After last Wednesday's post about the two economies, I was left wondering how I'd exercise more of that second economy. I've done some volunteer work in the past: was a VISTA volunteer for a year after college, helped some less-advantaged kids in Brighton study for the SAT years later, but I haven't done much dedicated labor for the larger community very recently. Thursday I got a call asking if I wanted to help on Saturday building a Habitat for Humanity house in Roxbury, so naturally I jumped at the chance.
Habitat for Humanity seems to be a very succesful program, from what I learned from my co-workers on the way there. There are more churches, synagogues, and other groups volunteering than there are available weekends for this Roxbury site.
I found my niche working on gutters: measuring, cutting, capping the ends and putting them up with a team of other folks from the church I attend. There were at least three other groups working there as well as some of the people who'd be living in the houses we were building. The atmosphere was a great balance of serious work (with the full attention necessary for swinging heavy stuff around in close quarters and high places) and friendliness.
Thankfully, I'd read this sermon by Judy Brain, and noticed there was a complete lack of any of this kind patronizing feeling there.
I'd like to do more of this kind of thing. Even though it might be more monetarily efficient if I worked the same hours doing software contract work and donated the money (and believe me, I'd starve if I tried to make a living putting up gutters), I benefit from this, and I have a vague sense that there's more of a community benefit when I'm involved directly -- a knowledge that's passed around between us. And I learned a lot about gutters.
November 11, 2002 12:16 PM