Habitat for Humanity of Monroe Co. hosts playhouse build at Indian Creek Zoo
The volunteers wrapped up earlier this afternoon.
LAMBERTVILLE, Mich.— “What we have going on today is we have actually seven playhouses being built. They’re all sponsored by different local businesses in the community that underwrote all the cost of them. And what happens is we’re going to build these playhouses. We also accepted applications from families that may need a playhouse. And then we assigned an artist to each of those playhouses, so we could make it special for that family,” explained M. David Graves, president & CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County.
All throughout the morning and into the afternoon, volunteers worked hard at Lambertville’s Indian Creek Zoo. Painting, constructing, and even having a little fun.
Sue Vanisacker, director of community relations for the La-Z-Boy Foundation, had a motivated group with her this morning.
“We have so many great volunteers here today. We’re representing the human resources department, the finance and accounting department, and IT departments at La-Z-Boy World Headquarters, which is located in Monroe,” Vanisacker said.
A manager with the Indian Creek Zoo says one of the highlights of this event was the intriguing backdrop presented by the many animals there.
“We have zebras right behind them, a brand new baby zebra that was born on Sunday. So you got some great atmosphere things to look at,” said Julie Angell, a manager at the Indian Creek Zoo.
Graves says that the story behind his start with Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County is likely a relatable one to many people.
“I’ve been a builder, developer for 30 years. And about 10 years ago, a friend of mine approached me from Habitat; they had just bought an entire subdivision and needed some help. And I thought it was a perfect marriage from what I did, and how to give back. And I said, ‘Oh, that’ll be great, I’ll give you three years, we’ll do this for three years.’ Well, that was 13 years ago and I’m still here and I just love it everyday,” he added.
At around 3 p.m. today, the finished playhouses were then presented to the qualifying families. If you or your organization would like to participate in one of the upcoming playhouse builds, click here.
