Bob Reynolds Lends A Hand To Habitat For Humanity
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Many people in the area may not be aware of Bob Reynolds' contributions to the Chautauqua County area, but for those whose homes he helped construct his efforts will forever be appreciated.
Reynolds, vice president of the Chautauqua Area Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors, has been a consistent and valuable asset to the organization for nearly a decade and has overseen the construction of four new houses across the county.
The Chautauqua Area Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1989 as an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, an ecumenical Christian housing ministry. With the motto "offering a hand up, not a hand out," the all-volunteer nonprofit organization has created and coordinated homeownership with 28 working families throughout the county.
Reynolds, whose day job entails working in the Chautauqua Lake Central School District's maintenance department, became involved with the area Habitat for Humanity organization eight years ago by pure happenstance -- and he hasn't looked back since.
"I was just sitting around the house one day and I felt like I should be doing something meaningful, so I told my wife and she suggested I contact the local Habitat for Humanity to see about volunteering," Reynolds said. "So, that's what I did. I called them up and within two weeks I was helping them build a house. I'd had very minimal experience working with construction beforehand, but I picked it up quick and I really enjoyed it. So, it's just something that happened by complete luck of the draw, and I love it."
Since joining up with Habitat for Humanity, Reynolds has been unflagging in his volunteerism -- and has since taken on more responsibility on the job site.
"Right now I serve on the construction committee as an OSHA-certified trainer who keeps an eye on all the safety protocols on the site," he said. "I work with volunteers at all levels of experience, from guys who've never been on a construction job in their life to an on-site engineer that we bring to all of our builds."
Reynolds said volunteering has always been a priority for him, having previously served as a volunteer firefighter and lending his efforts in coordinating the annual Mayville Bluegrass Festival when it was being held. He said he enjoys working with other volunteers and doing his part to make his community a better place for himself and others.
"One of the biggest things I like about my job is that I feel it's the right thing to do; to give back," he said. "The thing that makes it the most worthwhile is working with the volunteers. Right now I'm overseeing construction on my fourth house, and we're getting about 14-16 volunteers a week -- sometimes up to a quarter of whom have never even met the future homeowners before. It's just nice that people are willing to help other people with their first homes and to make things better for their families."
According to Reynolds, the Chautauqua Area Habitat for Humanity constructs new homes at a pace of about one for every year-and-a-half to two years. He said one of the organization's primary goals is to increase the rate at which it constructs new homes, and to get more people involved.
Shortly, he said, that goal will yield immediate results as two more projects are scheduled to be built concurrently along with the project he's still working on at the moment. The homes being built are located in Silver Creek, Westfield and Jamestown.
Additionally, Reynolds said Habitat for Humanity is always looking for more volunteers and businesses to lend a hand, particularly now that two more projects have been scheduled to begin in the near future.
Anyone interested in volunteering, or learning more about what volunteering entails, should contact the Chautauqua Area Habitat for Humanity at 269-7772 or online at habitatchaut.org or on Facebook.