GM Teams Up with Habitat For Humanity in Park Forest

The General Motors Foundation, area General Motors employees and the Habitat for Humanity are teaming up in the south suburbs to provide one family in need with a new home in Park Forest. The project, which is taking place on Wildwood Drive in Park Forest, is being made possible through a $1 million donation to Habitat for Humanity from the General Motors Foundation. The donation is being spread across 12 homes nationwide.

“We picked 12 cities that we could draw from our employee base or where we have operations,” said Maria Mainville, GM Foundation & Corporate Relations representative. “We are drawing upon that base to provide volunteers, these are all GM employees.”

The home, which was donated by Bank of America after sitting vacant for four years, is being stripped down to the studs by GM employees like Dennis Pearson and coworkers from the GM Bolingbrook Parts Distribution Center and GM North Central Regional Office in Naperville.

“We brought seven guys with us up from the PDC in Bolingbrook, which is great,” Pearson said. “It was great, we had so many volunteers we actually had to turn some people down this time.”

The work on the home is more in line with what Habitat for Humanity is doing lately, said Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity Development Director Christopher Laurent.

“We still do primarily new house construction … in the last 10 years, specifically in metropolitan areas, there isn't much need. To take an existing house, in an existing neighborhood is a great practice.”

While GM employees and Habitat for Humanity volunteers continue to work on the home, Laurent said that when the home is done, it won't simply be 'given' to a family free and clear. Instead, just like every other home that Habitat for Humanity builds or remodels, it will be earned.

“We work with them to make sure they have the greatest chance of home success,” he said. “Plus, they have to do 300 hours of 'sweat equity,' where they work on their home and then volunteer at other homes or one of our locations, and they pay a mortgage.”

As crews continue to work on the Park Forest home, other opportunities to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity are availible. For more information, visit www.habitat.org.

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