I had recently retired and begun volunteering one day a week for Habitat for Humanity to construct homes for those in a lower income bracket. Homeownership has a significant social impact on many - not just for first-time owners but for their extended family and community.
I enjoyed the work and the sense of community developed among the regular volunteers, many from Epiphany on the team on which I participate. But I also noted we were aging out. Our hearts were willing but our bodies and doctors were saying three steps on the ladder and no higher! So I wondered about getting the word out to others from Epiphany about Habitat as a great volunteer opportunity. I knew the funds from the annual grant were insufficient to sponsor a house like we did for our Jubilee year. So, encouraged by our team leader Chuck Sgro, I contacted Habitat and worked with their leadership who recommended the Love Your Neighborhood Project which is done in the spring and fall. The project dovetailed with the goals of doing local service work, promoting engagement across social divides of the East and West end of Louisville, and introducing an opportunity for Epiphany volunteers to engage in a service project together.
We were blessed with a beautiful weather day and had 44 volunteers from Epiphany including youth and Seniors come together in the West end. I think my goals were achieved.
I was pleasantly surprised that I did not have to do all the work of organizing- the volunteer organization has staff designated to support these kinds of requests and to bring their resources to support the project. And there was 110% support of the staff at Epiphany in promoting the engagement of the community. That support was in Social Responsibility and across all leadership: Fr. Randy, Administration, Communication, Faith Formation, Stewardship, and Worship.
Hopefully, others will promote other opportunities. - Maureen Kelly, Epiphany Parishioner
Love the “Love Your Neighborhood” Event
Last March, Epiphany’s 10% Committee assembled an ad hoc committee of Epiphany members who reviewed applications for our Annual Grant. Parishioners representing all the standing committees (Faith Formation, Stewardship, Worship, etc.) joined Fr. Randy in choosing a worthy recipient for our Annual Grant. As Chair of the 10% Committee, I was a part of the process.
The winner of this $15,000 grant was a Habitat for Humanity biannual project called “Love Your Neighborhood.” This project works in a neighborhood repairing houses for people who can’t do the work themselves. The funds donated through our Annual Grant made Epiphany
a co-sponsor for this year’s event held on Saturday, September 30, in Portland. Five houses were chosen and volunteers from all over the city convened in Portland including a large group of Epiphany members recruited and led by Maureen Kelly, Chair of the Worship Committee. Maureen wrote the application for the Annual Grant, ushered it through the review process, communicated with Habitat staff who supported the project, and recruited all the volunteers.
The weather was sunny and pleasant for the workday in Portland. Leaders divided the volunteers into groups of 10. I worked on a house that needed a back gate built, some windows scraped and painted, both the back porch and front porch painted, and the front yard mowed, weeded, and flower beds weeded and mulched. With so many workers in one house, progress was steady. I helped weed the fence line and flower beds. We took stones and pavers already piled in the yard and edged the flower beds with the stones. Then I used a borrowed weed eater to cut the small front yard. We met the neighbors on both sides and were serenaded with rap music from across the street.
Our home base was Atkinson Elementary. We were served a hearty lunch there and mingled with the other volunteers and some residents of Portland. Then back to work to finish our jobs. I ran into a young cousin from Owensboro who now lives and works in Louisville and also volunteered for “Love Your Neighborhood” with some of his coworkers.
I enjoyed visiting with other parishioners on my team as we worked. I bowed to the abilities of some other women, who had a good eye for arranging the yard art that belonged to the resident. Bernadette Monday was on my team, and Allison Colson, Eileen and Bruce Sweinhart, and Kyran “Hub” Daugherty. The rest of our team worked in the back of
the house building a new gate. There were men with carpentry skills on that part of the repair project. It was a productive and pleasant day and we know the handicapped woman who lives there will be happy with the home improvements. - Mary Kaye Jacobs, Epiphany's Social Responsibility Steering Committee Chair
Our September 30th Habitat Louisville “Love Your Neighborhood “(LYN) was a day of home improvement, community building, and shared lunch—all to help enliven the Portland community. Five homeowners had significant home repairs and landscaping accomplished (Epiphany members worked on three of the homes) and Habitat Louisville had our community garden weeded and refreshed (thank you Epiphany youth group and parents). It was a beautiful day. The sponsorship investment by the Harshaw Family Foundation and Epiphany Catholic Church, the hard work of all volunteers, and the community fair (with a variety of vendors) made the day productive, fun, and memorable. It was synchronistic that it happened during our Epiphany Stewardship weekend—where all who participated truly gave of their time, talent, and treasure to beautify God’s gift to our world! - Tricia Burke, Impact Giving Leader for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville and Epiphany parishioner