A FAMILY IN TRAINING


This spring, as part of my fundraising efforts, as well as part of my "training" plan for Nunavut, I decided to volunteer on the Habitat
PEI Women's Build. On day one, despite the seriously damp weather on the official "wall-raising" day, it was humbling to be among a group of volunteers who just know how to show up and gett'er done. It was incredibly rewarding work. Bring on the blisters, bruises, sweat, aching muscles...it was fun! As anticipated, I became instantly addicted to the teamwork and comradery, so I wasn't surprised when I went into auto-completion mode and found myself signing up for additional build days. Me & my pink hammer have built & framed walls, hiked building supplies over our shoulder, hammered too many nails to count, built a mini-shed, installed a door, measured and then measured twice, levelled, climbed and re-climbed scaffolding, literally raised a roof, learned how to "bend" a 2x6, cut and installed siding, and then some. Thank you to the team for my "training" days! A significantly HUGE thank you to Don, the build site manager, for sharing his knowledge, for keeping our work fun as well as challenging, and most especially for his patience when answering my numerous "girlie" questions, with a smile. How am I supposed to know what a "soffit" is? ....and don't even get me started on measuring-tape fraction conversions expected in 1/16 of a second!! :)


A big thank you to my hubby for joining me for a day on the build-site and volunteering his time. At first, I wasn't too sure about "the family that builds together stays together", but I think once he realised that telling a woman what to do when she has a power tool in her hand, may not be the best idea! (LOL) We had a great time! Also, a BIG thank you to the mini-Poirier's for their thoughtful and caring idea to deliver popsicles to the volunteers after a very long, and warm roofing day. Me loves my kiddos.

In addition to our hands-on volunteer work for the Women's Build, on June 8th, the Poirier kids also helped to support Habitat for Humanity by running in the first ever Runway Run at the Charlottetown Airport. Despite the remnants of tropical storm Andrea, our children were cleared for take-off! We had a great time in the rain! Proud Mum.

Should you wish to make a donation to support the Habitat for Humanity Global Village Program, as well as sponsor the Poirier Family's efforts to participate, raise funds, and create awareness for this amazing organization, please see our personalised Giving Page!

Until next time, gratefully,

Jill