Caldwell Community Helps Build Single Mother A New Home (PHOTOS)

CALDWELLS, NJ — The single mother of a 4-year-old son in Manahawkin will soon have a new home thanks to the Caldwell-West Caldwell community and a cadre of local teachers and students.

The donated home is the product of a chain of community efforts that have been taking place for months in the area as part of the first-ever “JCHS Habitat for Humanity Wall Build.”

Bridgit Giampapa, a teacher at James Caldwell High School (JCHS), helped to spearhead the effort alongside Chris Altonjy, also a JCHS teacher, and Jeannie Gerdy, a teacher at Washington Elementary School.

Giampapa recently provided Patch with some background about the ongoing project:

“On April 28, nearly 130 James Caldwell High School students participated in the first-ever JCHS Habitat for Humanity Wall Build. Students had the unique opportunity to build the walls of a Habitat for Humanity house on the JCHS campus, thanks to careful planning and coordination between Habitat for Humanity of Southern Ocean County, the Habitat Road Trip Crazies, the JCHS Habitat for Humanity faculty advisors, and James Caldwell High School student committee members. The finished walls of the house were hauled down to Manahawkin on May 6, where the house will be completed. The recipient of the house is a single mother of a 4-year-old son.”

Giampapa gave some background on the local ties that helped get the ball rolling:

“The Habitat Road Trip Crazies are a group of people that travel up and down the east coast organizing and building houses for Habitat for Humanity. They are famous for organizing Blitz Builds with large numbers of volunteers, during which a Habitat house is almost entirely completed within a weekend. The leader of The Crazies, Tom Gerdy, has been building homes with Habitat for Humanity since 1988. Tom's sister, Jeannie Gerdy, is a teacher in the Caldwell West Caldwell School District and served as a faculty advisor along with Bridgit Giampapa and Chris Altonjy. Jeannie has been doing builds with Tom for years. Bridgit has done builds with Habitat for over 10 years, one of which was a Blitz Build in Manahawkin with Tom and Jeannie. Chris Altonjy teaches Technology and Woodshop at JCHS, and has been interested in getting involved with Habitat for Humanity. Some of the student committee members had expressed interest in doing a Habitat build, so once this opportunity arose, they were asked to help assist with the planning process.”

According to Giampapa, the experience has been a true community effort.

“JCHS Habitat for Humanity exceeded their fundraising goal and had an overwhelming response from the student body,” Giampapa said. “The Kiwanis, the Rotary Club, JCHS Key Club, and the National Honor Society came through with large donations, and other JCHS clubs helped raise money. Many individuals also made generous donations, including the superintendent, Dr. James Heinegg. Local businesses and restaurants provided overwhelming support by way of monetary donations, food and supplies. In addition, one of the elementary schools helped raise funds with the help of the Washington School HSA, as did Grover Cleveland Middle School.”

Giampapa said that some small businesses that donated to the cause included: JT’s Barber Shop, Lattimer Realty, Healthycell, Inc, The Caldwell Salt Cave, Dough Pizzeria, Wade’s Deli, Thatcher McGhee’s, Bella Nails, Smith & Co., Rock n Joe, The Home Depot, Cloverleaf Tavern, West Essex Building Supply, Forte Pizzeria, Shoprite, Russillo, Foodtown, Calandra’s, Pizza & Sandwich Barn, Manhattan Bagel, Dunkin’ Donuts and Al Louis Entertainment.

“For most of the student volunteers, this was their first experience with Habitat for Humanity,” Giampapa said. “I received a lot of positive feedback from students who expressed interest in doing this again.”

The teacher said that she hopes giving back through Habitat for Humanity or any other volunteer organization is something that the kids will want to continue doing for the rest of their lives.

“Being a part of something that changes people's lives is incredibly empowering and rewarding,” she said.

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Photos: JCHS Habitat for Humanity Build 2018, Facebook (used with permission)