Josh

2020-21: A Good Time to Take a Gap Year

After Josh graduated from Morristown-Beard High School, he decided to take a gap year–a sensible decision during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I belonged to the Habitat for Humanity Club at Morristown-Beard. We volunteered with the Morris County Habitat for Humanity affiliate and also took a trip down to Florida every year to do Habitat volunteering.” For his gap year, he says, he chose Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newark to volunteer with because our builds were closer to where he lived. “Habitat of Greater Newark turned out to have great volunteer options for me. I could volunteer regularly and it was close to home.”

Josh began volunteering on a regular basis with Habitat of Greater Newark in 2020, helping to finish the build at 11 Grand Terrace in Livingston. He says that he feels very comfortable at Habitat’s build sites because Construction Manager Rick Casaretto and Site Supervisor Alphonso Richards take “all the precautions. We’re wearing masks and six feet apart.”

His favorite jobs so far have been installing flooring and tiling. “Putting in the flooring was pretty tough. I think I’ve definitely learned a lot about construction and how to use different tools.”

“This was definitely a good time to do a gap year,” he continues. “I enjoyed what I did and this is a great thing to do. Affordable housing is an awesome cause if you can help out in any way.”

Fall 2021 will see him at Kenyon College. He reports, “I’m not sure if Kenyon has a club that supports Habitat. If there is, I’ll join. If there isn’t, I would like to create one.”

Interested in volunteering making an important contribution to Habitat’s mission to build homes in partnership with families in need? Our volunteering calendar has year-round opportunities for you to support Habitat of Greater Newark’s work, while also providing valuable team building and community engagement experiences for you and your team. Learn more about volunteering with us.