ICYMI: Somerset County Vocational & Technical School Partnered with Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity

On Wednesday, May 11th, students in the Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School carpentry program assisted Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity in performing some critical repairs for a home in Bound Brook, New Jersey. 

The project came to be from a previous conversation where SCVTHS Supervisor of Career and Technical Education Rob Carrig and Cooperative Education Coordinator Gerald Mazzetta discussed coordinating efforts with Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity.

The house, which was flooded with over three feet of water on the first floor from Hurricane Ida, is in need of some necessary repairs before the owner can inhabit it again. 

In addition to financial assistance from a State Farm-sponsored grant, Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity has stepped in to provide materials, labor, and guidance in completing the project. “We really try to empower the youth to be part of these projects,” stated Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity Community Services Manager Jessica Mauceri. “This project, in particular, seemed like the ideal situation. It’s such a rewarding experience for all involved.” 

Additionally, Mauceri added that having the students step in to assist really shows how these projects are able to bring the community together.SCVTHS Carpentry Instructor James Foley also spoke of the partnership stating, “Having the students volunteer for Habitat for Humanity provided them with the opportunity to apply the skills they learned in the shop in a real-life scenario. It is one thing to learn how to install sheetrock in a shop space, but to actually enter into a person's home and produce quality work that will last for years to come is quite another. The students were eager to work and hopefully garnered great satisfaction knowing that with each piece of drywall hung up and each phase of spackling completed they were helping to get the house one step further to being occupied again. This volunteering experience also helps to build a sense of community among the students, everyone working together to achieve a common goal.”“In the future, we plan on assisting Habitat for Humanity with many more home repairs,” said SCVTHS Supervisor of Career and Technical Education Rob Carrig. “We hope to expand to not only sending out carpentry students but our electrical and plumbing as well.”

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