RCEA News Online: ReStoring Order

ReStoring Order

Each year at the NEA Convention for long time now, NEA delegates have gathered to complete a Habitat for Humanity project in the convention city. For most or all of those years, Bud McWhorter has represented the RCEA and VEA.

The Habitat for Humanity project this year was held on Wednesday, July 2. This year the group, organized by Karen McInnis of Minnesota, was sent to work at the Habitat Restore in South Alexandria. Bud McWhorter and Thom Ryder were two of the three Virginians on the crew. By far, most of the volunteers were from Delaware with a few volunteers from other states.

At the ReStore, a place that sells donated home materials at greatly reduced cost, the band of NEA volunteers were sent out into the store to straighten the place up. Sounds easy…but it was anything but simple.

One crew set about organizing miscellaneous nuts and bolts. Another crew rearranged cabinets. Still another crew straightened rows of furniture. One guy even set fixing up an electrical light fixture display.

Most challenging was the incredible tile aisle. Before the crew was unleashed upon it, ceramic tile was strewn haphazardly all over the place up and down the aisle. Different sizes and styles were all mixed up. The intrepid team of plucky volunteers knelt and began sorting and organizing. In a couple of hours, the aisle was a beautiful testament to organization. When the store manager inspected the work, he was most impressed…so impressed in fact, that he immediately ordered several pallets stacked high with mixed and mismatched ceramic tiles to be fork lifted out to the aisle. When those were done being dealt with, more were brought…it almost didn’t seem to end. Eventually for the Team NEA, the job was done, and they were returned to the comfort of the Convention Center.

In this fast-paced world, taking time to serve those in need is both rewarding and the right thing to do.

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