Base volunteers help build near-by Habitat for Humanity home

  • Published
  • By Ted Theopolos
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WIRGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE - Ohio --  Dayton Habitat for Humanity held a house dedication ceremony April 24 on State Street in Fairborn about one quarter mile from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Numerous volunteers who took part in the humanitarian project were on hand to see the newly constructed, four-bedroom house.
 
Diane Graham, executive director of Dayton Habitat for Humanity hosted the ceremony and thanked all the volunteers who worked on the house.

"We get great support and can't do it without volunteers and donors," said Graham.

Part of that support came from Wright-Patterson AFB, where 61 base volunteers provided 365 work hours on the construction site. Staff Sgt. Michael Wilson, assigned to the 88th Medical Support Squadron attended the ceremony and had 30 volunteer hours on this house. The sergeant had nearly 300 volunteer hours in 2012 with Habitat for Humanity and was a recipient of the Silver Award at the yearly ceremony held earlier in April.

When Graham mentioned Wright-Patt she looked at the military members in the room, smiled and said, "We look forward to building close to Wright-Patt again!"

Wright-Patt is no stranger to the humanitarian organization. Base volunteers donated 3,102 work hours in 2012 for Dayton Habitat for Humanity and earned the U.S. President's Volunteer Service Award for the past two years.

Col. Robert Lyman, 88th Communication Group commander represented the base at the April 24 ceremony. He was not the only one from the group there. Three others under his command attended because they too donated their time working on the house. They were Senior Master Sgt. Kelvin Mauk, Staff Sgt. Brian Henson and Mr. Tim Pickard.

Norm Miozzi, field operations director for Dayton Habitat for Humanity preformed the last act by handing over the keys to the house to Eugene Niyit, his wife Carine and their family.

The ceremony concluded but before departing back to the base, Col. Lyman caught up to the attending Wright-Patt volunteers on the front porch and thanked each of them for what they did.