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Wrapped in Kindness

 

“This past spring, I had the great good fortune of receiving services from the Bucksport Bay Healthy Communities Coalition (BBHCC). In addition to receiving some help with weekly living needs and a volunteer visit from BBHCC, I was offered assistance with a new program to assess and remediate safety and accessibility needs in the home.

 

From the outset, the process was supportive and helpful, with Vanessa from BBHCC, and Michael and Sherry from Habitat for Humanity, doing walk-arounds and recognizing areas of risk or difficulty that I had just gradually adapted my life around. They put in new handrails and railings, replaced decking that had started to rot through, elevated my front walkway that had been increasingly flooded over the last few years of storms, made an awkward, heavy window much easier for me to manage – so many things that alleviated areas of struggle in my life.

 

The whole process of remediating the safety and accessibility issues not only addressed general areas of risk and access, but improvements were personalized and tailored to my specific physical needs and areas of vulnerability, down to attention to details of my personal ergonomics – e.g., making sure the handrails were placed at the right height for me in different situations, and were adapted to my greatest ease of use. So many improvements to my life! Providing increased ease and enjoyment in accessing my home and the outdoors that I notice multiple times a day (and send gratitude and thanks to each of you each time I use them!)

 

As if that weren't enough, this was no ordinary construction experience: it was a heartfelt one.

First, I could feel the generosity of spirit that informs each of the organizations and people involved, a felt sense of service as it translated into an experience that was not only competent, but proactively caring and respectful... and fun! I felt like I was wrapped in kindness the whole time everyone was here. The memory still brings tears of gratitude.

 

Second, I was repeatedly awed by the connections as I became aware of how many different organizations and groups and individuals were coming together to support this work. It was such an effective collaboration among agencies: from the worker support of Habitat for Humanity in collaboration with H.O.M.E. and the St. Andrew's Youth Group from Connecticut; to the funding support of BBHCC, The Town of Bucksport, and the Maine Community Foundation. Of course, though my experience of this was that it was seamless, I know there was a lot of hard work behind the scenes! Great gratitude and appreciation for each and all of you.

 

Everyone deserves a special mention: Michael and Stephen, site manager and supervisor, for your perceptiveness and skill; Mary and the bevy of teens and young adults that volunteered from out of state, for your delightful energy and enthusiasm; and the staff at each of the coordinating agencies, including of course Vanessa and Sherry, for all you do!

 

I would never have been able to do this on my own, without the generous assistance of the agencies that provided supportive funding, and the strength and energy of all the supportive workers. I am so grateful for the amazing gift of BBHCC in our community, in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity and the other agencies that supported funding and staffing of the projects. I have already recommended this program to neighbors and will continue to wholeheartedly recommend this program to any who have needs for navigating their homes, tasks, and living environments easily and safely.” -- Margaret F.