Volunteering in Tahlequah with Habitat for Humanity

By RVLife Published September 29, 2019 Habitat for Humanity

Established as the capital of the Cherokee Nation in 1839, Tahlequah is nestled in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Northeast Oklahoma. The community is very welcoming and appreciative. Having the opportunity to help build a house for someone in need is a privilege.

I am enjoying volunteering with the Tahlequah Area Habitat for Humanity for two and a half weeks. Habitat for Humanity is a great organization that I believe is genuinely helping people.

Tahlequah Habitat for Humanity — Tahlequah Area Habitat for Humanity provides the volunteers with a free RV site with full hook-ups. We are located adjacent to Go Ye Village with spacious parking for our RV’s as well as a big open field behind.

The construction is managed by the local Habitat for Humanity organizations who also screen and select the partner families who will purchase the house being built.

A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., United States Supreme Court Justice 1902-1930

Yes, the houses are not given away for free. Rather, a reasonable mortgage payment is established, relative to the partner family’s income and made feasible by volunteer labor and some of the building materials being donated.

RV Care-A-Vanners are a part of Habitat for Humanity who travel to local communities across the country and volunteer to help build houses. We frequently work along with the partner families, who are required to volunteer 350 hours to qualify for a house, as well as other volunteers form the community.

On a rainy afternoon, a walking stick insect cleverly camouflaged as a twig was clinging to the outside of my RV.

The partner families also take classes on budgeting and basic house maintenance to help ensure program effectiveness, longevity and success. This is the 28th house constructed by the Tahlequah Area Habitat for Humanity.

Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
Desmond Tutu

In a town with a population of 16,000, Habitat is really making a difference. What a pleasure when I ran into a very appreciative home owner who proclaimed she was in House 25 when she found out I was volunteering on the current build of the 28th House built in Tahlequah.

Tahlequah Habitat for Humanity Photos – September 2019:

The house walls were framed when we arrived, and the roof trusses lay in front of the house ready to be installed.

We installed the fascia board along the lower edge to the roof trusses and the blue foam insulation was added to the exterior of the house.

We created the roof by adding plywood over the trusses followed by the roofing underlayment and asphalt shingles.

Siding went up as we completed the final steps to dry-in the house, or protect it from the rain while work continues.

The house walls were framed when we arrived, and the roof trusses lay in front of the house ready to be installed.

RVing Revealed

Photos from some of my volunteer experiences with Habitat for Humanity in other parts of the country:

Siler City, North Carolina

Collegiate Challenge in Mobile, AL

30th Anniversary of the Habitat for Humanity RV Care-A-Vanner Program in Ft. Myers, FL

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Thanks to everyone who has joined me on this journey! I enjoy sharing my experiences and appreciate having each of you along for this epic adventure that has been going on for over a year now! Thank you!