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Oct 12, 2021

Qualico Winnipeg Lends a Hand on the job Site for Habitat for Humanity Team Builds

Qualico Volunteer Group Picture

Winnipeg, MB - The Qualico Winnipeg office had 31 employees take part in Habitat for Humanity team builds on September 14, 16, 22 and October 6. Volunteers worked at the Templeton build site, a multi-family project that, when finished, will provide homes to 20 families and 50 children.

“We had the opportunity to sit down with Susan from Habitat for Humanity as she explained the program, the selection process, and the various ways a homeowner benefits from the program,” said Verne Benizano, IT Systems Architect.

In addition to learning the process for how families qualify for a Habitat home, staff also had the opportunity to work alongside some of the families who will one day call these places home.

Melanie Chow, Safety Coordinator, noted that “meeting the homeowner and seeing how excited he was that his family gets to move into one of the houses and seeing him work so hard to help build it” was a highlight of her day of volunteering.

The Templeton project is a net zero project; heating will be electric, to keep energy consumption low. Staff were impressed with the steps that Habitat have taken to make the homes that are being built energy-efficient and more affordable for the future homeowners.

Carly Chlopecki, Marketing and Sales Assistant with StreetSide Developments, commented, “You really see how much work goes into building these homes and how important these builds are in order to provide affordable housing for families.”

From digging trenches for plumbing, helping to set up the foundation for a house and cleaning the work site, to moving in appliances and installing stairs and subfloors, Qualico volunteers had plenty of opportunities to try their hand at tasks they don’t do every day.

“I work in an office environment at a desk – what I produce day-to-day is intangible,” said Ray Hauser, Systems Financial Analyst. “I really liked being able to contribute to something and see a tangible result such as a wall going up.”

Reflecting on the experience, the common theme that stood out among everyone who volunteered was the opportunity to spend the day helping others and working alongside fellow employees who they may never have crossed paths with in their daily jobs.

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