Another 100 volunteers have contracted a serious illness.
They have caught the „volunteering” virus
During the week, over 100 volunteers worked side by side the Stana family as they built a Habitat house in Oradea.
Last Monday, 25 employees from Celestica stood in front of an empty foundation on the edge of Oradea, hearing how that on Friday there would then be a new house. Although some of them found this hard to believe, they started work with great enthusiasm and by the end of the first day, the walls were all raised and the roof trusses had been made. On Tuesday, a team of volunteers from a different department insulated the house and then Wednesday’s volunteers stuccoed the house and finished the roof structure.
Thursday morning was the turn of the entire management team from Celestica Oradea to volunteer on the worksite. They worked at both the interior finishes as well as tiling the roof. „I didn’t hit one nail as I helped build this house, but it was a joy to work here alongside the Stana family and my colleagues because I’ve lived a beautiful experience which for sure I’m going to repeat” said one of the company managers who helped in plastering the walls, installing the protection liner and putting on the roof tiles.
On Friday, the volunteers applied the decorative plaster to the outside of the house, mounted drywall sheets and prepared the house for the dedication at the end of the workday. The house was adourned with colourful balloons as the house was dedicated. With beautiful words, the Stana family received a Bible, a symbolic key and a bouquet of flowers and then a recognition plaque was mounted, volunteer certificates were received and a ribbon was cut for the new house. Speeches were made by members of HFH Beius’ board of directors, Celestica’s leadership, volunteers, Caminul Felix’s leadership and the Stana family.
„Twelve years ago, on a beautiful day just like today, I was part of a ceremony like this one. The difference is just that I was then a beneficiary homeowner. Something happened to me on that day, that I only understood later on. I became ill with a sickness which I still suffer from today. I caught the volunteering virus. What you don’t know yet is that because you were here, you will also have caught this virus and you’ll feel it’s effect soon.” said Florin Bacos, who is a volunteer, a Habitat house beneficiary and also director of the HFH Beius family selection committee.
The beneficiaries of the house are Adrian and Mariana Stana who currently work at Caminul Felix. Mariana works alongside girls from Caminul Felix in the SunFlower workshop where they produce souvenirs. Meanwhile Adrian is a mechanic in Caminul Felix’s autovehicle workshop.
A Celestial house built by over a 100 volunteers from Celestica in Oradea
Over 100 volunteers from Oradea will give a helping hand in the building of a Habitat house in just one week for a young family.
Last year, Habitat for Humanity Beius signed a partnership with the Caminul Felix foundation in Oradea. The two organizations proposed that together over the coming years, to build 80 homes for youth who have grown up in Caminul Felix adoptive families, some of whom were abandoned at birth and others who lost their natural parents. Some of them have now reached an ages, where they have married but their adoptive parents can’t offer them a home. Thus the partnership between Habitat and Caminul Felix was born and the project “Caminul Habitat” was launched.
“We’re very happy to continue, as we promised last year, the partnership that we started with Habitat for Humanity Beius. And because we want to show how important it is for us and our company to be involved in the community in which we live, the whole management team of the factory will spend a day on the worksite this week, alongside our other colleagues. We’re convinced that only by actually working on site, that we can bring a smile to the faces of those who are in such great need of a house” says Codruţa Bala, Human Resources Director, Celestica România.
So far, five houses have been built in this project, providing a healthy environment for young people who have only ever dreamed of having a home of their own. To support this project, Habitat has initiated a partnership with several companies among the most important being the one with Celestica Oradea, who supported us since last year in the construction of the first homes where they involved their employees in volunteering on the Habitat site and laying the foundations for the first homes. Now another 100 volunteers from Celestica have decided to raise a new house for the Stana family in just one week.
„It’s always a great joy when we’re supported from people in companies who understand that’s important to get involved in social programs and specifically in our effort to eliminate poverty housing. We were honoured that amongst the volunteers were the leadership of Celestica, with the best example being Mr Angelo Coliati, the Vice President of Operations in Europe who specifically chose to spend a day volunteering together with Romanian volunteers.” said Emil Popa, communications manager for HFH Beius.
The beneficiary family will be Mariana and Adrian Stana who currently work within Caminul Felix. Mariana works with girls from Caminul Felix in the Sun Flower workshop which produces beautiful souvenirs, whilst Adrian works as a mechanic in the vehicle workshop at Caminul Felix where he is always jumping to help others. They were really impressed when they found out they were chosen to be the next beneficiaries of a Habitat house.
“I have lots of friends who work at Celestica and they told me that they as part of the volunteer activities that they have this year, that they would be coming to Caminul Felix to build a home. At that point, I thought I would make time to also help, not knowing that we would be the house beneficiaries. When I heard later that we would be those to be helped, I couldn’t believe it. I was very happy!” said Adrian with obvious excitement.
Even if the volunteers have no construction experience, by the end of the Monday the walls of the house will have been raised and then on Friday the house will be dedicated as part of a festive ceremony.
The Stana Famil
I met the Stana Family, Mariana and Adrian, at Caminul Felix where they both work and spend a large part of their time. It’s her that they both met a few years ago and where they became a family a year ago. Mariana is a designer and for 4 years she has been working together with girls in the Sun Flower workshop. Mariana loves what she does and proudly shows us the beautiful things that are the fruit of their labour. Adrian is a vehicle mechanic here and is hardworking and always eager to help. I actually noticed this when I saw him working diligently with other volunteers on the first homes. He’s handy and likes to work, always jumping to help anyone who asks for help.
“This house won’ be just a house for us, we will transform it into a home that we’ve often dreamt of, but without this help we could never have had.” Said Mariana.
Since they got married, they’ve been wanting to have their own home and to have children. Mariana comes from a village near Alesd (Pestera), from a family with four children, whilst Adrian is from Oradea. His family went through tough trials when one of his sisters died leaving behind a child which is not brought up by grandparents. When Habitat started it’s collaboration with Caminul Felix, they realised that this is the chance that God has put in their paths, their single chance of home their own house, into which they can make a home for them and the children with which they hope God will bless them. With the building of their house, their lives will also be rebuilt as they no longer will need to live in a studio flat which they currently rent and they can think confidently about the future.
