11 Years, Master Craftsman, and Regular Volunteer: Harry Pierce

This May we would like to recognize Harry who is a long-time, regular construction volunteer who brings a wealth of knowledge and care to the construction sites. He’s worked on Habitat sites for the past 11 years and enjoys solving the puzzles of home building and repair. In the last two years he dedicated himself to the Critical Home Repair program in part because he found the craftsman challenges of a repair site more unique than those of a new home build.

“There is a great deal of reward in association to working with the families, meeting the families and helping to better the community – I’ve found that extremely rewarding. For an old, hardy salt like me, there are a lot of times I don’t let my emotions out and I’ve been very touched by a lot of home dedications.”

“I can do about anything on a worksite,” Harry says when asked about his skillset, “I know it sounds kind of braggadocios, but I’ve been doing this for over 11 years. The first year I worked 4 days a week, and since then I’ve worked 3 days a week.” Construction Supervisor Spencer agrees, “He is a master craftsman, which means his work always comes out right.”

Why does Harry volunteer? “It was kind of a selfish motive – “Volunteering makes me feel better intellectually,” says Harry, “It makes me feel like I’m not just sitting around wasting away. So I feel better physically too.”

But for those who know him like Spencer, Harry is anything but selfish, “He serves with a selfless heart,” says Spencer. Harry regularly goes out of his way to make the experience special for the partner families and other volunteers on site with real caring and connection. A winner of the 2016 Rick Beattie Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service, Harry exemplifies a volunteer with a heartfelt passion for Habitat’s mission and who has made significant contributions over many years.

Harry’s words of encouragement to interested volunteers are, “There is a great deal of reward in association to working with the families, meeting the families and helping to better the community – I’ve found that extremely rewarding. For an old, hardy salt like me, there are a lot of times I don’t let my emotions out and I’ve been very touched by a lot of home dedications.”

See for yourself if what Harry says is true about volunteering on a build site. Don’t just take the “old, hardy salt” for his word. Sign up today by clicking the button below.