Douglas Freeman High School has always valued community and family. The collective Freeman community, often referred to as the “Freeman Family,” includes students, alumni, parents, families, faculty, administration and community members. Each member, regardless of age, plays a vital role in this network of support and contribution, and new members are always welcome. The Richmond Metro Habitat for Humanity was recently invited to partner with the Freeman Family, coordinating a Habitat house project in eastern Henrico. This partnership was initiated by Freeman High School students with the ultimate goal of laying down a welcome mat for Theresa Gillus and her family.
Gillus, a mother of two, daughter Cashe’t (13) and son Zaequan (12), has dreamed about having a good home for her children since they were born. The Freeman Family has fully committed to making her dream come true. Currently, Theresa enjoys her job at the Powhatan Correctional Center, working as a corrections officer. She is looking forward to working with Habitat volunteers this fall as they begin construction on her new home. Gillus, like other Habitat for Humanity families, will contribute 250 hours of work, which is called “sweat equity,” in order to move into their new home. The Gillus family’s new three-bedroom home will be located at 1708 Acton Street in Henrico County.
Freeman High School’s commitment to the Gillus family and Habitat for Humanity was made official during the halftime of the student-faculty basketball game on May 12. Students handed a hard-earned check for $50,000 to the Richmond Metro Habitat for Humanity organization. This October marked the time for Henrico students, parents and other volunteers to begin construction on this very special Habitat for Humanity house; however, the Freeman Family had to complete extensive fundraising and planning before the first nail was struck.
Two juniors at Freeman High School, Elliott Call and Matthew Brock, assumed the roles of fire-starters for the project, and, with the support and energy of the entire Freeman Family, they were able to promote the project among fellow students, plan the fundraising and execute the construction of “The House Freeman Built.” Fundraising plans for the Habitat house began in late November 2005. Events and fundraisers organized by the student body took place throughout the beginning of 2006 at Freeman High School and around the community. Freeman junior Dillon Kuhn explained, “Every club in the school put money toward Habitat. Any evening events we hosted contributed money. One of our French teachers even sold croissants in the morning for breakfast to help raise money. The Freeman Family really rallied around this cause.” Douglas Freeman High School students hit their $50,000 target in May, after only a matter of months.
For Call and Brock, who had previous experience with Habitat for Humanity projects, getting the Freeman House started and organized was easier said than done. Staff volunteer and student coordinator Lauren Dean said, “At first we were skeptical whether or not this project would be feasible, but after Matthew and Elliott got the ball rolling, everyone came together quickly to make it happen. These two boys have done so much getting the student body excited and behind their cause.”
Having previously worked on Habitat for Humanity houses, Call and Brock knew how much hard work was required. “Everybody wants to do the actual construction. We wanted to do the whole thing: raise the money and build the house,” said Call. Brock added, “It wasn’t just us. It’s the whole Freeman Family that stepped up to the plate. All the students, teachers and even other people in the Henrico community.” As Habitat parent sponsors, Call and Brock’s parents played active roles in the planning process, volunteering many hours of their time to ensure the project’s success. “The involvement of the student body was more than we could have hoped for. It has been a wonderful experience from the start. I’ve seen the students take responsibility and take pride in what they are doing,” said Mary Anne Brock, Matthew Brock’s mother. Sue Dodd, Elliott Call’s mother, added, “The kids absolutely blew me away. I don’t believe any other high school has accomplished this the way the Freeman Family did. The kids are just amazing. Even graduating seniors were heavily involved in the project.”
For 25 –30 weeks, various student and staff organizations will be working on the Acton Street site. “Every Saturday a new group will come to work at the site, but there will be students, like Matthew and Elliott, who will be there nearly every week,” said Dean. Typical workday hours on the site will be 8a.m.– 4p.m. “There are going to be some cold mornings and days ahead, and some of these kids have never even driven a nail, but they are tough and eager to get to work on this house,” added Dean.
In addition to the students and faculty at Freeman High School, local alumni-owned businesses immediately responded, supporting the project with their valuable donations and time. Whitten Brothers Car Dealership, Berkley Mortgage and BMG Metal, all managed by Freeman High School alumni, made large, generous contributions to the Habitat house project. A group of students at Freeman labeled themselves as “Corporate Committee,” breaking out the suits and ties to go present their case in front of large corporations in the area. “After the fundraising was over, we received at least ten more calls from businesses to make donations. Corporations heard about our project and were knocking at the door to be a part of it,” said Dodd.
