Reflections

Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful organization with the purest of intentions, designed for those in need of affordable housing. For a small group of us to partake in something so grand will remain in our memories forever. We want to thank all of those who made our trip possible and so pleasureable. We met many incredible individuals who touched our lives in so many ways, inspiring us to become better people. Words cannot describe what an amazing journey this has been!

We also wish to thank the Elmira College Administration for allowing this trip to take place. This real life experience has provided us with the opportunity to learn more about ourselves and the world around us. We wish that everyone could have the same opportunity that we have had. Thank you again!!

To Alison, our Professor and Friend:
Without your efforts, this trip would not have been possible. You are an inspiration to all of us. It must have been a huge challenge to carry out this trip, as you created and organized every detail. We would like you to know that everything you did for us and the trip could not have been better. We appreciate all of your hard work, strength, and dedication more than you will ever know. It has been a life altering experience, and we owe it all to you. Thank you! We love you!!!

Love,

The ECHFH Women

Returning Home: Good-bye "Big White Whale"

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Tuesday, May 24, 11:59pm
One final picture before unloading and waving goodbye to the "Big White Whale," (aka. our van)! We're all smiles here, listening to country music, but very sad that our journey has ended!!! : - )

L-R: Sara, Bre, Melissa, Caitlin, and Malorie

Field Trip #11: Washington D.C. - The Mall - Group Photo

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

L to R:
Melissa, Sara, Malorie, Bre, Caitlin, Prof. Alison Wolfe, Sheila (Driver), and Mrs. Cindy Spencer (Relative to Prof. Alison Wolfe)

Thank you Cindy Spencer for the amazing Washington D.C. tour!!!

Field Trip #11, Washington D.C. - The Smithsonian Institution; The National Museum of Natural History

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

The Smithsonian Institute: The National Museum of Natural History -- Tour Guide: Mrs. Cindy Spencer, Relative to Prof. Alison Wolfe

Field Trip #11, Washington D.C. - The Smithsonian Institution; Harry Winston Exhibit

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Smithsonian Institute: Harry Winston Exhibit. Impressive Gems. . . Tour Guide: Mrs. Cindy Spencer, Relative to Prof. Alison Wolfe

Field Trip #11, Washington D.C. - The Smithsonian Institution; The National Museum of Natural History

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Smithsonian Institute: The National Museum of Natural History- our past relative???

Field Trip #11, Washington D.C. - The National Museum of Natural History

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Smithsonian Institute: Natural Museum of Natural History.

Field Trip #11, Washington D.C. - The Smithsonian Institution; Hope Diamond

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Tuesday, May 24, 2:00pm
The Hope Diamond is found at the Smithsonian in DC, where we spent some time before the long journey home. We all wanted it until we learned that the Diamond is actually cursed! However, this flawless stone is still gorgeous!!!

Field Trip #11, Washington D.C. - "The Mall Walk"

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Tuesday, May 24, 10:00am
Trying to gain some knowledge from the statue of Mr. Albert Einstein. Hopefully it worked!

L-R: Sara, Malorie, Prof. Alison Wolfe, Caitlin, Bre, Cindy (our personal tourguide and relative of Prof. Wolfe), Sheila, and Melissa. Tour Guide: Mrs. Cindy Spencer, Relative to Prof. Alison Wolfe. "Thank you, Cindy!"

Field Trip #11, Washington D.C. - "The Mall Walk"

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Always impressive to visit. Tour Guide: Mrs. Cindy Spencer, Relative to Prof. Alison Wolfe

Field Trip #11: Washington D.C. - The Mall Walk

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

The E.C. Habitat students walk the capital - "The Mall" monuments and visit the Smithsonian Institute.

Tour Guide: Mrs. Cindy Spencer, Relative to Prof. Alison Wolfe

Field Trip #11, Washington D.C. - "The Mall Walk"

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Tuesday, May 24, 12:00pm
Caitlin's dream of meeting ABE finally came true! Here we are at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington ,DC!

L-R: Malorie, Bre, Caitlin, Sara, and Melissa

Fileld Trip #10: Walt Disney World, Epcot, Group Photo

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

L to R: Melissa, Bre, Caitlin, Prof. Alison Wolfe, Sara, Melissa, Sara

Field Trip #10: Walt Disney World - Epcot

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Welcome to Epcot!
After three hard weeks, we enjoy a day at Epcot.

