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Part 1: Todd’s Story
Imagine…
·
Living for a
week in a tent in one of the poorest countries in the world
·
Shaking hands
with Jimmy Carter
·
Working
side-by-side with nine other people to build two houses in one week
·
Eating food personally
served by Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks
·
Being one of 400 people who built 100 houses for the homeless in Haiti!!
Meet Todd Ermer, Executive
Director for Burlington County Habitat for Humanity. He spent a week in November, 2011 doing exactly that, along
with Board member, Andy Pagenkopf.
Below is Todd’s story, in Part one of a two-part story. Stay tuned for
Andy’s story next.
Video from 2011 Carter Work Project - One week, 100 homes
How It All Began
It all started with
tithing, which is defined by merriam-webster.com as, “to
give a tenth of one's income as a tithe.”
Every local Habitat is
required to give 10% of their annual undesignated funds to support programs in
developing countries where Habitat works.
When you contribute to your local Habitat, you are actually reaching
around the world to help those in need of housing.
Each Habitat affiliate
gets to designate which programs they would like to support. Our Burlington County affiliate is
currently supporting post-earthquake efforts in Haiti. Along with their financial
contribution, came an opportunity to send two people to participate in the 2011 Carter Work Project.
The Preparation
It was a little unnerving
at first, because Todd had to get typhoid and hepatitis shots and had to take
anti-malaria medication. He was
told that the living conditions would be very primitive – no showers or real
toilets for a week.
As part of the Carter Work
Project, Todd and 400 other Habitat volunteers began their trip in Atlanta,
Georgia. Delta flew them for free
to Port Au Prince airport.
The Reality
Todd was pleasantly
surprised to discover that a special camp had been set up for them, along with
real toilets, showers and an air-conditioned dining tent. They slept in tents, some provided by
U.S. Rotary groups on which the Rotary logo was proudly displayed on the tents.
They were well fed too by an Irish organization, Haven, which provided meals.
Their goal was to build
100 houses in a week. They were
split into crews of 10 and each group built two houses that were 200 square
feet with concrete floors and no indoor plumbing. They used metal brackets (hurricane clips) to help ensure
that the houses would be resistant to future hurricanes and earthquakes.
This was the first
permanent settlement since the earthquake. It turns out that getting clear title to land is tricky
business in Haiti.
Although they didn’t speak
English, the future homeowners worked alongside the crew to build their
homes. Since there aren’t enough
houses yet for everyone, the local community members (who currently reside in
tents or other makeshift structures) decide who gets the first houses.
Famous Encounters
In spite of being in their
80s, Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter were there building alongside of everyone. Jimmy even shook Todd’s hand (rumor has
it that he still hasn’t washed that hand!)
Trisha Yearwood and Garth
Brooks were there too, serving food.
The best part was a private concert for Habitat workers.
The Haitian President also
came to the work site to thank everyone.
Heartwarming
While not everyone in
Haiti welcomed the Americans with open arms and the language was a barrier,
Todd says that he met a lot of amazing people and he felt great about the work
they did. They were there for
Veteran’s Day and a moving ceremony was held that included singing, special
readings, and a profound moment of silence on what was just moments before a
busy construction site. There was
a very palpable feeling of unity all week, but especially at that moment since
volunteers from almost 20 different countries participated in this remembrance.
“It was very inspiring to
be part of such an event and to make a difference in the lives of others,” said
Todd. He shared a picture of a
sign posted at the work site that says it all:
“I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something
about that. Then I realized I was
somebody.” – Lily Tomlin-
What’s Next?
Todd is looking to share
his heartwarming story and photos with local groups who may be interested in
learning more. Next fall, Habitat
may have an opportunity to send volunteers to Haiti to continue the great work
being done by Habitat International.
For more information, contact Todd Ermer at (856)
303-8080 x 214.
Stay tuned for Andy’s story on February 12th.
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