Et cetera : Maple 1 providing a helping hand to Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity

By Vincent Chavis Maple 1 gets the chance to spend six weeks in the city that smells like crunch berries, and it’s every bit as amazing as you would think. The team is working with Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity, and has the opportunity to help the city of Cedar Rapids recover from a terrible flood that happened in the summer of 2008. Habitat for Humanity is all about providing affordable homes to families, so after the flood they kicked into overdrive and got to work. With the help of the ReStore and A Brush with Kindness programs, Habitat for Humanity began giving back Cedar Rapids their city one home at a time. The members of Maple 1 find themselves painting the inside of a home and about to start work on the outside, where they will prep and paint the exterior of the house. The team also has been providing support to a discount home improvement center, called the ReStore, as well as doing independent service projects with the Cedar Rapid’s Science Center and Tanager Place. Maple 1’s housing is a beautiful historical landmark in Cedar Rapids, St Wenceslaus. “Working and living so closely together has been a process” says Steven “but I can see each of us are already becoming better citizens and leaders for America’s future.” We’ve been in AmeriCorps NCCC now for almost two months, and we’ve already learned a lifetime’s worth of leadership, responsibility and self-discipline. Habitat for Humanity is giving homes to the needy and a worthy cause and purpose for Vinton's own Maple 1.