On Saturday, June 4th, six Burton employees woke up in the early hours of the morning to participate in a Habitat for Humanity build in Douglasville, GA. This wasn’t the first time a Burton group volunteered with Habitat, but it was the first time for all of us that went. The house was for a disabled veteran, Kelly Price, in one of the only all veteran communities in Georgia. Kelly has two small children and another on the way, and we were told she came to help almost every weekend.
When we reported for duty, the site manager asked which one of us was in charge. Lucky for the rest of us, that is when Jason Thompson showed up. They asked if he would say a few words at the beginning. They rounded us up in the front of the house to go over what we would be working on and why it was important. They asked the Burton employees to raise our hands and thanked us for Burton’s continued support in their missions. They motioned to Jason, who said a few words about how excited we all were to be there and spend our day doing something so fulfilling.
We spent the next six hours cleaning, caulking, and painting, only taking a small break to eat lunch. We finished earlier than expected, but not before completing all the tasks they were hoping we would. The day honestly flew by from all the work and lively conversations had with each other and the other volunteers. By the time we left, the kitchen got its first coat of paint, every crevice was caulked, and the house was ready to be painted and the cabinets installed. We took a group photo in front of the house, covered in dirt and/or paint, but beaming with pride from what we were able to accomplish.
We, or at least I, walked away from the experience with sore bodies but full hearts. Living through a pandemic diminished a lot of people’s sense of community. This experience strengthened not only that sense within the Burton community, but our local community. It was a blessing to positively contribute to our nearby community and help someone who needed it. A blessing made even sweeter knowing the person we were helping was willing to sacrifice her life fighting to protect our freedoms. Some of us who went have reminisced about the experience, and we all agree it made our team stronger and fulfilled a part of us knowing we did something that would have a positive effect in someone else’s life. I am thankful I had this experience, and I’m proud to be a part of a company that doesn’t just encourage community service, it facilitates it.