H-ton’s Habitat for Humanity Chapter Thriving
In an age when young people are often accused of only being interested in themselves, Huntington High School students are proving just how selfless and generous they can be.
Huntington’s Habitat for Humanity chapter is thriving under its founder Robert Gilmor III and a group of dedicated officers and student members. Created by Mr. Gilmor when he was hired as a high school dean 13 years ago, the club is more popular than ever.
Each year the chapter participates in countless builds on Long Island and travels to communities in other states struggling to recover from natural disasters. Mr. Gilmor welcomes participation by students on every grade level, although certain activities have age restrictions.
Annual club membership typically runs into the many dozens of energetic students, who display an unmatched work ethic and commitment to improving not only their own community, but those of complete strangers.
Before boasting its own chapter, Huntington High School assisted in Habitat for Humanity’s many good deeds through the student government organization. Once Mr. Gilmor arrived on the scene, he quickly applied for chapter status and saw students respond in large numbers to the initial membership drive.
“Students were very eager to help,” Mr. Gilmor recalls about those early days. “Soon the natural disasters from around the United States started to cause great concern for the students at Huntington and they wanted to not only help out locally, but help out throughout the country. In August 2005, Katrina hit New Orleans and our then chapter President Madeline Jensen empowered myself and the club to commit our efforts to the rebuilding of New Orleans.”
Last spring marked the Huntington chapter’s tenth trip in ten years to New Orleans to assist in the continuing rebuilding efforts ongoing in that southern city. “During these years we have also committed our efforts to rebuilding in Mobile and Birmingham, Alabama. Our current officers our planning two trips this year to be run during the February and April vacations.”
This year’s club officers include Ben Whitcher (president), Dan Mollitor (vice president), Meghan Plant (treasurer) and Lena Scarpulla (secretary). The club has ambitious goals. The group is planning two out of state trips during vacation periods and multiple treks to the seaside community of Breezy Point, Queens, which was nearly completely wiped out by Superstorm Sandy. Students also intend to assist in the building of several homes in Suffolk County.
“Our big goal this year is to again ask the town government for their support in the building of a Huntington home,” Mr. Gilmor said. “We also hope to reach out to the Huntington community for their financial and volunteer support in our endeavor.”
Since Superstorm Sandy struck in September 2013 the Huntington chapter has devoted 15-20 days to recovery work in the Breezy Point community. “We have also helped out with financial donations when possible,” Mr. Gilmor said. “Our commitment to the Breezy Point community will continue until they no longer need us. Our art honor society donated art work and photos to the community that will be raffled off to the homeowners this year.”
Mr. Gilmor came to Huntington from the nearby Elwood School District, where he originally organized a Habitat for Humanity chapter. “Over the six years I was employed there the community and club was able to raise enough money to co-sponsor two of the four houses built in Huntington Station,” he said. “The passion of the students and community inspired me to continue my efforts in the direction of building decent and affordable housing on Long Island and in the United States.”
The Huntington High School chapter’s commitment to Suffolk “remains hard and true,” Mr. Gilmor said. “For the past 12-13 years we have donated no less than $3,000 a year to the building efforts in Suffolk and we have made numerous building trips to various neighborhoods in Suffolk. We have also made numerous attempts to build a house in Huntington with very little success, but our passion does not subside with each year, it just grows more intense. The officers this year plan to gain the financial support of the Huntington community and the governmental support of the town officials to build a house in Huntington within the next year.”
The Huntington chapter’s student members have always been willing to work hard on behalf of their fellow man and give up their time, money and vacations in pursuit of noble goals.
“Habitat for Humanity is not just about building houses, it’s about building up communities,” Ms. Plant said. “This year we are building right here on the island in Wyandanch and all over the United States. We try to make each community safer and better by making affordable housing available. This club means so much to so many families all over the states. I’m so happy to be a part of it. I look forward to our builds, especially the break trips. We will be traveling to Arizona and New Orleans.We try our best to give back and have a blast doing it.”
(Huntington High School senior Emma DeGennaro, who is interning in the district’s Office of Public Information this year, contributed to this story.)