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Effingham Magazine

Habitat for Humanity of Effingham County Ready to Raise the Walls on Its 23rd Home

Habitat for Humanity of Effingham County
Ready to Raise the Walls on Its 23rd Home

Since its inception in 1995, Habitat for Humanity of Effingham County has built 22 homes for local families through the joint efforts of trained professionals, the future homeowner and volunteers from the community.

Incoming Habitat for Humanity board chair Jim Presnell has been involved with Habitat for more than 20 years. He has put in hundreds of hours on the build sites for eight Habitat homes and has been recognized for his volunteer work by the Rotary Club of Effingham County. Since 2013, he has served three terms on Habitat’s board of directors. Though he’s given many volunteer hours to Habitat, he says he’s gotten back much more than he’s given.

“I like to give back, and it comes down to helping others,” Jim said.

Jim has seen many meaningful moments since volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, but one in particular especially stands out.

“I remember a kid crying the day that we were giving his parents the keys so that they can move to the house. That’s how happy they were,” Jim said.

Volunteers come from all walks of life to help build modest and attainable homes. From church groups to business groups and individuals, everyone works together toward a common goal. Although Jim’s experience as a real estate agent and contractor gives him a strong background for working on the build site, there’s no specific experience necessary to be a volunteer.

“It’s everyone from people that are total novices to framing crews that know exactly what they’re doing and everybody in between,” Jim said.

Volunteering on a build site lets people use their construction expertise for a good cause, but it’s also a way to learn new skills that might come in handy in home repairs.

“We have a lot of people come out that don’t even know how to hold a hammer or use a saw or anything else, and they learn a lot of different things,” Jim said.

While learning new skills and connecting with people are strong motivators, seeing the progress on a build site is even more rewarding, especially on a wall-raising day, which is coming up on October 22. It’s the first day of construction for Habitat’s 23rd home, where the framework for the home will begin to take shape.

“We are excited to begin construction on our next home,” said Jimmy Rutland, President/CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Effingham County. “We couldn’t achieve our mission without the support of the community, whether it’s through volunteering at the build site or through monetary or in-kind contributions.”

Construction will begin October 22 and continue each Saturday from 8am-3pm until the home is completed. Lunch will be provided. Volunteers can sign up individually or as a group at habitatec.org.