Field Trip #10: Walt Disney World - Epcot

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Mickey and the gang welcome E.C. Habitat Students.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Friday, May 20, 5:00pm
One last pose after our final day of work in Florida and on our trip. Its been an amazing month!
L-R: Top: Prof. Alison Wolfe, Janet, Melissa, Caitlin, Sara. Bottom: Malorie and Bre

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Friday, May 20, 12:00pm
We all hope that our efforts spark others interest and increase awareness of the purpose of Habitat for Humanity.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Friday, May 20, 11:00am
Sara's her name, tilings her game! We all helped spread glue and lay tiles.
We lugged in countless boxes of tiles, weighing in at 67 pounds per box. Who says girls are weak? We proved that theory wrong!

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Friday, May 20, 9:00am
Melissa moves in with the mopping crew! Wet mopping is the finishing touch before the tiling crew can begin their work. Wa-wa-wa-wa-water girl! Melissa is doing a stellar job!

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Friday, May 20, 8:00am
Caitlin prepares for tiling by scraping the paint off the floor. Paint would cause bumps in the tile and Caitlin does NOT want that!

Field Trip #9, Highlands Hammock State Park

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Thursday, May 19, 6:00pm
Sara, Caitlin and Bre acting like wild animals in the state park. GRRRRR...
Lions and Tigers and Bears... OH MY! Nothing but alligators!

Field Trip #9, Highlands Hammock State Park

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Thursday, May 19, 5:00pm
This is the view of part of the park from the catwalk we walked on. Magnificant!

Field Trip #9, Highlands Hammock State Park

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Thursday, May 19, 5:00pm
After work, we decided we wanted a little taste of the natural habitat of Florida, so we ventured to the nearby Highlands Hammock State Park. This is the wild life they say that we may encounter in the park, luckily, we didn't! We did encounter 2 baby alligators and 1 snake, that was enough for us.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Thursday, May 19, 10:00am
Caitlin follows in Bre's footsteps, sporting another pair of go-go boots, while she evens out the poured concrete.
Hey girls, the 60's called... they want their boots back!

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Thursday, May 19, 10:00am
Back to work! Bre won't let her party spirit die, she's still wearing her go-go boots! She's making her fashion statement while spreading the concrete to make the future driveway.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Wednesday, May 18, 5:00pm.
Tim and Tim (Blackman) were wonderful hosts, showing us the time of our lives on Lake Charlotte. Little Tim also showed us his water skiing abilites. He is very talented!

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Wednesday, May 18, 4:30pm
Caitlin, Bre, Melissa and Sara were at the mercy of Tim Blackman as he pulled them around on tubes at breath-taking speeds. Everyone took a spill, including Janet and Sheila (not pictured).

Field Trip #8, The Blackman's House

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Wednesday, May 18, 5:00pm
Ms. Penne Manar is the Volunteer Coordinator for Highlands County HFH. Penne is an inspiration for all of us. She has tremendous energy, and numerous talents. Thank you for your outstanding hospitality and efforts, Penne. You are a wonderful person and dear friend.

Field Trip #8: Blackman's House

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Tubing anyone?

Field Trip #8, The Blackman's House

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Wednesday, May 18, 5:00pm
Melissa posses after tubing with Jane Breylinger, the Executive Director of Highlands County HFH.

Field Trip #8, The Blackman's House

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Wednesday, May 18, 4:00pm
Desiree is an AmeriCorp Member who gave up her room, along with her son Dante, for the 8 of us to sleep in at the apartment. She is a courageous, caring woman.

Field Trip #8, The Blackman's House

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Wednesday, May 18, 4:00pm
Five year old Dante, son of Desiree, takes a dip in the Blackman's pool.

Field Trip #8: Blackman's House

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Janet Powers enjoys the pool at the Blackman home.

