“No bigger satisfaction”

“I like the work that we do. You get to help others, which is the main idea,” he says. “One of the other reasons that I go is I’m a college student, and I couldn’t find a better way to relieve stress than to go out every weekend and smash some things with a hammer and get dirty and all the things we miss out on when we’re students.”

What he hasn’t missed out on is expanding his build site experience.

“I’ve picked up a lot. Basically, the only thing I knew how to do starting out was how to swing a hammer. Now there’s everything about raising roofs, you’ve got squaring the walls, putting the top plates on, putting up drywall, crawlspace prep,” he says. “My favorite part is when they let me drive the trucks.”

Another builder is John McLeay III, who volunteers his time and expertise as a professional builder to Habitat Omaha during Habitat’s national Home Builders Blitz event each year.

“I just keep coming back. I look forward to it every year,” he says.

A wonderful part of the build process is getting to be around families working for their own home, John says.

He watches the children as they run through the completed house, checking it out, picking out their rooms, so happy to be in a new home.

“There’s no bigger satisfaction,” he says. “It’s so rewarding to see that level of happiness.”