Rain and chilly weather didn’t keep the volunteers from celebrating the building of the next Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana home in the parking lot of Oak Partners, Inc. in Crown Point on Friday, October 29.
Volunteers from different backgrounds gathered to build the wall frames of the house. The Oak Partners, Inc. parking lot became the brief construction site since the wealth and retirement planning company wanted to give back to the community. Oak Partners, Inc., based in Crown Point, provides comprehensive investment consulting services with the goal of increasing its clients’ wealth and preserving their financial future through professional guidance and personalized investment strategies.
The idea to partner with Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana has been on the minds of Oak Partners, Inc. employees for the last couple of years.
“Several of our partners have done Habitat builds before, but we’ve never done it together as an office,” said Crystal DeHaven, director of client experience. “The idea came up a couple years ago, then COVID came, we were uncertain of our clients comfort level so we delayed a bit. Based on recent conversations with our clients, we decided it was time.”
Over 50 volunteers were expected for the event, and about 20 of those volunteers were members of the Oak Partners, Inc. team. The team includes staff, partners, advisors, and managers. The other 30 volunteers in attendance were clients as well as regular volunteers from the Habitat for Humanity team. Oak Partners, Inc. is excited to continue building on its relationship with Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana Director of Development Wende Burbridge.
The volunteers included 9-year-old Carter Rogers. Rogers attended the event with his sisters, Camree, Carlee, and Carsyn Rogers. This is the first time Carter helped to build wall panels with Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana.
“I was told we were doing a project to help someone,” Carter Rogers said. “It’s kind of cool.”
Oak Partners, Inc. not only put in the work and hours to build the walls of the house, but they also supported the project financially. The goal was to reach $10,000, but DeHaven noted how they exceeded that goal and helped raise $15,000.
DeHaven applauded the Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana volunteers. She noted that some are retired while others took the day off to help build the walls.
“The camaraderie that this group has is awesome. I’m very inspired by them,” DeHaven said. “I’m inspired by the number of volunteers that come out, the clients that gave generously, our partners, and our team. Most people are not up for building a house in the rain, but this crew showed up with smiles on their faces.”
This is the 140th house that Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana has constructed in the last 30 years. The Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana team prepared the lumber to assemble the wall frames in the parking lot of Oak Partners, Inc. The lumber was numbered, and the house blueprints were available for review. Saws or electric tools were not on-site in hopes of keeping everyone safe. The goal for the day was to build 33 wall frames that would be moved to storage.
“The walls will be transported to a holding area until we get the foundation, and we’ll be breaking ground on the home in the Field of Dreams area in Gary,” Burbridge said. “It’s a beautiful neighborhood.”
Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana has built 26 homes in the Field of Dreams area. The house groundbreaking will happen in the next couple of weeks, and it will take between seven to 12 months to finish the home.
“There will be about 10 of our core volunteers here today,” Burbridge said. “Our core volunteers are a little bit more experienced and they can lead our other volunteer groups like Oak Partners. Oak Partners generously offered up a sponsorship, and they did a nice fundraising program for clients to make contributions.”
As director of development, Burbridge focuses on fundraising. She works with sponsors to cover the costs associated with the construction of the home.
“It was awesome when Crystal and Wende approached us with this idea. We thought it would be a great way to provide outreach for those who need it and to allow our clients
to get involved in the process,” said Mike Barancyk, Oak Partners, Inc. senior partner. “We’re excited about today. It’s a fabulous way of giving back, and we are really proud of those who showed up today to get that done.”
Barancyk mentioned how the amount of money fundraised for the event is a testament to the clients of Oak Partners.
“It’s a family community. We’re really close in the communities that we live in across Indiana, and we just think it’s important that we give back,” Barancyk said.
Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana Executive Director Dawn Michaels said building the wall frames in the parking lot is just one of the many things companies or sponsors do to support the organization’s efforts.
“To be able to build about 35 walls within a couple of hours is fantastic,” Michaels said. “We don’t use power tools so that we can have little ones here. It’s a wonderful, fun event for families.”
One of Michaels’ favorite moments during the event is hearing the hammers and then watching the finished frames be loaded into the trucks.
“There is a sense of accomplishment and empowerment seeing the walls,” Michaels said. “How many people have built a wall of a house? We provide this extraordinary experience for people.”
The family living in the home is a single mom, Santia Burnett, and her three children.
“My children and I are just extremely excited and full of gratitude. Just seeing everyone come out, especially with the weather, is exciting,” Burnett said. “This was an answer to our prayers. We are looking forward to seeing our house completed.” For more information about Oak Partners, Inc., visit www.oakpartners.com. Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC.
For more information about Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana, visit www.habitat.org/us/gary/hfh-northwest-indiana.
