Upper End Properties Gets Down and Dirty at Habitat for Humanity

Upper End Properties Gets Down and Dirty at Habitat For Humanity

It was a hot summer day when a crew of 9 from Upper End Properties met at the office at 8am and caravanned to North Saint Louis City to meet the wonderful people of Habitat for Humanity.  “I must say I was a little bit nervous that we would be getting in the way rather than helping build a home” said  Operating Partner of Upper End Properties Cory Spielberg.  “I thought we would be painting, prepping, or cleaning.  I was wrong!  Donna Hurst and Jen Ross were hanging siding.  Betsy Kerner, Megan Rosenkoetter, Beth Sprunt, and Amy Fischer were laying hardwood flooring.  Christina Mchugh and Liz Rainey were dominating the jig saw and miter saw in preparation for the rest of the crew.  The team work involved in building a home is extremely important.  This was a great team building experience and I would encourage other small businesses to take a day and volunteer on this type of project.”   The goal of Habitat For Humanity is to develop communities with people in need by building and renovating houses so that there are decent houses in decent communities.  For more information visit  http://www.habitat.org/how/factsheet.aspx.

There are several people who volunteer more on a full-time basis and do an amazing job of keeping the single day volunteers in line and structured.  “The entire day was unbelievable, but the 30 minutes the 9 of us spent at lunch to me was the most special,” said Cory. “ The Upper End Properties crew sat in a circle to eat lunch, laugh, and talk about all the different jobs they were each working on.  “One of the Crew Leaders, Jim Kennedy of Des Peres, MO made us feel at home.  We bombarded Jim with questions about Habitat and his experience.”  Like a teacher with his students they continued a discussion about Jim’s Habitat For Humanity experience.  “I have been doing this since I retired from the Federal Reserve Bank in 1993 and I love it,” said Jim.  “One of the girls said and you don’t get paid for this?”  Jim and many of the other “gray hairs” as he called it enjoy spending their retirement giving back.  No money, not a lot of recognition, just heartfelt love for philanthropy.

As the day winded down and the crew from Upper End Properties helped clean up, the understanding for more volunteers became more apparent.  “Everyone has to do their part”  said Cory.  “If everyone chips in just a little bit, the world becomes a better place.  It has to start somewhere and if people are not taught this growing up, then the work place is a great place to learn.  Whether you are helping build a home or just writing a check, it is a must that as human beings, we all do our part.”

For more information on Upper End Properties Charitable Giving Program visit http://www.upperendproperties.com/charitable-giving-program.html