My first house dedication with this affiliate was right before I started working with them. In fact, it's where I said yes. While I already knew that I was going to do it, being there for the event definitely pushed me into wanting it even more.
I watched as all of these people gathered in and around the house, looking at all of the rooms, admiring the new flowers. A table in the living room was covered with gift baskets for the family. One woman had brought a twelve pack of tissue boxes, complete with giant bow, with the top corner unwrapped and tissues already sticking out for the tears that were sure to come. The corporate house sponsors were there to present the homeowner with gifts and warm words. Volunteers who had worked on the house were there, proud of their handiwork, and excited to have made a difference in the lives of Yolanda and her children. I cried even though I didn't know anyone there.
My second dedication was completely different. It was the Student Build house, worked on by hundreds of students from three dozen schools all across the Island. But not a single student came. There were no gifts, apart from a card I made and a repaired lawnmower donated by a board member's church. There were a few staff members, a handful of Family Support Committee members, and some close friends of the Fuentes family. And that was it. The priest never even showed up to do the blessing.
Last week I went to my third dedication. This house was sponsored by a local high school. They brought busloads of kids who had volunteered, including the entire cheerleading squad and a jazz band. They set out a table full of baked good and more gift baskets than we knew what to do with. A week or so earlier, we had been contacted by a group of mothers who wanted to contribute. They promised three baskets and ended up bringing seven. We held the dedication in the backyard because everyone couldn't fit in Tina's new house. The local news channel came and filmed the entire event. The store owner from across the street came to present Tina with a gift certificate. At the end of the day, we put all of the gifts away, and they all barely fit in the pantry. The home was busting with food, appliances, bedding, gardening tools, games, and all kinds of other stuff.
I was amazed by the outpouring of consideration manifested in material. I became a little annoyed that the previous family had received so little in comparison. But then I stopped to think...they did get a home. Why didn't I feel like that enough?
I've decided that it is a pretty wonderful gift in and of itself. But it wasn't the lack of presents at the Fuentes dedication that bothered me. It was the lack of emotion. There weren't enough people there to feel the positive energy pulsating in the air, the Habitat love that I feed off of. It felt like we were all just going through the motions.
This week, we've gotten calls from all kinds of other donators. An interior design group will be completely outfitting the next home. The entire network of public libraries in Suffolk County will be donating approximately 30 gift baskets to our next dedication in Bellport. Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn will be partnering to do up the kitchen in the Westhampton house. I know that we can't control when we get these calls and we have no power over who will donate what and when. But I do wish that the love continues to be spread. That every dedication can be full of community spirit and warmth.
And that is one of my goals for the year. I want to do everything in my power to make sure that every volunteer has the opportunity to feel the cause. I can't make anyone do anything, but I want people to feel connected to the homes they work on, to the families they build for. I want every dedication to be bursting at the seams with warm and fuzzy.
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