Floor to ceiling, pride fills homes Habitat volunteers unite

People afraid of heights are climbing onto rooftops.

Drivers are pulling off the road in the middle of a workday to offer free labor.

Women who had never picked up a hammer are pounding nails. And low-income families who never thought they would break out of cramped apartments are packing to move.

Hundreds of volunteers took vacations or adjusted their schedules last week to become part of the Habitat for Humanity 10-day Building Blitz. In the group's largest Broward event yet, six homes will be completed by today at Harmony Village. Eventually, 10 homes will make up the Habitat community at Northwest 76th Avenue and 32nd Street north of Davie Road Extension.

Construction experience was not required to help build the three- and four-bedroom homes. Volunteers only needed to show up with a hat and a hammer. But the pre-blitz effort demanded much more planning.

For more than a year, Habitat for Humanity organizers have been compiling lists of volunteers, gathering donated materials and booking services. Preparations for security, electricity and registration were made months in advance.

Cooper City resident Richard Waskiewicz, a professional builder, took his two-week vacation to help with the pre-blitz setup.

``He never takes a vacation for anything,'' said his wife, Donna, who took charge of all security efforts for the blitz. ``When this came along, he jumped on it.''

Doug Lipscomb, volunteer coordinator, was responsible for matching hundreds of volunteers with jobs, according to their interests and abilities. Clipboard in hand, Lipscomb began at 7 a.m., screening the crowd for first-time builders, who made up the bulk of his work force.

``This was definitely not the place where people learned to use power tools,'' Lipscomb said.

Each group of 20 was assigned a crew chief and a home to work on. Volunteers worked beside families who will be moving into the homes.

Prison inmates, working with the Broward Sheriff's Office, set the stage by laying the foundation of each home a few days before the building blitz.

Before Monday, Rosalie San Giovanni said, pasting wallpaper was the extent of her construction experience. On Tuesday, she was assigned to the inside of a home, stapling sheets of insulation to cinder blocks and plywood.

``First, they had me on the roof, and now I'm insulating walls,'' San Giovanni said. She worked beside Vicki Burke, a mother of five who will be moving into the Habitat home. ``We are moving right along. I need to do more of this type of thing. I'm actually building a home. This is great,'' San Giovanni said.

On the roof of home No. 4, Kathy Craven was calling the shots.

``Get on the phone and tell them we need some water,'' Craven said. Three groups of volunteers were nailing shingles to the roof.

``All right, we need people constantly sweeping to keep it clean,'' said Craven, trying to keep the roof free of debris. ``I think they are mad at me right now, but I have to keep them in line.''

But nobody looked mad. In fact, the volunteers -- many of whom had just met -- were bonding, joking about the latest hockey brawls as they passed each other nails and hammered down the tiles.

Lewis Biggerstaff, 72, used his good arm to nail shingles into the roof, while Elise Judy held them in place.

``I try to do what I can,'' said Biggerstaff, who lost the use of his left arm after a childhood bout with polio. He signed up for the project through his church, Plantation United Methodist. ``I'm really in favor of the goals for Habitat. I find them very inspiring.''

Maurice Fournier, who lives in Davie near the new community, was holding the ladder as workers climbed onto the roof.

``I was one of those so-called bigots who tried to stop this last year. I realized there is nothing wrong with helping people that need help.''

Darlene Moreton was uneasy on the rooftop.

``I'm scared to death of heights,'' said Moreton, a mathematics tutor. ``I panic every time I step off the ladder. I just hold my breath and don't look down.''

Bunny Goldstein, 70, and her husband, Richard, 68, took care of essential details. She lugged gallon water jugs to thirsty builders, labeled name badges and helped register volunteers. Richard Goldstein took care of refrigeration, bathroom facilities and parking.

``I used to be able to build things, but I don't do that anymore,'' said Richard Goldstein, of Dania. ``There are other things just as important.''

Volunteers from the Gold Coast Branch of the International Food Service Association prepared omelets, French toast, juice and coffee for the volunteers every morning. During lunch, they served lasagna, pizza, hamburgers and hot dogs.

``In four days, we've gone through 140 cases of juice alone,'' said Ron Sober, president of the association, on Tuesday afternoon. ``They've worked through about 50 cases of gallon bottled water.''

Deborah Miley, sipping water under the shaded tent, wasn't surprised. ``It's hot out there,'' she said, watching the birth of her new neighborhood. ``But it feels good to be out here. I'm looking over at a home I thought I'd never have. It really is a dream come true.''