A Record Build, a Blessed Experience
By Zac Garrard
Owensboro High School

When Omar Muse and Ubah Adan learned that Habitat for Humanity was going to build them a house, little did they know that their construction crew would include 360 inexperienced, up-coming high school seniors.
Sure, those students were members of the 2012 Governor’s Scholar’s Program, a highly competitive academic community made up of Kentucky’s best students and young leaders, but could they build a house?
Perhaps they weren’t the best candidates for a construction crew, but remarkably, that was not the biggest challenge facing Habitat leaders as they planned the project. The truly inspiring aspect was the time frame for the build.
In partnership with GSP, Habitat officials agreed to complete the work while the scholars were living and working in the summer program at Bellarmine University in Louisville. In addition, every scholar was to take part in the construction during that time.
“We were asked to consider doing it in a four-week period so we could begin and end it while all of them were still at Bellarmine. That added several other challenges to the process. It normally takes Habitat 12 to 14 weeks to begin a house and take it through the full process,” said Chuck Sgro, the Habitat site construction manager.
With Sgro and his Habitat volunteers leading the way, the scholars came through, completing their work in a record-setting four weeks, and Habitat dedicated the house on July 14.
Throughout Sgro’s long tenure as a volunteer Team Leader for Habitat, never has he had to build a home from concrete slab to living functionality in such a demanding amount of time.
Scholars played a role in every aspect of the build after the cement foundation was in place. With  two groups of 18 to 30 scholars arriving at the worksite each day, they raised the frame and roof, added siding, painted the house, and even set up a Habitat community garden for downtown Louisville residents.
“I was fortunate enough to visit and work on the house twice,” said scholar Bryce Rowland of Ballard High School in Louisville, “and each time I felt moved to help in any way possible.” Bryce said he was delighted to have spent his summer “involved in such a noble way.”
The course of construction was not a smooth and simple one, however. On arrival every day, each new group of scholars had to be prepped on basic building techniques and safety.
But the scorching summer heat was the most constraining factor in getting the job done. Oftentimes an afternoon session would be cancelled due to the unhealthy heat. Habitat volunteers and scholars would try to take full advantage of the time available until the temperature was officially deemed too hazardous to continue.

GSP Scholars attend the dedication of the Habitat house.

Regardless of the setbacks, Habitat and GSP volunteers completed construction on schedule and the keys were turned over to a grateful and hard-working family at a dedication ceremony on July 14.
Omar Muse and Ubah Adan are Somali immigrants who eventually married and settled in Louisville, where they have been forced to move from motels and short term housing for several years. They have four children, with one on the way, and two of Ubah’s young sisters will also be living with them.
For Chuck Sgro, that was the big payoff from Habitat’s partnership with the Governor’s Scholars.
“In the end,” he said, “your group has made it possible for a very young deserving family to have a new, safe home that they will own to raise their family and to improve their lives -- and we are all blessed to have had the experience.”