Habitat for Humanity highlights Stokes County Schools partnership; students gain hands-on construction experience

Mindy Alexandra, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Stokes County, told the Stokes County Schools board the affiliate has a longstanding partnership with the school system that brings career- and service-oriented experiences to students while helping local families access affordable homeownership.

Alexandra said Habitat selects partner families based on need, willingness to partner and ability to pay an affordable mortgage. She described recent Danbury builds in which carpentry students from West Stokes and South Stokes high schools helped install floor systems and frame exterior walls and horticulture students handled landscaping. The ReStore now works with the district’s OCS program at South Stokes, Alexandra said, with students volunteering two to four times weekly on pricing, inventory and customer service.

A student reader shared short testimonials from participating pupils, describing the experience as “invaluable” and saying it made classroom lessons feel “real.” Board members praised the partnership as a ‘‘win-win’’ that gives students real-world skills and benefits families; one board member noted a completed home was dedicated recently in Danbury with district attendees on site.

Board members asked about the program’s scale and future plans. Alexandra said the affiliate typically completes two to three homes per year and is working to expand capacity, with a goal of as many as five builds annually as volunteer and staff capacity increases. She also outlined a prospective repair program to help homeowners with ramps, roof repairs and other work and invited board members to an upcoming home dedication and to volunteer days.

The presentation concluded with the board thanking Habitat and discussing informal next steps: staff and board members agreed to coordinate a volunteer/build day and to attend a dedication when scheduled.