Habitat for Humanity East Bay

Sean Hickey

Sean Hickey has demonstrated exemplary service as a member of Habitat East Bay's Green Team. He attends regular monthly meetings at which he contributes insightful questions and comments. He has taken on two research projects for the Green Team, focusing on environmentally preferable cabinets and countertops. He helped manage the successful composting, recycling, and landfill waste processes at the 2009 Earth Day Build-A-Thon, and he volunteers weekly on the construction site as well. Sean is a joy to work with and his enthusiasm is motivating to others. We are lucky to have him on our team!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What’s your day job? Besides work and volunteering with Habitat East Bay, what other things do you do with your time? 

After working in finance at a Hewlett Packard for 25 years, I decided I needed a break. In addition to spending my newly gained free time with family and friends, I wanted to give back to the local community. My personal motivation was to contribute in way that I could get outdoors and learn something new. I did enjoy working at hp, but Habitat for Humanity is a complete departure from working in an office environment under a fluorescent light pushing papers and electrons around.

How did you first get involved with Habitat East Bay?

I started working as a construction volunteer at the Buena Vista Commons development in Alameda late last summer. The exposure to sustainable building while volunteering sparked a desire to learn more about green design, construction, housing systems, and materials. I enjoyed the construction work but from there I inquired about being a member of the Green Team which I joined in October.

What motivates you to continue volunteering with Habitat East Bay?  

Everyone on the Green Team is passionate about making a contribution to an improved and safe sustainable living environment for the homeowners. For the construction work, it’s a tremendous opportunity to learn, get outdoors, and work alongside incredibly passionate and interesting people. I like the process for assignments at the beginning of the day where there is flexibility to pick what you want to work on for the day. I usually try something new and different. The day just flies by and the works brings me into a real sense of being in the here and now. There’s no time or attention afforded to mulling over the past or the future. It’s a very meditative experience.

Why do you make volunteering for Habitat for Humanity East Bay a priority?

I’m grateful to be part of an organization which is creating successful home ownership for those families with limited resources and doing so in a sustainable way. I connect with the mantra one home at a time, one family at a time. I see and feel the process; the Green Team, the construction and the organization in total, as being transformative on many different levels.

What has been your most memorable experience?

The Earth Day Build-A-Thon. As part of the Green Team, I was on the support staff for compost and recycling duty. It was amazing to see over the course of four days only four bags of material end up going to the landfill versus the small mountain that was sent to composting and recycling. Also, I was fortunate to help with the framing of home #12 during Build-A-Thon. It was surreal to occasionally stop and look up and watch 200 to 300 people simultaneously working together but having fun at the same time. The physical transformation over the four days was amazing.

What are your future projects or goals at Habitat East Bay? 

I plan to continue to be a member of the Green Team and complete the research for cabinets and countertops with the goal to find a greener choice at a reasonable cost. I also plan to continue volunteering at the Edes Avenue development three to four times a month.

How does the mission and philosophy of Habitat East Bay fit in your own life values?

It’s easy these days to believe and act as if we live in scarcity when in reality we live, and have always lived, in a world of abundance. Scarcity is an unreal invention of self and our fears which only isolates us from others. At Habitat for Humanity East Bay it has been an absolute complete experience of living in abundance, of giving and receiving and being part of a larger community.

What is it like working with volunteers, staff, and AmeriCorps members on the Green Team? 

Everyone I have enjoyed interacting with has been friendly, engaging, passionate, and driven to get the job done. I really have to stay on the ball to run with this crowd, but it has been fun all the while. At the construction site, all of the staff and the AmeriCorps team are accepting of everyone and engage everyone in a meaningful way whether it’s a first timer or long time volunteer. They take the time to teach you new things, let you go at it and let you learn from your mistakes. There is also a real sense of safety regardless of what you are working on. As for the Green Team, I’m amazed by the amount of breath and depth of knowledge and creative thinking across each and every team member.

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Elyza
Posts: 6

new comment
Reply #6 on : Fri December 30, 2011, 10:37:03

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My problem was a wall until I read this, then I sameshd it.

Burma
Posts: 6

Re:
Reply #5 on : Sat August 01, 2009, 19:52:36

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Sean you have found a way to bloom big!!!

karen
Posts: 6

Re:
Reply #4 on : Sat August 01, 2009, 10:49:42

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Way to go Sean!

Anonymous
Posts: 6

Re:
Reply #3 on : Fri July 31, 2009, 19:30:49

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Yay Sean!!!!

Anonymous
Posts: 6

Re:
Reply #2 on : Fri July 31, 2009, 18:04:01

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Sean in the house (that he built) ;)

Anonymous
Posts: 6

Re:
Reply #1 on : Fri July 24, 2009, 20:46:53

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Sean in the house!!!

-Seth