KEKAHA — Marian Eguchi wore a big smile Thursday.
She had good reason to be grinning.
“It’s almost done,” she said, watching Habitat Global Village volunteers work on the rising house in Kekaha. “The house has come a long way since we started in January, and there is always a surge when we get visited by Global Village teams. Today, they’re starting to paint the inside, finish off paneling the outside and starting to reinforce the joints.”
A Habitat Global Village team from Canada started the first day of its six workday build at the Eguchi homesite Thursday under the leadership of Barbara Lesage of Calgary, Canada. They are scheduled to finish by October.
“The last time I was on Kauai was 15 years ago as a tourist,” Lesage said. “This is the first time I’ve brought a team to Kauai for a build. I’ve taken teams to Chile and New Zealand, but this is the first for Hawaii.”
Among the volunteers who collected at the Eguchi homesite, Cynthia Mabry-King of Greenbelt, Maryland said she had just gotten married Saturday and was on her honeymoon.
“We just got married, and agreed that we wanted to be of service during our honeymoon,” Mabry-King said. “Here we are, enjoying Hawaii.”
Laura Libralato of Toronto, Canada said she was enjoying her first Global Village build, taking advantage of breaks to find out more about the community and the island from Shelbi Shimazu, a Kauai Community College student.
“We do a lot of volunteering in our town,” Libralato said.
She said she had no idea Hawaii needed help.
“When you see Hawaii through the postcards, you would never think there is a need for help,” Libralato said. “When we found out there is a need, we just want to help fill part of that need.”
Courtney Head and Shannon Costello, both of New Foundland, were wielding brushes in a sauna-like atmosphere in one of four bedrooms.
“You folks want to go swim?” Shimazu invited the girls. “We can go to the beach right after work — jump in the water just like this.”
Kauai Habitat for Humanity invites people to join the Canadian Global Village team help Marian Eguchi’s dream of a home come true.
The teams will be working through July 24, with Sunday and Monday being days off.
Info: www.kauaihabitat.org for 335-0296, ext. 152
