Most of us look at a brick and see a brick, but when our award-winning Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Volunteer John Mathivet looks at a brick, he envisions the house. John was one of five Orange County volunteers to receive the Governor's 2007 North Carolina Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. He was nominated by Orange County Habitat for Humanity where he is considered a vital part of the work force. In addition, during his first year with RSVP he served over 900 hours for Habitat, satisfying the requirements for the bronze, silver and gold levels of the President's Lifetime Service Awards.
As part of Habitat's construction crew, John has had a hand in building a dozen houses in Hillsborough's Fairview Community. The future owners will tell you that they want their home to have the same bungalow-style front porch posts that John designed and built for one of the other Habitat houses (without blueprints). John has applied his special touch in helping Habitat build three non-traditional homes.
"When I started with Habitat," John explained, "I'd never built a house from scratch. Mostly I've enjoyed seeing the whole process come together, and hopefully my contribution has helped Habitat and the new homeowners."
According to Habitat staff, John is especially popular with problem solving and has the patience to teach new crewmembers in an affirming way. While he concentrates on details, others are able to continue with general tasks and keep the construction moving forward. Working along side the homeowners was another incentive to see the job was done right, according to David Hoxie, one of Habitat's crew supervisors. "His desire to produce a quality home has not gone unnoticed by the future owners of these homes," David added.
John grew up in Detroit, Michigan near Lake St. Clair, often referred to as "not quite a great lake" (only 400-square-miles of lake). With thousands of boats in the area, it's no wonder he opted at age 10 for sailing over the swim team. For the next 15 years, he graduated to racing sailboats for the "fun of it" and even as a teen taught other children and adults with larger boats. His first real jobs were prepping new boats for delivery and doing warranty work, which led him to start a refrigeration and air conditioning business for pleasure boats.
John studied mechanical engineering, which explains his interest in technical detail. From his teens, he developed his craftsmanship by working along side others in various industries and studying the tools of their trades. For example, he used his acquired knowledge to build his own canoe and yes . . . an airplane from a kit. Because he often worked alone, when John needed a helping hand, he became creative in developing rigs and methods to accomplish his mission.
In his 30s, he became a certified flight instructor and later an airline pilot. The lure of the open sea, however, proved too strong so it was "out of the clouds and splash down" time. The plane was sold to purchase a boat, and John's travels by sea took him to the Caribbean for nine years. There was the urge to sail around the world, but after hearing horror stories about freighter traffic, he decided against it and set out to find a "mainland" home. John searched far and wide; not just any home would do. Three years ago he came to Orange County and found just the right fixer-upper in Hillsborough. The fixing is almost done. All that is left is landscaping that the drought put on hold.
You may wonder what drew his attention to volunteering. He says it was simply "boredom." In his quest for a home and a part-time job, a newspaper headline caught his eye: Volunteers Needed. The Habitat Hand-Me-Ups Store needed a handyman to inspect donations and make repairs. During that time Habitat and RSVP Volunteer Fred Smith encouraged him to try building houses.
According to John, an attractive aspect of Habitat is that they put quality before productivity, and that's the way he likes it. On the other hand, it's part of his nature to devise an easier way to accomplish a task in order to save time while maintaining or improving quality. They say that he's clever; he says, "I'm just lazy." Whatever his reasons, we are thankful that John chose to make Orange County his home. To join John and the Habitat crew, call Habitat 932-7077 ext. 219: "You come, Habitat trains." RSVP 55+Volunteer Program 968-2056, assisting volunteers 55+ years with finding just the right volunteer opportunity. Check the RSVP volunteer listings on the web: www.co.orange.nc.us and search: RSVP.
By Kathy Porter, RSVP Director
Thanks to the Orange County Retired Senior and Volunteer Program for permission to reprint this article. First printed in the Senior Times. Published by the Herald Sun. Photo by Vicki Hill.