Capacity crowd attends Habitat Women’s Luncheon
Onnie Jacque was very nervous the first time she volunteered to work on a house for Macomb Habitat for Humanity.
“I’m not very handy,” Jacques said, during Thursday’s Habitat for Humanity Women’s Luncheon at the Italian American Cultural Society in Clinton Township, although she was actually referring to herself then, rather than now.
After that first build Jacque was not only hooked on her experience but passionate about the mission that aims to provide affordable housing for members of the community while giving them an opportunity to help themselves.
“I’ve been a volunteer for six years,” said the Detroit corporate attorney, who has used her newfound skills in drywalling, mudding and painting on building sites not only in Macomb County but New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina.
“That’s one build I’ll never forget,” Jacque said, of her experience on a Womens Build in N.C.
“I was so impressed with the women around me. We actually did the framing on a house,” added Jacque, before heading off to greet some of her colleagues who serve with her on Habitat’s board of directors.
Greeting colleagues, sharing stories about building homes with other business and community leaders or learning more about Habitat for Humanity were some of the topics that anchored conversations during the luncheon.
“I’ve got 60 days to get my house done,” said Deb McKinley, who chairs the Womens Build, a group within Macomb County Habitat for Humanity that can always use volunteers and donations.
“It’s a rehab home but it needs a lot of work,” McKinley said, of the home in Eastpointe that’s being remodeled for Shannon Leonard, a single mother with three children. “It’s old, built in the 1940s.”
However, thanks to the donation of building supplies including new lights, flooring, drywall materials, paint and appliances, the two bedroom bungalow will become Leonard’s home sweet home.
“We’re just waiting for them to finish the floors. Then we’ll have plenty of work for volunteers,” said McKinley, who was the first woman to volunteer on Macomb Habitat’s inaugural build in 1995.
She never intended to be a carpenter.
In fact she graduated from college expecting to be a teacher. However, at that time there were more than enough so what started out as a summer job turned into a yearlong position and eventually a career.
And while she’s not in school, she is constantly teaching, new hires and volunteers who have joined the corps at Habitat.
“I love helping people any way I can and if they want a house I want to help them get it,” McKinley added, while watching people arrive for the event that would include a wonderful lunch, door prizes and guest speakers.
“I can see myself working for a nonprofit one day,” said Kylie D’Andrea of St. Clair Shores and Miss Michigan Teen, who was among the first to greet everyone coming into the hall.
When D’Andrea was about 10 years old, she remembers seeing a homeless person asking for help.
“We were driving in the car and I saw him on the side of the road,” D’Andrea said, recalling the incident. After seeing the man holding a sign saying he was homeless D’Andrea asked her parents if they could buy the man a house. That wasn’t possible but over the years, her mother Suzette D’Andrea, being development director for the nonprofit has shown her how community groups can help people like the man she saw on the street.
“The impact they have is incredible,” said Miss Michigan and graduate of L’Anse Creuse High School, whose pageant win earned her a full-ride scholarship to the University of Alabama in the fall. “It’s not just a house that they build but a place where a mother and her kids can feel safe.”
This year’s fundraising goal was $25,000 and organizers said it appears they have exceeded their goals in every category.
“Today’s luncheon touched my heart. I looked out at the sea of generous and caring women and men and felt that a genuine spirit of love was present,” said Helen Hicks, president and CEO for Macomb Habitat. “More than 250 people were listening to successful speakers while writing checks for Habitat families who would someday become homeowners.”