Guest Blog 2: Something Bigger than Ourselves

Our second guest blog post comes from Fahe member Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization, Inc. (HERO) located in Greensboro, Alabama.

Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization, Inc. (HERO) has been working with volunteers for the past 10 years. “Watching the Hale County community come together is inspiring,” said Pam Dorr, Executive Director of HERO. “Working with one family at a time together we can make a difference.   At HERO we appreciate working with volunteers.  It is an opportunity to do what we could not do alone while including others in our work. “

Some volunteer groups have worked with HERO for the same week each year for the past 10 years. The Ultimate Black Belt Test (UBBT) led by Tom Callos, is a leadership training group for martial artists and has been working with HERO for 10 years.

One family from Colorado has been bringing their son to volunteer each year with UBBT since he was 12.  He is now studying Landscape Architecture at the University of Colorado and interning at HERO for the summer.   The UBBT group has completed 15 projects for the community and raised $200,000 and contributed over 20,000 hours of volunteer labor.  The UBBT group rebuilt an 1810’s log cabin into a modern Bunk House in 2009 to support other groups coming to work in Hale.  The Bunk House is booked solid this summer and HERO is working on rebuilding a historic schoolhouse that will sleep 60.

“Having the opportunity to volunteer with HERO has been an enlightening experience and also has allowed me to use my creative and social skills in ways I didn’t know was possible,” said Sarah Rohrman, a volunteer from North Carolina with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work.

In our daily work at HERO, we get busy.  Working with volunteers can be a productive way for families to work along side skilled laborers to help themselves.  At HERO, we feel that volunteering is an amazing way to give back and be part of something bigger than just ourselves.