There were five of us, and our newly-single Mom. Five kids. I was the oldest, heading out for my first day of kindergarten. We were living in my uncle’s garage, sharing the space with a 1949 Ford pickup truck. No plumbing. Electricity came from Uncle’s house, by way of a long extension cord. The kitchen featured a one-burner hot plate and a five-gallon bucket that served as the sink. The bathroom consisted of another five-gallon bucket.
When you’re five years old and living in a garage, it’s an adventure. When you’re a 25-year-old single mother of five, it’s a disaster movie.
We were thankful for the garage. We really had no other place to go. For a month or so, it was the best we could do. But sometime in October, we loaded our few belongings into the back of the pickup and moved down the road, where Uncle John had taken out a mortgage on a two-room place that would be our home for the next six years. It was hot in the summer and drafty in the winter, but we were safe and (mostly) warm. It was, for us, a simple, decent place to live.
I write this, not because I feel sorry for myself or my family. Frankly, I think we always had a sense that, as bad as things got at times, we always had what we needed. We were lucky. Not every family has an Uncle John. Too many families never get to move out of the garage. Or the coffee shack. Sadly, too many families never get to move into the garage!
I write this to give you some idea of why I think the mission of Habitat for Humanity is important. I think I have a pretty good understanding of what it’s like to live in sub-standard housing. I think I understand what it’s like for a kid to be embarrassed to bring his friends home. I’ll never fully appreciate the ordeal it must have been for my Mom; I’ll never forget how Uncle John stepped up when we needed help.
Not everybody has an Uncle John. That’s why I believe in Habitat for Humanity. We believe that everyone deserves a simple, decent place in which to live. So, we build simple, decent, affordable houses and make them available to our neighbors. Of course, we don’t do it alone. We rely on our partnerships with local contractors, merchants, agencies, and faith communities, the help of state and federal grants, and a host of generous donors. Together, we build homes for folks who don’t happen to have an Uncle John!
Thank you to all who have stepped up during a most difficult time, to help us help our neighbors. May God bless you all in the coming year.
In Faith,
Father Dick Tardiff
President, Board of Directors
Habitat for Humanity, Hawaii Island
When you’re five years old and living in a garage, it’s an adventure. When you’re a 25-year-old single mother of five, it’s a disaster movie.
We were thankful for the garage. We really had no other place to go. For a month or so, it was the best we could do. But sometime in October, we loaded our few belongings into the back of the pickup and moved down the road, where Uncle John had taken out a mortgage on a two-room place that would be our home for the next six years. It was hot in the summer and drafty in the winter, but we were safe and (mostly) warm. It was, for us, a simple, decent place to live.
I write this, not because I feel sorry for myself or my family. Frankly, I think we always had a sense that, as bad as things got at times, we always had what we needed. We were lucky. Not every family has an Uncle John. Too many families never get to move out of the garage. Or the coffee shack. Sadly, too many families never get to move into the garage!
I write this to give you some idea of why I think the mission of Habitat for Humanity is important. I think I have a pretty good understanding of what it’s like to live in sub-standard housing. I think I understand what it’s like for a kid to be embarrassed to bring his friends home. I’ll never fully appreciate the ordeal it must have been for my Mom; I’ll never forget how Uncle John stepped up when we needed help.
Not everybody has an Uncle John. That’s why I believe in Habitat for Humanity. We believe that everyone deserves a simple, decent place in which to live. So, we build simple, decent, affordable houses and make them available to our neighbors. Of course, we don’t do it alone. We rely on our partnerships with local contractors, merchants, agencies, and faith communities, the help of state and federal grants, and a host of generous donors. Together, we build homes for folks who don’t happen to have an Uncle John!
Thank you to all who have stepped up during a most difficult time, to help us help our neighbors. May God bless you all in the coming year.
In Faith,
Father Dick Tardiff
President, Board of Directors
Habitat for Humanity, Hawaii Island
