Meet the crew; any weekend you show up to volunteer at the CCHFH build site, you’ll likely be greeted by Lyle McMillan, Lillian Pierce, John Slovick, and Jim Boehme. Each volunteer has his or her own unique callings–the job they do and the reason they return year after year.

Lyle McMillan, CCHFH volunteer construction supervisor for five years, was recruited to help build his step-daughter’s CCHFH house after he retired from a career in construction. He enjoys teaching others, but what draws him back every year is to help the kids, “All kids need a good home to grow up in and a yard.”

Lillian Pierce, retired elementary school teacher, says working every weekend is a bonding experience, “The home-owners become like family.” “Kids run up to greet you and wrap their arms around your legs.” Willing to do any job assigned from hammering to hanging siding, she is best known as “the organizer”– recruiting volunteers and scanning the scene to make sure everyone is on task.

John Slovic has no formal training in construction; he relies on technical ability with tools and problem solving skills he learned in the industrial piping trade. He switched to the CCHFH crew this year from Boise, because he wants to share his gifts to help people his home community. By maintaining an attitude that “no task is too small,” he has been able to enjoy diverse tasks.

When it comes to large group projects like hanging siding, Jim Boehme (pronounced “Bome”) is usually in charge. A master of many trades from a career building homes, Jim likes to use his talents beyond making a living. “It gives you a good feeling to know you are helping a family and improving the community,” he said. Jim is also the “go-to guy” for hanging cabinets.

What keeps volunteers coming back? Despite their individual reasons, each mentioned they enjoy a special commeraderie that comes over time. “I really enjoy working with these guys, even though they give me a lot of guff,” said Lillian.

-Ann Van Buren

Meet Rochelle Killett, CCHFH volunteer extraordinaire!!

Rochelle Killett is a Nampa resident, who came to the area to attend NNU and has stayed ever since. Rochelle is a schoolteacher in Kuna, serves on the Habitat Family Selection Committee, is a budget counselor at Love INC, and volunteers with many other church related programs. In her spare time, she is first and foremost a reader.

How did you hear about CCHFH?

“Rev. Caroly Bowers, a previous Family Selection Committee chair is a friend of mine.  She invited me to serve on the committee but I read about Habitat when I read Millard Fuller’s first book from the Nampa Public Library many years  before. ”

Why did you start volunteering with CCHFH?

Carolyn was looking for a diverse group and she invited me to participate.  We meet once a month as applications are available, and more often when we are planning to recruit families and when it is time to make home visits and the actual selection of families for the homes to be built.

What have you learned from volunteering with CCHFH?

Before volunteering for Habitat, I’ve volunteered for many other projects so working as part of a team was not new to me.  However, I am constantly amazed at how little some families live on.

What do you like best about working with the other Habitat volunteers?

It is humbling to be able to recommend a family who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to own their own home for a Habitat home.  Working with others who share similar interests in helping families get into their own homes is very rewarding.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering?

Volunteering for Habitat is a good way to improve your community and to help families find a way to own their own home at an affordable rate.  It’s well worth the time it takes to volunteer and you meet some amazing people.

What has been the best part of working with CCHH?

Making home visits is well worth the time it takes to go visit.  Meeting these hard working people who live on such limited incomes is almost always humbling and is such an encouragement to see how resilient the human family is.  Working with other people who give of themselves to help others is very rewarding.

Though I lack construction skills, the time I did spend working on a home was really wonderful.  I joined the woman’s build day in May at the current house and learned how to drive a nail with a hammer, a skill that has evaded me for more years than I want to remember.  Just having worked on the house connects me to that family in a more concrete way than just working on the Family Selection Committee even though I’ve had the privilege of visiting in most of the family homes before they were chosen.  Getting to know the families who receive the homes makes very strong connections to the whole process. Each time the process begins again, I wonder who the familiy’s to be chosen will be.  Each time it has been amazing to watch them be selected and then work on their home as the construction progresses to the point of moving in.  What a change it makes for families watching them learn as they work on the house and then make it their own.

Thanks, Rochelle! For other profiles of CCHFH volunteers, look under the interview category of the blog!