HANAPEPE — Home building took on a global atmosphere on Saturday at two Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity sites in Hanapepe Heights. Teddy Arroyo of Arroyo Plumbing, a dance company from the Aloha Dance Company, and a group from the Habitat
HANAPEPE — Home building took on a global atmosphere on Saturday at two Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity sites in Hanapepe Heights.
Teddy Arroyo of Arroyo Plumbing, a dance company from the Aloha Dance Company, and a group from the Habitat Global Village program joined four local volunteers and homeowners to create a mosaic of talent coming together to help raise homes.
“They’ve accomplished quite a bit,” said Joel Wiersum, site supervisor for Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity. “This group from the Global Village came in and roofed one house, completed all of the insulation, painted and even started to install the sheetrock.”
Wiersum said the Global Village group under team leader Liesje Sandler comes from all over the United States — Washington, D.C., California, New York, Texas, Seattle and Nebraska.
“This was a fun project,” said Sherrie Ross, a Global Village volunteer from California who was enjoying her fourth build. “Usually when you go to a build, they make you do just one or two things. But this build, we got to do a lot of different things and that made it fun because there was so much to do. I even got to pull weeds with a jack hammer because you folks got some huge weeds.”
Arroyo, a coach for the Lihu‘e Patriots Junior Pee Wee football team as well as a referee for the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation, was thrilled to be able to help at the site with some of his workers, skill and supplies.
“Normally, I give away bicycles for Christmas,” Arroyo said. “But this year, I thought we could help with a house. Our firm got the contract to do the solar units for the Kaua‘i Habitat Homes, so this is a nice way to give back. And, it’s a real nice feeling to know that what we do is helping a Westside family.”
Arroyo was working on the home site of Kainoa and Healani Keuma, both busy cutting away the excess wrapping from the side of their home.
Arroyo’s actions overflowed into the dance studio as Joy Pigao, a counter sales person at Ferguson, got the dance company to spend some time helping at the Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity site.
“Teddy’s a real good friend,” Pigao said. “And the girls needed a break.”
One of the dancers interjected by saying this was the dance company’s way of giving back to the community.
Pigao said for the past several weeks, the girls and their parents and other volunteers have been busy working on the Freaky Friday haunted house that will be open at Kukui Grove Center every Friday in October, culminating with the Halloween weekend.
Coming to help at the Hanapepe site helped get the girls’ minds off the sets they were building, she said, and they got to experience the joy and appreciation expressed by the homeowners as they worked alongside the volunteer crew.
“It’s hard to find a point to leave off,” a Global Village volunteer said as the time for their departure neared. “You get involved in something like this and one thing leads to another.”
Wiersum said the next group of Global Village won’t be here until November and volunteers are always welcome.
He said people interested in volunteering can call Janis Benn at 335-0296 or visit www.kauaihabitat.org.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
