A Smile is Worth a Thousand Words!
Enough said...come smile with us.
Crew Chief Corner
Don Kyle, HOTC Senior Crew Chief
When I volunteered to work on the very first House on the Corner, I really had no idea how big the impact would be, both in the community and in my life. I knew I was going to help build a house for a deserving family and I knew the workdays would be long and hot. I knew that my construction abilities and my old body would be tested. But what I didn’t know is that by building a house you could help rebuild an entire community. I never imagined I would meet such giving people or that I would make lifelong friends in the process. I certainly never dreamed it would transform my life and build a better person in me.
I feel very privileged to have been part of the creation of not just four houses but four homes. As we start work on our fifth house, I look forward to meeting the new family and seeing the house take shape every week. I look forward to getting to know new people, using my new tools, learning new skills, and most of all, working with my friends. Every Saturday I know that my peeps will be there – some with smiles on and some in desperate need of coffee – but all raring to go and eager to get on with the days tasks.
Earl will be there calm as always, organizing the work for the day. Shane and his enthusiasm will be ready to tackle anything and everything … except painting. Russ, our master painter, will have everything perfectly laid out; and Tom, the wise cracking jokester but excellent carpenter, will be ready to go. Quiet Clayton will be there too, to do whatever is asked. Vic, John, Larry, Neal and so many others will be there with a smile on their face and an eagerness to work. Then there are the divas - Tina and April - they bring a ray of sunshine and quite a few laughs to a group of old fuddy duddies. These and many more that I have met have enriched my life more than I can express.
Some people wonder how you can basically give up five months worth of Saturdays to do hard labor in the summer heat. For me the answer is that I know my friends will be there to help me through. I would have never had the opportunity to become great friends with these people if not for HOTC. And I know the feeling that I’ll have when it’s all finished and house number five is transformed into someone’s home.
Don Kyle
Plano High School Seniors turned House on the Corner into a homework assignment. They were on hand to film a documentary about what it is like to be involved in a volunteer project. They worked really hard and obviously had lots of fun!