PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — Starting Monday and all week, volunteers with Habitat for Humanity are rolling up their sleeves to help qualified homeowners with home repairs in Oakland County.
It's for the Rock the Block program. By week's end, Habitat Oakland said volunteers will have completed 24 projects.
“Neighborhood revitalization is really important for a community. We’re helping people to age in place to keep their homes solid and safe," Dena Pryde, deputy director of philanthropy for Habitat, explained.
7 Action News also spoke with core volunteer Ken Harrison, who worked on a deck rebuild at a Pontiac home.
“We are rebuilding a deck. The deck was having some drainage issues," he said.
Harrison said he started giving back through Habitat after retiring from finance in corporate America. His wife had encouraged him to tag along on the Women Build project.
“So, I came along and I got hooked," he recalled.
Harrison added, “The people that you work with are just phenomenal."
On Monday, he helped supervise and direct a group of volunteers from the company Jabil.
Pryde said this is Habitat Oakland’s seventh year offering Rock the Block in Pontiac and Southfield.
Gus Odum and his wife Judith are the homeowners and recipients of the deck rebuild. He said they got a flyer in the mail about Rock the Block three years ago.
Ever since getting accepted, Odum said volunteers have worked on their porch, a railing and even power washed the house.
“It fits our budget. They help us. By fitting our budget, we don’t have to hire contractors," he explained.
Being on the receiving end of these kind deeds by strangers through Habitat, Odum said the generosity inspired him to give back.
“It’s a good feeling because once people came out to help me, I said I want to help others because there’s so many people that need help that don’t know about it. Habitat gives you the opportunity to help others, and that’s why I started volunteering," Odum explained.
