I began a conversation with a couple of people with Habitat for Humanity with regard to volunteering opportunities for members of Bay City After 6. As part of this conversation, I was asked if I would be willing to help Habitat out by shooting on a few days while they were working on their 2009 neighborhood revitalization project.

Most people are aware of Habitat’s main focus which is helping build and provide homes for people. Rather than focus all of their efforts on a single home, the neighborhood project gives Habitat the opportunity to work with a number of homes in a given area. The neighborhood they chose is in Bay City’s south end, near Rexer-Jablonski Park (named for two Bay City Police Officers killed in the line of duty). The neighborhood, while not being a bad area, is home to a number of houses in various states of disrepair.

Coordinating their efforts with Dow Chemical and other volunteer organizations, Habitat had the chance to make a real difference in this neighborhood.

I’m not sure exactly how many homes were worked on over the course of the eight-day project, but the work performed ranged from paint jobs, to gutter repair, porch replacement, landscaping and so forth.

One part of the project was to clean up the landscaping at Rexer-Jablonski Park, which served as a home base for the entire project.

As part of any Habitat project, the families whose homes are being worked on are required to help pitch in with the work. As you can see below, no family member was too small or too young to help out.

Okay…maybe some of them were too young and too small. The trio below did, however, help eat donuts. Everybody did their part.

I heard a great story from one of the people with Habitat. Family members were so filled with the goodwill the week created that many of them took time out to help out on other neighbors’ homes.

On the final day of the project, Mayor Charles M. Brunner came and said a few words about the difference that one full week of giving back to the community made. Not just to the homes themselves, but to the people who live in the neighborhood. And it showed in the number of families who chose to attend the closing ceremony and share their thanks and their stories.

As a great parting touch, each home that Habitat worked on was given two chairs for the front porch to encourage neighbors to sit out on their porch and spend some time talking to their neighbors. The best part is that the neighborhood has been using the chairs and is coming together as a real community. They’ve even planned a neighborhood picnic for the near future.

Habitat is already working on its 2010 neighborhood revitalization project, but there is a big challenge in front of them. This year, they were able to count on Dow Chemical providing a lot of volunteers. Next year, however, Dow Chemical will be working on a Habitat project in Midland. This means that to have the same sort of impact, Habitat will have to recruit a LOT of local volunteers. I am making it my personal mission to do whatever I can to help get the word out about this project.

I’ll be turning to friends, family members, clients and readers of this blog to take a few hours out of their week to pitch in and give back to some people who can use a helping hand. Watch this blog for details as they become available.

About three weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a woman I met at a Bay Area Chamber of Commerce event. We only met the one time and didn’t really know each other, but she wrote to ask if I would be willing to let her son spend a couple of hours in the studio, interviewing me and getting an idea of what it is to be a graphic designer. I think part of why I belong to the Chamber is because I don’t just want to have a business here, but I chose to build my life here. And as part of that, I want to be involved with the community. I told her that I was happy to do it so we arranged for her son to come in to the studio for a couple of hours.

The son, whose name I am going to withhold because he is a minor, is a really nice, normal kid. He goes to school at Saginaw Academy of Science & Arts (I didn’t even know such a school existed in the area). He likes art, but it isn’t his only interest. He came to the studio with a few pages of questions about what I do. As somebody who writes profiles professionally, I have to tell you, he came armed with some really bright questions. I was really impressed with his preparation and we talked for a while about my career and stuff like that.

Time passed very quickly while we just sat there and talked. I asked him a little bit about what sort of art he likes and what he likes to do. In our back-and-forth, I got really excited talking about my career. I came to design through a back door, but I feel really lucky to have a career that I genuinely enjoy. I love going to work, I love being in the studio, doing the actual design, etc. I’ve never lost sight of how much I appreciate being able to do something I love and get paid for it, but in talking with this young many it sort of rekindled the fire a little bit. 

I’m really grateful that I had the opportunity to spend some time talking with him. I know I got a lot out of it and I hope he feels the same way. After he left I was picking things up before heading home and noticed that he left me a message on the Etch-a-Sketch. He also took the time to write me a thank you note and mail it, but for me the Etch-a-Sketch message was perfect. You’re welcome.

On a completely unrelated note…I thought I’d do a little show and tell with the other objects in the photo above. Along with the Etch-a-Sketch note we have:

• A photo of myself and Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe. This photo (taken by Barry Rankin) was taken on an evening when my job was to spend a few hours taking photos of Gordie Howe while he signed autographs. Other than to say hello, we didn’t talk during the autograph session, but Gordie kept hamming it up for me. At the end of the evening, I had the chance to go up and chat with him for a minute. I can’t tell you what a huge thrill that was!

• A Detroit Red Wings puck autographed by Gordie. He had just been signing his name for most things, but because we had “worked together” he surprised me and personalized it. When he handed it to me he said, “Here you go…To Mr. Photo from Mr. Hockey.” 

• A signed print of a photo I took of Ryne Sandberg when he was coaching the Peoria Chiefs. 

• A photo of me from the first time I met the Stanley Cup. My friend Jim Biewer, now with the Detroit Red Wings, took this photo. I had about thirty minutes where it was just me and the Cup. I took lots of photos, but mostly I just read the names in the rings. I wanted to touch it, but I knew better. In any of the three or four times I’ve been around the Cup, I haven’t touched it.

• Tucked between the Etch-a-Sketch and the Red Wings puck, you can see a Great Lakes Loons baseball peeking out. 

Man, do I have a cool job, or what?