The Verger team recently spent a day lending a hand to Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County. Volunteers play a key role in Habitat’s success, accounting for the majority of the labor used to complete the homes they build and renovate. Habitat for Humanity provides safe and affordable housing for families by supporting them to own, rather than rent, their homes. They provide opportunities to hard-working families who may not qualify for traditional mortgages through financial, homeownership, and maintenance classes, and require families to earn “sweat equity” by working on the construction or remodeling of their homes. This is captured in their philosophy of “a hand-up, not a hand-out.” The positive impact is far-reaching for the recipients of the organization’s programs as well as the communities where they live.
The Verger crew showed up bright and early on a cool spring morning with coffees in hand, ready to pick up their tools and get to work. During the orientation, the site leaders reviewed safety rules and provided background on the homes the team would be working on, which were in various stages of completion. Everyone was quickly put to work on projects that included landscaping, sealing the newly constructed framing, and adding weatherproofing to the roof.
The opportunity to give back to the community and spend a day connecting with one another outside the office was led by Verger’s Investment Reporting Manager and member of the Verger Women’s Leadership Initiative, Tricia Walker, who is passionate about volunteer work and giving back to the community. Tricia organized the day’s activities, including ordering boxed lunches for the team and coordinating folding chairs so the crew could eat together on site (and be ready to get back to work as soon as the break was up). With the rain moving in just before lunch, everyone knocked the mud off their shoes and gathered inside one of the homes’ unfinished rooms to compare stories of the morning’s work. It was a moment to reflect on the meals and memories that the new homeowners would soon share in that space.
It was an impactful day of teamwork, skills building, and an opportunity to embody Verger’s mission, to invest in the lives of others, made possible by the firm’s Volunteer Time Off benefit policy.
Learn more about Habitat for Humanity’s mission and impact, donate, or sign up to volunteer here.
