Significance of Service

After five life-changing days working together to finish two very special houses for two families in need, the Cherry Hill East Habitat for Humanity Spring Break group formed a circle in the basement of a church in Alabama to discuss the powerfulness of the week's events. This talk was prompted by questions such as, what did you learn about yourself this week and what was your favorite part of the week. This talk really put things into perspective. We came to the consensus that the best part of the week was seeing the pure joy and sense of achievement on the faces of the new home-owners as they received the keys to their Habitat home. I have done many Habitat builds over the past two years, but this was the first time I ever had the privilege to give a house away and watch the dedication. Both families consisted of a mother and a young daughter. During the talk we agreed that watching the homes we worked on for the past few days get handed over to the crying mother and the sassy little girl who loves Princess and the Frog, who we just spent an hour dancing with on her new driveway was the most meaningful experience of many of our young lives. At this point we felt grateful to give up our spring breaks at the beach relaxing with our families to help these families accomplish their dreams of home-ownership. This talk allowed everyone to share their feelings on how the trip had both affected and changed them for the better. At the end of the talk everyone came in the center for a group hug of 50 teachers and students and concluded the talk with the chant of "ROLLTIDE". Talks like this are very important to step back and reflect over the significance of your service and share memories that will last lifetimes.