Habitat for Humanity volunteers help build better community

On a windy Saturday morning, just moments after a group of people with tool belts and work boots raise the boards on one side of a house in Mint Farm, Art Morrow climbs a ladder and hammers in the nails to hold the boards in place.

This scene likely takes place at many construction sites every day, but Art Morrow is no ordinary construction worker. In fact, as he will gladly tell you, he is a weekly volunteer with Lowcountry Habitat for Humanity, and he's still learning on the job.

"When I started with Habitat, I had no construction experience at all, but guys like Lee Hundley, Milt Lawrence and Jim Inlow have helped me along the way," he says.

Morrow was pulled into the construction crew by a now-former neighbor, and his time spent on the job site "along the way" has included being a part of the construction of every Lowcountry Habitat house since 1993.

Lowcountry Habitat for Humanity was formed in 1990 to build affordable housing for responsible families in need, all of whom must complete a requirement of 250 "sweat equity" hours and have the ability to pay a small monthly mortgage with zero-percent interest. Lowcountry Habitat has built 30 homes in Northern Beaufort County since its inception.

THREE AMIGOS

Morrow's fellow long-time volunteer, Bob Cummins Sr., has been involved with construction of Habitat homes since 1992. Fresh out of a career with the U.S. Postal Service and quickly bored in retirement, Cummins went to a homebuilders show where Lowcountry Habitat had a booth offering information on volunteer opportunities, and his interest was piqued.

"Back then we did everything for construction of a house ourselves, including mix the paint on site," he says.

Though his previous construction experience was little more than Morrow's, his involvement with Lowcountry Habitat quickly grew so much that he soon convinced his son, Bob Cummins Jr., to join him on the job site each week. In 2007, he had an opportunity to include his grandson in construction, as three generations of Cummins men worked on the Apostles Build house on Prince Street.

"My family saw me going out there each week and thought that it must be a good thing to do," he said.

The new kid on the block of the weekly Habitat octogenarians is Charlie Grisham, a former Marine and retired employee of Grayco. Grisham began working with Lowcountry Habitat in 2001.

"I knew very little about construction, but I was looking for something to do," he says. "I still don't know much."

Grisham is modest in describing his abilities but admits working on the job site each week is a mutually beneficial form therapy. He likes to be "associated with a good group of people like that."

At an age when most people are content to sit on a porch and put their feet up, these three men have defied the stereotype and defined volunteerism.

"We're thankful for all our volunteers, of course," said Jim Inlow, construction manager for Lowcountry Habitat. "But those three guys are just as active as everybody else, and most days I wish I had their energy."

SATISFACTION FROM A JOB WELL-DONE

As Inlow points out, they are not the only weekly volunteers, and a fourth member of the octogenarian crew, Malcolm Cash, only recently retired from the job site. All three men agree with Morrow that the "great chance for camaraderie" among volunteers working for a single purpose is ideal, but they each have a different form of motivation to get them to the construction site each week.

"Well, I ought to be able to get up early at least once a week," jokes Morrow.

He is quick to add that his true satisfaction comes from seeing the construction go from "digging the holes one week to erecting the walls the next," a tangible effort that allows volunteers to see and touch what their efforts have produced.

Although Grisham admits he no longer is able to work on the site as he wants, he still has "other fish to fry," including yard work and work around his own house. He comes to the job site as much as possible because he enjoys banter with the other volunteers.

"I especially like working with all the young guys from Dataw," he says, proving that age is a relative concept, as most of the "young" guys are in their 60s and 70s.

Age has yet to slow Bob Cummins, and working on a Habitat house is just one of the many activities -- he also likes to ride his back -- that keeps him active. His motivation for returning to the job site from week-to-week is also altruistic.

At the June dedication of the Faith House on Prince Street, the most recent house built by Lowcountry Habitat, Cummins watched as the three children moving into the home went around picking out their bedrooms.

"It reminded me why I come out every week -- watching those kids get new houses right across the street from their school" he said. "What a blessing it is."