Fairfield Habitat to honor volunteers at ‘Spring Fling’ March 23

FAIRFIELD – Greater Fairfield Area Habitat for Humanity will host a special event to honor its volunteers on Saturday, March 23.

The event is called the Spring Fling, and it will begin at 5 p.m. at the Walton Club in Fairfield. Jerry Leonard, Habitat’s new part-time construction manager, said the event is intended for past volunteers, or those looking to become a volunteer. There’s no charge for the meal, though the organization is requesting that attendees RSVP by Tuesday, March 19 by calling Leonard at 641-919-9859, or by emailing info@fairfieldhabitat.org. Leonard said Habitat is expecting to serve 30-35 people.

The event will include a meal and a presentation of what Fairfield Habitat is all about.

“We’re going to pay for a couple of tacos and a couple of beverages for our volunteers,” Leonard said.

Leonard is fairly new to Habitat for Humanity. He had helped with a few projects many years ago, but had not been involved in the organization until last September when he was asked to take over the position of construction manager from Kathy Brown.

Greater Fairfield Area Habitat for Humanity is approaching its 30th anniversary. Thirty years ago in 1994, Fairfield resident John Loin traveled to South Dakota where he and a group of volunteers built 30 homes in just one week. Upon his return to Fairfield, Loin garnered support to start a local chapter of Habitat, which finished its first home in Fairfield in 1998, and has built nearly 30 homes.

Leonard felt that with this anniversary nearing, a celebratory event was in order.

“Though I just got to be a board member a few months ago, the first thing I thought of was that we should have an event to show appreciation for our past volunteers,” Leonard said. “We’re at the threshold of being in existence for 30 years. This is a time for us to step back and say, ‘We did it! This is working in Fairfield.’”

Like most civic groups in Jefferson County, Habitat for Humanity can always use more volunteers, and Leonard felt that this Spring Fling was a great way to get their message out.

“We need any kind of volunteering, from hammering a nail to painting to being on one of our subcommittees,” he said. “Our whole idea is to bring this to the attention of people who want to volunteer, but who don’t know where to go. We’re always looking to expand our board and committees.”

Greater Fairfield Area Habitat for Humanity has transitioned to having Iowa Prison Industries build its homes, primarily due to cost efficiencies. Leonard said that there is still plenty for volunteers to do, and in fact Habitat is planning to do a series of 6-8 mini-projects over the summer. These projects are part of Habitat’s Brush with Kindness program.

“We’re going to start out small, fixing a porch door, caulking windows, nothing big like putting a roof on a second-story house,” Leonard said. “Once we roll this out, I imagine we’ll be inundated with people wanting us to do something, but it depends on our volunteer capacity.”

Those interested in learning more about the Brush with Kindness program, or Greater Fairfield Area Habitat for Humanity in general, can call Habitat ReStore at 641-209-9450, or send an email to info@fairfieldhabitat.org.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com