Students from Full Circle and Next Wave recently volunteered their time and energies to projects for Habitat for Humanity/Boston.

By David Aronofsky

Full Circle and Next Wave students recently completed two days of volunteering with Habitat for Humanity/Boston on October 18 and 25.

On the 18th, students worked on a house in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston. Students Elkis “Kiki” Antunez Espino, Heidy Portillo, and Derrick Sams spent the day installing blueboard in preparation for the plasterers to come in. Kiki, Heidy, and Derrick were able to install blueboard to complete a stairwell and mudroom. Given a tape measure, a screw gun, and a little instruction, the crew was able to reach their goal by the end of the day.

On the 25th, Kiki, Heidy, and Derrick were joined by Tonishae Lewis on a site in Malden. This was a special day for Full Circle and Next Wave as this was a site that they worked on in 2019. Back then, FCNW students worked on framing the house. This time, the houses were completed and homeowners were living in the homes. The crew spent the day landscaping. While it was hard work, they once again were able to reach their goal. They completely weeded the yards of the two homes, spread a layer of topsoil and then covered the lawns with grass seed.

In addition to being able to contribute to a community project and help families realize their goals of home ownership, it was a great learning experience for the students. They came away with some new skills and some insight into possible career paths.