Volunteers Help Families Become Homeowners

FAIRFIELD — Nearly 550 volunteers from the General Electric Company, including several Newtown residents, helped to build a two-family home in the New Hope Development for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Bridgeport.

The volunteers came to the project in Stratford once framing, roofing and wall board installation had been completed to do the finishing work. Among the local residents who took part were Jim Pearson and Karen Seras of Sandy Hook, and Mark Herwig, Alan Lourenco, Maria Seville, Jeff Steinbrey, and Dave Taylor, all of Newtown.

This is the fourth consecutive year GE volunteers have worked on a Habitat house. Over a two-week period, employees and retirees installed siding and exterior trim, and front and back porches. Inside, they installed doors, primed and painted walls, laid floor underlayment, and added trim and baseboards. Teams also cleared debris, installed underground drainage pipes, and carried out preliminary preparation for landscaping for the two-family home.

In addition to the volunteer labor, GE partially funded the construction costs and will provide electrical supplies and appliances for the homes. The families are expected to move end before the end of the year.