Senior Scientist Susan J. Hoertt in our Dayton office received the Nathaniel G. Keith Memorial Grant for her public service participation in "Operation Home Delivery and Hurricane Katrina Blitz-Build" in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity International.

Susan and her husband, Greg, committed to using personal vacation time for community service, and along with 30 other volunteers, spent 7 consecutive 12- to 14-hour days "blitz-building" a home in Plaquemine, Louisiana, a community 20 miles west of Baton Rouge. Working along with the team were the new homeowners, Kendrell and Keiane Collins, a young couple who welcomed their first child, Kendrell Jr., in August 2006. Kendrell and Keiane were living in New Orleans with family, when the family home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. They lived in a rented home in Plaquemine after the Hurricane, and before their Habitat home was complete. The couple was required to fulfill Habitat for Humanity's obligation for "sweat equity hours" in order to be eligible for their new home.

Operation Home Delivery's success was the result of the efforts of many people from diverse backgrounds and varying abilities. Susan used her skills to contribute to on-site safety and to improve collaborative work efforts of volunteers in the productive use of their time. Students and professors from the Sinclair Community College engineering technology and nursing programs participated in the project. They pre-built the home's frames and trusses, then shipped those materials to the building site where they assisted in the construction.

Now in their new home, Kendrell is working for Turner Industries where he plans to learn plumbing as a trade, and Keiane hopes to continue studying surgical technology at Delgado Community College. As Susan Hoertt says, "What's truly special is that we're able to provide the opportunity for individuals to maximize their potential. Like the Habitat for Humanity slogan says, "We're not providing a handout, we're providing a hand up."

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