Staff “Raise the Roof”
December 6, 2004
By Robert L. Bingham, Chief Probation Officer

Thirteen Marion County Adult Probation employees and an employee spouse took part on September 17, 2004, in an all day volunteer house-raising effort sponsored by Habitat for Humanity. Simply imagine an Amish barn-raising gone urban.

At a location proximate to 26th and LaSalle, Indianapolis, Indiana, a four bedroom prefab house was constructed. First the walls were erected, then the trusses, then the actual rooftop. By the day's end, the roof was being readied for shingling.

All of us who took part were solidly reminded of the power of volunteerism. True, few of us possessed the advanced and well-honed construction skills, but as a unit, we were pretty impressive. Whether it was unloading trucks, moving and setting up the prefab units, banging nails, clearing construction debris, sweeping floors, etc., we all took pride in the day's accomplishments. And it all started from a simple concrete slab.

My most genuine thanks to the following employees who participated: Kristen Lee, Cathy Johnson, Becky Schrock and husband Rich, Chris Ball, Shari Kelley, Michael Clark, Sharyl Ramsey, Jennifer Herriott, Michelle Fitzgerald, Sara Bunner, Mary Miller, Mary Sweeney, and yours truly. Thanks as well to Lori White for arranging our participation and Leonard Simpson for his photo documentation of the day's efforts.