Reflections as retirement approaches
By: Paul Schreiner, Executive Director
A life well-lived includes—beyond the necessities of shelter and food—some kind of close relationships, art or creativity, and meaningful work.
Frankly, my experience with Project Neighbors has provided much of all three, but especially meaningful work.
Every morning, I get up early, infused with energy to build, or write, or just clean up a mess, not just for personal gain, but for a higher purpose. Call it religion, or community, or legacy… I do not know what to call it. But it sure beats working for corporate profit.
And while I do this work, others—with enthusiasm and a sense of humor—join in the effort. These people include amazing volunteers who show up week after week and year after year and the Project Neighbors Board of Directors who keep me focused. Beyond my wife of fifty-plus years and my children, these people are my closest friends, and this work is my social life.
Imagine this: a dozen university students arrive at a job site at 8 AM. The concrete has been poured, the forms stripped and hauled away, and all the construction debris gone. The students are there to spread black dirt, seed, and straw over a new lawn. It is hot and the wheelbarrow is heavy, the dirt sticky. By noon, we take a break to eat and then wrap it up by 2 PM. The lawn is in with sprinklers running. There will be a backyard for kids to play in. As I load rakes and shovels into my truck, a student interrupts my work. She is covered in dirt and sweat, with bits of straw clinging to her hair. She says, “Thank you for the opportunity to serve. This was great!”
How can you beat that? And I feel that way every day.
Young volunteers are great, but day-to-day, they are not available. Frankly, for the six months or so it takes to build a small house, the regular volunteers are “the old guys,” and not all guys. There is a core of faithful, retired volunteers who do routine tasks. We save the big jobs requiring minimal skills—like landscaping and major clean-up—for the sororities, fraternities, and church groups with kids, but the framing, flooring installation, cabinetry, trimming, roofing, drywall work…these jobs are done by volunteers who come to the site between seven and eight in the morning. A couple are former tradesmen with polished skills. Other are great analytical people who love a challenge and have to figure it out. All take immense pride in doing the job right. They come with work clothes, knee pads, toolboxes, and a sense of humor. They have become the crew, the workers who make our mission possible, and my friends.
“See you tomorrow,” a volunteer says at the end of a work session.
Finally, and most importantly, there are the families and individuals who live in the results of our work. Some have slept in their cars. Some have jammed their entire family into a two-room apartment. Some have couch surfed. All have experienced insecure housing. Rarely after moving into a Project Neighbors house or apartment do folks move out. So, over the years I have gotten to know them. I have seen their children grow up, observed their backyard activity, fixed their leaky sinks (and been thanked), seen the dignity of their lives, and, at times, been present to hold a hand or give a hug.
A rich life.