Rady School Pitches in
to Help Habitat for Humanity

By Heather Holliday I January 24, 2005

A group of Rady School of Management staff members recently traded in computers and phones for hammers and power tools -- all in the name of a good cause.

The seven staff members pitched in to help build Habitat for Humanity houses on the San Pasqual Reservation in Valley Center, replacing two of the more than 40 homes on the reservation destroyed in the October 2003 wildfires.

Part of Rady School's developing culture - it is the newest professional school on campus - is to encourage social entrepreneurialism. According to Jill Gibson, Rady School development coordinator, the Habitat for Humanity project provided an opportunity for Rady staff to work together as a team, help members of the San Diego community, and have fun - all at the same time.

The day went like this: After an early-morning drive to the reservation, there was a brief meeting and the group broke up into two groups - with each group working on a different house. Work included sweeping inches of rain off the floors (for the house with no roof), working on the houses' framing, and putting shingles on one house's roof. By the end of the work day, one house was framed, with most of the difficult shingling completed. The other house's framing was completed - so the next group of volunteers who arrive would be able to put on the roof.

"At the end of the day there was a feeling of accomplishment greater than completing a work assignment," said Gibson.

"We were all exhausted from physical labor, rather than a long day at the office. And there was a feeling that what we did in our eight hours of work affected someone's life positively. "We got more out of volunteering than expected," she added. "We learned new skills, got a good work out, helped the community, and learned about each other. It was a fantastic experience and all seven of us said we would do it again."

In fact, the group already has plans to gather at least one more time for similar work. Veronica Garcia, finance assistant, plans to do her own house's shingling - and the rest of the group plan to be her volunteers.

The Rady group, the only ones on site that day, were granted a day off during the week to volunteer by Rady School Dean Robert Sullivan. According to Gibson, the houses they worked on are slated to be complete by late spring. However, due to weather and the fluctuating numbers of volunteers, it is difficult to predict exactly when the home will be completed.