Two Billings volunteers head for Haiti to build homes

By CHELSEA KROTZER Of The Gazette Staff 

A 200-square-foot room made of four plywood walls covered by a tin roof atop cement flooring sounds like a description of a work shed.  

To Haitians who lost everything in the 2010 earthquake that killed or injured hundreds of thousands and left a million homeless, it will be a place to call home.

As many as five Haitians could be living under the roof of just one of these humble houses.

“It’s just to cover, to keep them out of the weather,” said Cheri Chevalier, crew leader with Habitat for Humanity.

Anything would be better than the temporary housing families have been living in since the quake.

Two habitat volunteers will get a taste of the conditions during their weeklong stay in Haiti, where they — along with an estimated 400 volunteers in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project — will work to build 200 houses in just 10 days.

Chevalier and Jesse Y. Gonzalez, a Habitat for Humanity board member, will leave for Haiti on Nov. 5.

It doesn’t cost a thing to send them, thanks to the money that the Billings Habitat for Humanity chapter tithed from last year to Habitat International, according to Kathleen O’Neal, director of the Billings chapter.

With $19,000 this year, the Billings chapter was able to send two volunteers to Haiti.

O’Neal said the chapter has tithed $147,317 to build almost 50 homes abroad since the chapter began 19 years ago.

“The tithe money goes to build houses in third-world countries where they don’t really have the ability to raise money themselves in most cases,” O’Neal said.

The money can also go toward areas devastated by such disasters as tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes.

Once the decision was made to send all tithe money to build in Haiti, the only question left for O’Neal was whom to send.

Chevalier and Gonzalez stepped up to the plate.

Initially concerned, Chevalier couldn’t get the idea out of her head.

“I thought about it, and I wasn’t too sure because there are security issues down there,” Chevalier said. “But there are people living in tents and tarps — I can go and make a difference and give these people some hope and show them some happiness.”

Gonzalez felt a similar urge to volunteer.

He’s been with Habitat for Humanity either as a working volunteer or board member since its seventh build in the mid-'90s.

The organization recently broke ground on its 57th home in a subdivision on the South Side.

“I believe we all have gifts and they don’t belong to us,” Gonzalez said. “It’s our mission to pass that on and help others, and what an opportunity — to help someone with such a need.”

Their time abroad will not be a vacation; it will be hard work in the most basic of living conditions.

When volunteers aren’t building, they will be staying in tents at a secured compound. From what Chevalier has been told, they won’t be allowed to leave the compound. Local vendors will have to come to them.

Showers will be limited. The bathrooms are outside.

They will have to watch what they eat and drink.

“We are very happy for these folks and glad they wanted to go, too,” O’Neal said. “These are going to be very primitive conditions — they warned everyone that security will be tight.

“It’s not exactly like McDonald’s will be down the street. These conditions are unknown to the folks in our country.”

The pair were given a proper send-off on Sunday at the Little White Church in the Heights.

There, about 25 people joined in prayer and song, wishing the best for the two longtime volunteers.

They all gathered together in prayer toward the end of an hour program, bowing their heads and placing their hands on each other’s shoulders with Chevalier and Gonzalez in the middle.

“Lord, be with Jessie and Cheri as you call them on a journey to build houses, to build safe homes for people to live in,” Pastor Mark Morgenstern said during the blessing.

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