By Thomas Dougherty, AmeriCorps NCCC Member

As AmeriCorps NCCC team Oak 6 continues their journey of learning to build homes for Habitat for Humanity, the team is very interested in the impact their service work will have on low income families in Richmond, Indiana.

The first week was spent serving in the Habitat for Humanity warehouse, organizing and preparing the tools needed to build, learning to drive large machinery, and getting to know their sponsors. The second week was spent refurbishing a home owned by Habitat and building a shed in the backyard. The teams overall goal for the project is to frame and roof five homes.

The team has also served on two different independent service projects. First, Oak 6 served with the Compass Church of Winchester to clear out a church to make space for an addiction recovery center for women with children. Second, the team completed an 18-hour Relay for Life alongside with the American Cancer Society. The team helped with set up and clean up, as well as various tasks throughout the day.

"I've enjoyed becoming a part of the tight-knit community in a small town in Indiana and learning about building techniques for houses and other structures," says member Jake from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Since their arrival in Indiana, Team Oak 6 has had the opportunity to do a lot of service learning. With Habitat for Humanity, they've been able to have conversations with the future homeowners that their labor will be affecting directly, giving them a much better understanding of the impact of their work and its importance in helping families to afford homes. At the Compass Church, they were able to speak with citizens on the issues of addiction and the need for solutions in combating drug abuse. And finally, the Team's time at the Relay for Life gave them the opportunity to speak with, and serve and reflect alongside hundreds of other volunteers and citizens as they facilitated a truly beautiful day in honor of those who have survived, and in memory of those who have lost their lives to cancer.