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iii. "/ l gigging"; §The ] _iii' Famil; 'iii. Water' "It's been two years in the making... the fundraising, the planning. But now that it's actually being built, it's just overwhelming." Pelkey said. "l know the teachers are excited, but you can multiply that by 35,000 times and that's how I feel. It's just overwhelming. There's no other word to describe how I feel." "I really look forward to moving in." Pelkey said. "The stability that comes with the house.., the convev mence of being in the City. it's all great. We are really looking forward In it FF Pelkey and her daughters jessica, 16, Mackenzie, II. Michaela. Clghl, and Samantha. "vo, turrenth live m Petersburg, but are excited about moving min Walerluu The house that teachers built One of the keys to the 'iii/iii" effectiveness of Habitat ‘ For Humanity is that the ,2 home becomes a source of pride for not just the recipi- _ em, but for the volunteers 13;!” who help with its construe 1.; lion. . Q That concept certainly rings true in Habitat's latest home build, a project being undertaken for Michelle Pelkey and her four daugh- ters by teachers from across Waterloo region. Construction of the house, which is sponsored by the Teachers' Federations of Waterloo Region, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario. the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Federation and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, actually began a few weeks ago with construction of the foundation. The two-week blitz to finish building, how- ever, got underway last week, with a goal of Aug. l8 for completion and dedica, lion. Not surprisingly, Pelkey has been thrilled with the entire process. Family excited about moving into Waterloo Habitat for Humanity home u. o mums HATE loo “on“. IWIIIhmuy 't'thll)."rl,'r'd-'3lh' hm "F. A'A- 746-1666 By SEAN MEYER For The Chronicle [1121mm Dave Fish, a science teacher at Bluevale colle- giate institute, said he knows how excited both he and his fellow volunteers are because he has worked on other Habitat projects with some ofthem. As much as she is looking forward to moving into her new home, Pelkey said it has been just as exciting to actu- ally be involved in the con- struction process. "I don't know how many people can know what it is like lo be involved in the building of their home," Pelkey said. "To see it built from the ground up. I haven't wanted Io miss any part of it." Pelkey's excitement is shared by the teachers tak- mg part in the project. Michelle Pelkey, centre, has been working with members of three Waterloo region teacher unions to complete her new Habitat For Humanity-sponsored home. Construction should be complete by Aug. 18, SEAN MEYER no" I've worked on two other LIFESTYLE Habitat projects, so when the call went out for teachers who would be interested, I knew there wouldnt be a problem (finding volun- teers)," Fish said. “I thought it was a great idea (to have teachers building the home) because I've worked with others before and I knew there were so many with the right skills." It was because of those skills that Habitat For Humanity was first approached about the idea ofa teacher-built home. Habitat fundraising coor- dinator Lynn Campbell said she thought having teachers undertake the project was a great idea. "The story goes that a bunch (of teachers) were working together on another build when they noticed “M MEYER PHOTO Campbell agreed, adding the project has been a real source of pride for the whole community __ especially since an extra $30,000 was raised above the $60,000 that was targeted "And what better way to build unity is there than building a home with your own hands." "The fundraising has just been great. Really it's been a testament to the dedication and the community aware- ness of Waterloo region." Campbell said. "And I think it's been really wonderful for the teachers. Part of what makes working on a Habitat project really wonderful is the team-building experi- ence it brings "You can see it's a real step forward for the family," Fish said. "A new home brings with it stability. When you have that kind of stabili- ty, when the kids see it and know they are going to be here for years, growing up with their friends. I think it will be really good for all of them and you can see that they really appreciate every- thing that's being done." For Fish, the Habitat pro- jects mean a great deal to him both personally and as a teacher. how many of them were involved," Campbell said. "That's how it started, just from a casual conversation. When they approached us. . . I thought it was a natural. For them, they had a goal and they saw it through. We are really thankful for what the three unions have done." "Habitat is exactly the kind of cause I believe in. Because it is a 'hand up' and not a 'hand out'," Fish said. "And that's the kind of thing teachers see every day. If someone is willing to make the effort and work hard for what they want, then we are more than happy to help them achieve that goal." Fish, like Peikey, said there is definite stability that comes with the move into a Habitat house. Lutherwood-CODA has been involved with the Wider Horizons Program since 1990. Its role in the partnership is to provide participants with host family accommodation, work placements. job skills training and an opportunity to experience Canadian culture. Use your computer skills to help the House of Friendship Emergency Food Hamper program. Volunteers with knowledge of Windows, Access, Excel and databases will make a huge difference to this pro- gram. They will work with staff to set up a new data- base program, input confidential data and help with troubleshooting. Assistance is needed two lo four hours a week anytime Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 pm. For further information, call the Volunteer Action Centre at 742-8610 and inquire about volunteer position number I 1364. If you are interested in providing accommodation in your home for some of these participants. or are willing to provide work placements. contact Karen Dwyer, coordinator of international programs for Lutherwood-CODA by calling 742-1782, ext. 413. Host families receive $130 per week, per participant, for room and board. The program was designed to improve the employ- ability of young people aged 18 to 28 by providing training, work experience and personal development. The program also fosters mutual understanding by ensuring that each group of participants represents a mix of the two traditions in the north and south of Ireland. Each group is split evenly between northern Catholics, Protestants and southern Catholics. The groups receive training in Ireland and are then sent abroad for an eight-week period to live and work in a different culture. The tournament will take place Aug. 18-19 at the Cambridge Ice Park. Teams from the emergency ser- vice sector as well as the community will be compet- ing for charity. Two groups of Irish youth will be arriving in Kitchener-Waterloo Sept. 1 and Oct. 1 to participate in an eight-week cultural and developmental program called the Wider Horizons program, and need places to work or stay. The Waterloo regional police has challenged any corporate team to try to steal home plate while panic- ipating in this year's third-annual Dave Nicholson Memorial Slo-Pitch tournament. There are divisions for corporate men's and corpo- rate co-ed teams. In the emergency services section there are divisions for men's competitive. men's recre- ation, co-ed competitive and co-ed recreation. -iast year/3S teams participated in the event and over 50 teams are expected this year. For more information, call brad Finucan at 653- 7700, ext. 399, or Rob Cowan at 653-7700. ext. 849. Host families needed for Irish youth programs local police issue slo-pitch challenge Volunteers needed