Habitat for Humanity

Employees of the CCSD have volunteered to work on Habitat for Humanity projects in East Tennessee. In May of 2003 a team of over one hundred ORNL employees helped in the construction of a Habitat house for a Morgan County family, whose home was destroyed by a tornado. Earlier in 2001, volunteers built a house for a young couple living near the Heiskell Community in Anderson County.

Article from The Oak Ridger
May 28, 2003

Ed Mee, vice president of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council in Oak Ridge, presents the key to the Habitat for Humanity house to Jamie and Jeanette Nolan of Mossy Grove. Also participating in the ceremony were Brenda Hackworth, UT-Battelle's community outreach manager, and Karen Garrett of UT-Battelle's Communications and Community Outreach office, who lives near Mossy Grove and organized the six-week construction effort. Curtis Boles/ORNL

Mossy Grove family gets new house thanks to Habitat for Humanity, ORNL workers

As the cleanup continues from the latest round of tornados to strike East Tennessee, a Morgan County family left homeless by last fall's killer storms is moving into a brand new house,thanks to the efforts of a team of employees from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Habitat for Humanity house, located in the Joyner community near Petros, was constructed in just six weeks by a group made up of ORNL members of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council and Team UT-Battelle volunteers, according to an ORNL press release.

More than 100 ORNL employees worked to build the home for Jamie and Jeanette Nolan and their four children. Members of the ATLC provided most of the skilled labor for construction of the four-bedroom rancher.

"This has been a labor of love for our folks," said Ed Mee, ATLC vice president, in the release. "It has been a good opportunity for us to assist some of our East Tennessee neighbors and also to work with our fellow ORNL employees in Team UT-Battelle."

Brenda Hackworth, the laboratory's community outreach manager, said the project has been extremely gratifying for the ORNL staff who participated. "We appreciate all the people who volunteered, particularly those ATLC members who handled so much of the carpentry, wiring and other tasks requiring their specific skills."

UT-Battelle also donated $15,000 to Appalachia Habitat for Humanity to cover construction expenses, according to the release.

Keys to the new home were presented to the Nolans during ceremonies dedicating and blessing the house.

Article from ORNL Reporter
June 2001

Bill Madia, like all good carpenters, always measures twice before cutting.

ORNL volunteers spend Saturdays for a Habitat cause

Team UT-Battelle is joining the local Habitat for Humanity in establishing a home for a young couple. The structure is taking shape near the Heiskell community in Anderson County.

At the same time, another group of volunteers from ORNL are rehabilitating existing homes.

Clad in green T-shirts, a crew of about 30 Team UT-Battelle volunteers, including several Leadership Team members, showed up on the muggy Saturday morning of May 19 to start raising the new house, literally from the ground floor. The project, coordinated and assisted by veteran Habitat volunteers, will likely go on for most of the summer.

Team UT-Battelle organizers hope to have 20 volunteers on hand each Saturday. Groups representing several Lab divisions have already signed up to help on specific weekends, but all participants are welcome for tasks ranging from sure-enough carpentry to simply maintaining the work site.

Habitat crew chief Jack Day, a Y-12 retiree, started the May 19 session with an overview of what would be done that day, and followed up with a brief talk on safety. "Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't know exactly what's going on," he said.

Habitat volunteers Paul Smith and Wes Delaney, who represent an informal Habitat club called the OFCs, joined him at the build. ("OFC" could stand for a number of things, Jack explained, but most appropriately is an initialism for "our friendly carpenters.")

Before long, the hilltop was alive with the "phwap" of a nail gun and the whir of a power saw.

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