Spencer Keenan and almost his whole team at Santa Cruz Green Builders sacrificed two days of work doing construction to, well, do construction. On December 9th and 10th, the Green Builders crew joined Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay staff to make incredible headway at the Rodeo Creek Court development site in the Live Oak neighborhood of Santa Cruz. Working on four of the 11 units at Rodeo Creek Court, the team of more than 30 took on tasks throughout the development. Among other things, they framed a 20 foot tall party wall, installed interior doors, cabinets, water heaters, solar arrays, and tiled 2 showers.
Team builds like this, although hugely helpful for the Habitat team, take a bit of time and energy to coordinate. A sponsorship donation of $2,000 was given to help offset some of the costs of the build days, but also to support the affordable home projects themselves.
“It’s not just about the sponsorship, which we’re more than happy to donate to this great cause, but the value of our time and energy that makes this team build so special.” Said Spencer Keenan, co-owner at Santa Cruz Green Builders. “We had a great time out there, and we will work towards making this an annual event.”
Community volunteers provide 70-80% of the labor needed to build each Habitat home. Relying heavily on volunteers, who have differing skill sets and inconsistent schedules makes it hard to go at the same pace as commercial construction companies. With team builds like these, where volunteers can just jump in to a project with little direction, Habitat can move forward more quickly, making up for any lags in the timeline.
“Skilled volunteers are a blessing to our mission,” said Dylan Childs, one of Habitat’s Construction Foremen. “We would not meet our deadline without Santa Cruz Green Builders help.” In 2021, more than 300 volunteers assisted at the build site, ReStores, and home repair projects, including a half dozen teams from Target, Defense Language Institute, Santa Cruz County Bank, Wayland Properties, and Santa Cruz Green Builders.
“The enthusiasm that the Green Builders team portrayed was infectious, and we got so much accomplished in a mere two days,” said Satish Rishi, Habitat’s CEO. “I welcome Green Builders and other local construction companies to come work with us and help the local community.”
Volunteers can sign up for a shift individually online, and businesses looking for a group build are encouraged to reach out to Allie Wilson, Habitat’s Volunteer and Event Manager at volunteer@habitatmontereybay.org.
