When it comes to building Habitat houses, Scottie Kivela has done it all. He’s volunteered with Rockbridge Area Habitat twice a week for the past six years. He professionally supervised the construction of two Habitat homes in Glasgow, and volunteered on six other builds. Scottie is also the Foreman for Blue Ridge Contracting, and his employer, Walt Shendel, is another devoted Habitat supporter.
Joe and Kelly, our Construction Supervisors, frequently ask Scottie to teach groups of volunteers the safest and most efficient way to paint a room or shingle a roof. His motto is “work smarter, not harder,” and he emphasizes that quality work is done slowly and carefully. Though he is a professional builder, Scottie says that “volunteers only need to have a willingness to help. No experience is necessary.”
Kelly says that “Scottie is a great guy to work with because of his positive attitude and fun-loving spirit.” Scottie returns the compliment by saying that “Joe and Kelly are fantastic people! No one has more patience with volunteers. They always have a kind word or a compliment for the workers.”
Scottie Kivela
Scottie loves volunteering for Rockbridge Area Habitat because he meets new people and works with the partner families, for whom each step in the building process is new and exciting. He also enjoys that our worksites are laidback and unrushed. Everyone has a good time, but still gets the work done. But the best thing about helping to build a Habitat house, says Scottie, is the knowledge that your efforts will benefit not only the homeowners, but their children and grandchildren as well.
“Sweat Equity,” the work partner families are required to do on their own homes, is an important part of the Habitat experience. Scottie feels that families take pride in their home because they’ve worked on it themselves. They also develop skills they can use forever. Because they’ve helped to build the house, they’ll know how to make their own repairs and avoid expensive contractor fees.
When not working at Blue Ridge Contracting or volunteering for Rockbridge Area Habitat, Scottie helps out with Mission Next Door, an association of area churches that assists needy homeowners with critical repairs. Walt, Scottie’s boss, calls him “Banana One,” in reference to his importance on the build site. He’s Banana One to all of us at Rockbridge Habitat too.