Field Trip #8, The Blackman's House

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Wednesday, May 18, 4:00pm
Tim Blackman, the future president of Highlands County HFH, invited us to his home for an afternoon of fun in the sun. Tim and Martile Blackman served us a delicious dinner. Thank you for your kind and very generous hospitality. We had a delightful evening.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Wednesday, May 18, 10:30am
The "Braidy-Bunch." Hairdresser Bre braided all the girl's hair, including her own. Building houses isn't the only thing that shes talented at!
Heads (from top left corner going clockwise): Melissa, Sara, Malorie, Caitlin and Bre.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

After a three weeks of hard work, the students enjoy a manicure and pedicure after their last day of work in Avon Park, Florida.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Wednesday, May 18, 10:00am
Alison and Janet paint the trim a nice burgandy color. They are taking a break from the sun, working on the side of the house in the shade.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Wednesday, May 18, 9:00am
Work site #2
This is where we spent the rest of the week painting, tiling and concrete work.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Tuesday, May 17, 4:00pm
We finished all the duties at the Women's Build! Tomorrow we're onto the next site. Good Work Ladies!
L-R: Sara, Caitlin, Malorie (under sign), Bre, Melissa, Prof. Alison Wolfe.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Tuesday, May 17, 3:00pm
Team leader, Alan, taught us many valuable skills, encouraging us to do all the work on the Women's Build.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Tuesday, May 17, 10:00am
Sara is showing off her carpentry skills, cutting marble for the window sills, as fellow volunteer looks on.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Monday, May 16, 3:00pm
Janet is proud of the work we accomplished at the Women's Build.

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Monday, May 16, 2:30pm.
Women's Build.
The tiles had already been laid, so we were given the task of finishing the floor. First we swept and mopped the floor until it was emaculate, then we put 2 layers of stripper on it, 2 layers of sealer and 3 layers of wax. As you can see, Mr. Clean couldn't have done a better job!

Highlands County HFH, Avon Park, FL, 5/16-5/20/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Monday, May 16, 8:00am
This is our first job site assignment in Florida. Its a "Women's Build," meaning that it has been built 95% by women. We were glad to have the opportunity to work on such a house because it shows what women can do.

Traveling to Florida

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Saturday, May 14, 9:30pm.
Exhausted, but still able to squeeze out a smile for the camera on the way to Avon Park.
L-R: Front:Melissa, Sara, and Bre. Back: Caitlin and Malorie

Field Trip # 7, Vicksburg Battle Grounds

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Friday, May 13, 3:30pm.
This was the USS Cairo, one of the seven Ironclad battle ships to cruise the Mississippi River during the Civil War. We think that we can build ourselves one of these!

Field Trip # 7, Vicksburg Battle Grounds

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Friday, May 13, 3:30pm.
This was one of the monuments belonging to the Vicksburg memorial buildings. The Battle of Vicksburg was a turning point during the Civil War because it decided who gained control of the Mississippi River.

Greater Greenville HFH, Greenville, MS, 5/9-5/13/2005, Field Trip #6

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Friday, May 13, 1:00pm
We went to the Winterville Museum to learn more about the historic Mounds built around the area. The elite classes lived on the mounds to escape the flooding of the Mississippi River. Very interesting!

Greater Greenville HFH, Greenville, MS, 5/9-5/13/2005, Field Trip #5

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Friday, May 13, 12:00pm
We could not leave Mississippi without putting our feet in the Mississippi River! Watch out for the sand, you may sink.

L-R: Caitlin, Prof. Alison Wolfe, Bre, Malorie, Sheila (driver), Melissa, and Sara

Greater Greenville HFH, Greenville, MS, 5/9-5/13/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Group photo at our pottery class before leaving Mississippi! The Rev. Ann Laird Jones, (Associate Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church) taught us how to use the wheel to create our beautiful masterpieces!

L-R: Rev. Ann Laird Jones, Sara, Bre, Caitlin, Melissa, Malorie (seated)

Greater Greenville HFH, Greenville, MS, 5/9-5/13/2005

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Originally uploaded by echabitat.

Friday, May 13, 8:00am
Malorie is trying her hand at pottery. It's not as easy as it looks! The pottery instructor for Malorie and the Elmira College Habitat for Humanity Students is Rev. Ann Laird Jones. L to R: Rev. Ann Laird Jones and Malorie Traiser.