I once told a college professor in my retirement I want to build DIY furniture for companies to ensure the instructions make sense to the average Joe. Since retirement is a ways off, I looked for employment doing something else I love: writing.

Working at Reynolds ended up providing the best of both worlds. During my interview process, I constantly asked about the culture at Reynolds. Did coworkers participate in recreational leagues? Were there chances to connect throughout the company? Did they offer and publicize opportunities to volunteer?

My recruiter mentioned all that and more, calling specific attention to Reynolds’ now five-year partnership with Habitat for Humanity building houses for local families in need of a place to call home.

Habitat for Humanity operates on the belief they can help local families earn their way to home ownership through hard work and education. Habitat families take financial training and budgeting courses and pay off their future home with hours they spend volunteering.

I’d never helped at a Habitat build before, so I didn’t know what to expect when I pulled into Reynolds’ parking lot (yes, we build the houses in our own lot), but I was excited. Reynolds’ Habitat build delivered the additional community involvement I had been looking for since my move to Dayton almost a year prior.

Over 190 volunteers came to work that Saturday morning, made up of Reynolds coworkers and our guests. It was a great chance to meet different people around the company and community, especially the family that would eventually move into the house we built that day: an excited mother in a bright pink hoodie and her two teenage sons.

As we worked, I occasionally looked over to see the progress of the house Habitat members were building. The Habitat family would walk through the doorways and help hold up walls, inspecting their to-be home. It was hard to comprehend what building a house would be like until one house was almost completed and a truck was loaded with the walls of a second house.

Working with Habitat for Humanity was an eye-opening experience. So much work goes into each build, from Reynolds’ Associate Foundation to Habitat for Humanity, and especially to the Habitat family themselves.

Reynolds loves to get involved in our Dayton community, and every community our company calls home. From Dayton’s Battle of the Businesses, Habitat builds, toy and school supply drives, and much more, Reynolds leads and contributes to the happiness and success of many people. It’s even placated my need to build stuff… at least until the next Build.