Last October, Habitat Greensboro held our first Playhouse Project with 14 teams from a wide variety of businesses, churches, and community groups. These teams spent a full day constructing and decorating a playhouse for the children of Habitat Greensboro homeowners. Just like their parents made selections for their homes, the children submitted their requests so that each team could plan the decorative elements of their playhouse ahead of time to suit the future playhouse owner. There were princess castles, superhero hangouts, garden houses, and more!
Thanks to the generosity of Dawn Chaney, who sponsored the event through the Dawn S. Chaney Foundation, funds generated from Playhouse Project are being used to build a new home in Willow Oaks. Dawn, who is passionate about inspiring and educating young children shared, “I love knowing these young children will see these playhouses as their very own little homes, which will give them the vision to see themselves as homeowners when they are adults. You have to plant those seeds early.”
Sharon, a Habitat Greensboro homeowner, was thrilled to receive one of the playhouses for her grandchildren. “The joy I see in the faces of my grandchildren as they run out to the playhouse makes me so happy. My granddaughter makes sure to tell everyone ‘It’s my house!’ We’ve added curtains and some furniture inside and they take so much pride in taking care of it. I’m so grateful for this gift to my grandchildren and to the volunteers who cared so much about making it so special for them.”
I’ve worked on several Habitat projects over the years and it’s hard to describe how rewarding it is. Everyone I’ve met at Habitat, either the volunteers or the recipient families, are simply amazing. Habitat provides so much more than just a house (or playhouse!) – the compassion and willingness to help others is very inspiring and I can’t wait for the next opportunity to volunteer again.
– Dallas, Samet Corporation
“The Playhouse Project not only served as a way our organization could give back to our community, but also as a beneficial team building experience for our staff. Coming together for this fun and meaningful project gave our staff a chance to get to know one another better while being part of a special initiative for Habitat for Humanity.”
– Mary Beth, Hospice of the Piedmont