A couple of special Habitat connections

All kinds of connections are made on a Habitat build site.

Friendships are created as volunteers work side by side to raise a wall, or when teams go on a Global Village trip and even during annual events like the Carter Work Project. Sometimes these friendships lead to romance and marriage. In celebration of Valentine’s Day, read a couple of particularly touching stories about special connections made between Habitat volunteers.

Honeymooning with Habitat

Hannah and Will Rice of Charlotte, North Carolina, got married in May 2014 and honeymooned a few days later in beautiful Cape Hatteras – but in between, they could be found on a Build-a-Thon site in Wake County. “We pretty much drove straight here from our wedding,” Will says.

“We both love Habitat,” Hannah says, “and we love building, so why not take a few days and come out here and build with everybody?”

“I work in an office a lot of the time,” Will adds. “So I enjoy getting outside to work. And in our vows, we promised to love and serve each other –”

“— as we love and serve those around us,” Hannah completes the thought, as they both laugh.

“Simple, decent, affordable – I feel like that’s sort of our lifestyle too,” says Will. “It could be our life motto as much as Habitat’s motto. Plus, it’s a life experience we can share with each other. A build can be stressful, and fun, and everything in between. It’s a good relationship builder.”

A very Habitat anniversary

Lydia and Mitch Ruter of Denver celebrated their second wedding anniversary on a Habitat build in Milwaukee in 2012. “We actually met through another nonprofit,” Lydia says, “then we both served in AmeriCorps, so we’ve been in the service sector for a while now.”

Mitch went on to run Habitat’s Critical Home Repair program, and Lydia works for mPowered, which collaborates with Habitat to provide financial coaching for partner families.

They also know others with similar stories, she says: “We have friends who met while they were in AmeriCorps and have since gotten engaged and are planning a Global Village trip for their honeymoon.”

The build happened to be scheduled at the time they were celebrating their anniversary, so Lydia and Mitch shared it with their colleagues, some of whom decided to join the build to celebrate with them. After volunteering together, the Ruters and their friends celebrated by going out for ice cream.

Get involved today

Sign up to volunteer with a loved one or join a build to connect with new friends today.