March 29, 2017
The Vanderbilt soccer team took time away from spring training to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in early March. Working alongside the homeowner and her family, the ‘Dores grew not only as a team, but also as part of the Nashville community.
Below are some of the Commodores favorite memories:
Paola Ellis: “In this picture, you might be fooled into thinking I look like I know what I’m doing. But in reality, the nail gun was definitely the hardest task of my day at Habitat. Due to my lack of hand-eye coordination it took me several tries to shoot the nails in the wood, but watching my pro teammate, Sydney O’Donnell, I easily finished the job. Syd is very good with tools, and she was easily the go-to man for assistance.
“After fighting with the nail gun we then were able to attach the pieces for the shed’s roof. It was amazing to see every nail, every piece of wood have its own place in completing the shed! The owner of the house even got to work alongside us and share some of her favorite Bible verses, some of which made their way onto the walls of the house.
“Getting up the morning of the build, I had no idea what to expect, because I’ve never had the opportunity to build anything before. It’s always a great day when you can give back and help people. The next time you need a house or shed to build, you know you can rely on Vanderbilt soccer to get the job done, (but don’t ask me to work the nail gun!).”
Allie Bruder: “In the photo, I am putting hurricane straps on the house. It was incredible to meet the members of the family that are going to move into the house; they were so gracious and thankful for our help. It was an amazing experience to work with the family and get to know them. A couple teammates and I actually started singing with the family and we had a lot of fun working together. Altogether, I would recommend this amazing experience to anyone and I would love to go back and be a part of this great cause again.”
Nia Dorsey: “The freshmen were designated the task of building the shed, as the picture shows. Even though we weren’t involved in building the actual house, building the shed was just as rewarding. I’ve never built anything like this in my life, so it was cool to learn about the process and the mechanics behind the structure.
“I also loved how we were able to spend time with the homeowner, Allison. She is pictured at far right. Her smile and upbeat personality were contagious. She was super excited about the entire process and mentioned how excited her twins were, as well. The most impactful part of this experience was seeing the positive messages written on the frame of the house like ‘happiness lives here’, and ‘God bless this family’. I’m so glad that we were able to participate in this exciting experience to help Allison and her family.”
Danielle Snajder: “One of my tasks that day was to nail in a board that would go across the window. The moment the picture was taken, we were measuring out where to put the nails in the board. While the jobs we performed were small, they were crucial to the stability of the house. It was nice knowing that we were giving the family the support they needed in order to have a sturdy house.
“The woman who would later live in the house was cheerful and full of energy. She really appreciated all the work we were doing. She gave us markers so that we could write a message or a Bible verse on the wall. All of us wrote messages wishing her good luck and to be strong in hard times. We all enjoyed the day because we were doing something we don’t normally do. I can’t wait until I get another opportunity to work with Habitat again.”
Megan Henry: “In this picture I was in the middle of removing the extra wood that was used to support the house during construction. Working alongside the homeowner and her family made the experience extremely special. Having the opportunity to see the love of Jesus through this family and the experience I had building their home with them is one I will not forget. I left this experience with not only a greater appreciation of everything the Lord has blessed me with, but also with a feeling of excitement to work with Habitat for Humanity again in the future.
“I will never forget when the homeowner asked each of us to write something on the wood inside their house. I decided to write a Bible verse that is very near to my heart.”
Tina De Zeeuw: “In this picture, Hannah (Menard), Lydia (Simmons), and I were leveling the mud in front of the house so that the next crew that works on the house can have flat land to put ladders on. It was not easy to use the shovel and figure out how to move the mud. But it was really cool to work along side the family and to help her build her house. She was the sweetest woman and was fun to be around.
“In the end, she had all of us sign the wood or write a Bible verse on the wood to bless her house. This was our second year doing Habitat, and each experience has been great, bringing us closer as a team in a different way than usual and being able to say that we helped a kind, deserving woman build a house for her and her family.”
