Phi Kapa Theta’s Nebraska chapter recently volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. They painted walls and ceilings, and prepared rooms to be furnished and used. Brothers Ethan Tomlinson (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, ‘25), Evan Sestak (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, ‘24), Christian Friesen (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, ’24), and Will Wiley (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, ’22) share their experiences below.
Nebraska Chapter Members Volunteering at Habitat for Humanity
What did you take away from your experience?
Ethan: I took away knowing that my gift of time was going toward creating a nonprofit furniture store for people who can’t afford to furnish their new homes on their own.
Evan: After working, I felt that Habitat for Humanity is a great organization that really puts other people first and truly tries hard to provide the best for people in need.
Christian: A big takeaway I got from the experience was that many hands make light work, and we were able to really accomplish a lot because everyone pitched in and helped.
Will: After my experience, I took away just how much we can do to help in a few short hours and how much fun we can have while serving others.
What would you tell someone who was thinking about volunteering for Habitat for Humanity?
Ethan: I would recommend volunteering there because they need lots of help building houses.
Evan: Go for it. It's really fun and definitely worth it.
Christian: If someone was thinking about volunteering for habitat for humanity, I would tell them to go for it because it isn’t a huge commitment, but it goes so far to help a cause that everyone can agree is great.
Will: I would tell somebody to volunteer. It’s so much fun, and the people are so nice. You also are going to feel so much pride in helping someone else, and this is a great agency to help.
Has this experience opened your mind up to volunteering in other ways?
Ethan: I plan on going back to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity because they were very friendly and easy to follow.
Evan: My experience has opened my eyes to volunteering more in the future and in other ways.
Christian: This experience made me more likely to volunteer in the future because I learned that I could do things I enjoy (like painting), and in doing so help make it easier for people to succeed in their own missions.
Will: Personally, my life involves volunteering all the time. This made it to where I feel like instead of working with one agency all the time and putting in a lot of work for them, I can work with one agency every so often and have a blast just helping someone I don’t typically help. I absolutely plan to volunteer more in the future because it’s something I love to do.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience or how this impacted you?
Evan: It was really fun, and I hope to do more volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity.
Christian: Something I loved about volunteering was how close it brought everyone together. There really isn’t much that helps people bond like waking up early and doing something good for someone else.
Will: Working with Habitat for Humanity was one of the most fun events I’ve been able to set up this semester. Volunteering is so much more fun when you have your brothers with you. I look forward to working with my brothers and Habitat for Humanity a lot more in the future.
Volunteering is just one way Phi Kappa Theta’s brothers are encouraged to make a difference in the world around us. If you are interested in volunteering or donating to Habitat for Humanity, visit their website to learn more. If your chapter has volunteered with a nonprofit, share that story with us so we can showcase how your chapter is making a difference.