriCorps that I was excited about the opportunity to serve a second year. I debated whether I should stay for a second year at the first affiliate, where I was comfortable in the way they built and loved the people I worked with, or if I should serve at a different affiliate and re-adjust to their ways. Switching affiliates turned out to be a good decision for me because I've learned many more skills since each affiliate builds very differently. I've also found the AmeriCorps program to be a great opportunity to travel to somewhere you may have never planned to live and see what there is to see! It's great being in Charlotte with so many new places to see and new kinds of weather to experience - like humidity and ice storms!!

Compare your knowledge of construction now versus when you started?

When I started with Habitat last August, I had some skills in related fields from past summer jobs, like landscape construction, and pool installation.  These jobs helped give me a certain confidence when I decided to do Habitat for a year but in reality I learned 90% of the stuff I know about construction on the job site over the past year.

The learning process was so fast, subtle and smooth that I didn’t realize how much I had learned about construction until I had to fill out a questionnaire about my level of competence in construction skills for the Jimmy Carter Work project.  The questionnaire was the same as the one that I filled out in the beginning of the year at orientation, except this time, instead of having only a few boxes checked I had marked almost all of them.  The site supervisors are all good teachers that work right along side you answering any questions you may have.  Habitat Charlotte builds so many houses that you not only get to learn a skill but you get to use it and develop it on every house you build.   The learning process is continuous with each house that you build, each one giving you a deeper knowledge of the trade.  I am almost to the point that I would feel confident building a house on my own.   Not bad for a years worth of education.

Habitat Charlotte has a blitz build scheduled right after I arrive,  how does that work out?

It is very exciting and somewhat confusing!

When I got here the floors were done on the blitz houses. I was paired off with/another AmeriCorps and a construction supervisor. The person I was paired off with/was a second year AmeriCorps. I didn't know a lot of the terminology or the process of building a house, but I wasn't expected to know. The staff here knew it was my first year and tried to explain things as simply as possible to me. All the AmeriCorps were given a construction guide book, as well. Typically, a volunteer would ask me a question, and if I didn't know I'd ask my partner. If he didn't know I'd find the site supervisor and ask him.

Things calmed down after the blitz and I had more time to practice the skills I was introduced to during the blitz. I also had more time to ask my supervisor to the many questions I still had.

So the AmeriCorps members work together and live together,
don’t you get on each other’s nerves?

To the outsider it would seem likely that we would get on each others nerves simply because we would be sick of being around each other.  But I've noticed that everyone is respectful of each others privacy and personal space.  There have been no major conflicts and people seem willing to work out minor disagreements peacefully.  Most people who do AmeriCorps are well meaning positive people who are easy to get along with, and are generally fun to be around.