By Garrett Shiflet Ι The Villages Daily Sun Ι August 25, 2024
The Villages High School’s Construction Management Academy is embarking on its biggest year yet.
The academy, which is building homes for Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter and has a new partnership with Building Homes for Heroes, held groundbreaking ceremonies for its first two homes — one on Aug. 16 in Bushnell and one Aug. 23 in Lake Panasoffkee.
The Habitat groundbreaking saw public officials and students participate in the kickoff.
“Habitat is all about improving our community and we do that through building homes,” said Brad Weber, board chair for Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter. “And then putting deserving families into those homes. This is an opportunity for these families, who in many cases never had a thought they’d be able to own a home, and here we get to make that a reality.”
Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter works to provide an affordable home with a mortgage for a working family in need.
The first home in Bushnell is sponsored by Citizens First Bank and the second home by RoMac Distribution, which will start construction in September.
For more information about Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter visit habitatls.org
The academy has plans to build three homes, its most in a single year, and has a stretch goal to achieve a fourth home.
Two of those homes would be for Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter in Bushnell, and one and possibly a second for Building Homes for Heroes in Lake Panasoffkee.
In its home building projects, students gain hands-on experience working with contractors and building a home from the headers to siding, roofing trusses, drywall, framing and more.
Building Homes for Heroes helped with the selection process for a veteran for its project. President and General Counsel Kimberly Vesey of Building Homes for Heroes was present at the ceremony.
“It’s very exciting. It’s the first time we’ve done anything like this,” Vesey said. “I didn’t know there were schools that build houses, so that was very interesting. We are going to gift our 400th home by the end of this year. It’s always wonderful to find a new builder partner. Very excited to kick off today.”
Veteran Anton Baldwin and his wife, Catherine, and two sons, Anton Jr. and Osiris, will receive the home and attended the event.
Baldwin served five years in the Navy, leaving with the rank of seaman.
“It’s breathtaking and it’s amazing to see the young kids out here doing things like this, building homes for people,” Anton said.
Home ownership has always been a dream for Anton and his wife. It’s now a reality.
“Next year, we’ll be in a home,” Anton said. “I’m completely excited, I can hardly put into words how excited I am.”
One of the VHS academy’s instructors, Bruce Haberle, is proud to be a part of the new opportunity for the program.
“This is really going to be an awesome experience for the kids and for me,” Haberle said. “My son-in-law is an Army veteran. It’s really exciting for me to be doing all this.”
The Construction Management Academy has 31 seniors working on homes and 77 all together in the program.
Seniors like Andruw Mommaerts and Angel Rodriguez look forward to the work ahead.
“I’m excited to learn. I’m happy it’s going for a good cause to a veteran,” Mommaerts said.
Rodriguez, like many in the academy, joined to learn more about the trades.
“As I grew up, I realized I liked working with my hands more and wasn’t really a classroom person,” Rodriguez said. “The construction academy was a good fit for me and I decided to give it a shot.”
For more information about Building Homes for Heroes, visit buildinghomesforheroes.org
The Villages High School is looking at a long-term partnership with Building Homes for Heroes, which has four home sites in Lake
Panasoffkee, including the current build, and more than 40 others in the county. The Calvin A. King & Jean C. King Charitable Foundation Inc. provided funds for the home to be constructed.
The Villages Residential Construction and Home Warranty will assist throughout the building process including the providing of materials and timelines for the build.
“The kids are going to do such a great job and I’m glad to get back in the swing of things,” Haberle said.