LAWA‘I — The last time Brandon Glover and Kathryn Petrovich were on Kaua‘i, they were tearing up flooring at a condominium in Po‘ipu.
That work was part of their effort to help build a Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity home at the ‘Ele‘ele home sites.
That was in 2009, and on Saturday, Glover and Petrovich returned to the Garden Island with 17 other Canadian volunteers as part of the Global Village build.
“They needed some volunteers to help finish the ‘Ele‘ele home, but we’re jumpstarting another home in Lawa‘i with the extra people,” said Janis Benn, the volunteer coordinator for Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity. “This Lawa‘i house will belong to a single mother with children.”
Gigi Lee, one of the Canadian volunteers, had her Habitat shirt scribbled with names of people she said made it possible for her to come to Kaua‘i and help build homes. She was one of the builders in the Lawa‘i crew, Wednesday, who was preparing to break for lunch at Kaua‘i Coffee.
Bob McNamara, the Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity Construction Superintendant, said the Canadian group has made amazing progress on the Lawa‘i site, which now has the elevated home’s foundation showing against the skyline against the lush greenery.
“When we got here, Monday, there were only slabs where the footings would go,” Glover said. “The builders have been making some progress.”
Benn said the Lawa‘i home was being worked on while Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity waits on infrastructure for the ‘Ele‘ele site.
“We also have other sites we can work on,” Benn said. “In this case, the woman’s mother lives close by, and the family turned over some land to her so she could have a home for her family.”
McNamara said the priority is still on finishing the ‘Ele‘ele home where another Global Village group led by Katie and Kurt Love completed the installation of drywall.
“This group, led by Petrovich, Wednesday, has been putting miles of caulking in preparation for painting,” McNamara said. “They’ve been working hard.”
He said what remains in ‘Ele‘ele is the application of primer to the interior, painting and the finish work which includes hanging of the doors.
“If everything goes good, we should be done by the end of March,” McNamara said. “What is helping us is the new scaffolding we’ve been able to pick up through grants from the Friends of Hawai‘i Charities and the Cooke Foundation.”
Benn said next group will arrive here Jan. 29 led by Peter Kooiman, a commercial flower grower from Washington. He will be leading a dozen volunteers to the Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity sites.
Benn said residents who want to join the visiting volunteers, or learn more about helping, can take advantage of the volunteer orientations she initiated.
These orientations take place on the third Thursday and first Saturday of each month, and covers both construction and non-construction opportunities. The next program will take place at the Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity baseyard in Hanapepe starting at 9 a.m. on Feb. 5.
Visit www.kauaihabitat.org, or call 335-0296 for more information.
