Madison's Community And Humanity On Display At Raise The Roof Event (With Video)

If you were to drive by the Madison town green and through downtown on Saturday, May 7th you may have found yourself staring at a sight that resembled an Amish barn raisings in the late 19th century.

The event itself was called Raise the Roof and it was put on by Madison Cares, a non-profit organization, which in partnership with the Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven, brings together Madison and Shoreline residents to build houses for New Haven families who have never owned their own.

More than 400 volunteers showed up Saturday, organizers said, adding that they were pleased to see many new faces and people from several surorunding towns.

There were teams of men and women, under yellow striped tents, assembling walls and hammering nails with such force that the clink of the two metals colliding could be heard even as you left the site of construction. Volunteers in brightly colored shirts directed traffic, sold water, and welcomed builders as live music floated in the warm spring air.

Just like when barns were built years ago in rural North America, the sight on the town green was filled with a sense of community and the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Volunteer Sarah Geller summed up the feeling saying, “In Madison we are so fortunate and we do have the power to help someone in need. I think that when the community works together we are able to accomplish more than we than we would have been able to accomplish on our own.”

Raise the Roof consisted of four different builds spread throughout the town, taking place from 10am to 4pm. The first stop was on the green, where volunteers ages 16 and up, constructed walls and porches which were to be used on Madison Cares’ next build. By the end of the event, one entire wall, complete with a door and porch, had been built and was ready for transportation to a New Haven storage facility. The green also had a table where parts of Madison Cares’ next house could be “bought” by making a donation.

The second build was in front of Brandon Gallery where both adults and youth, ages 8 to 15, were building porch railings for Madison Cares eighth house. In the First Niagara Courtyard, the third build took place, where parents and their children were building a garden bench which they could then purchase.  There was also an overflow sight in front on the AT&T building where additional adult volunteers could build.

One important volunteer was Shanna Green, who has been the recipient of Madison Cares seventh house. For her, to watch the workers build parts to a house that could help someone such as herself meant a great deal. “It’s amazing that everyone comes together to lend a helping hand. It truly shows that Madison does care,” said Green. When asked what she had learned the most from her experience working on her own home Green replied jokingly, “To put a hammer to a nail.”

Besides the multiple builds, the event boasted live music which consisted of the Daniel Hand High School Jazz band, writer and singer, Richard Geller, acoustic singer/songwriters Olivia and Liza Sweitzer, as well as others.

The event also had an exposition tent under which the “Best of the Nest” birdhouses were on display for final bidding. The proceeds from the auction of the birdhouses, which were decorated by Shoreline artists, helped fund the completion of Green’s house. The twenty-two birdhouses were auctioned of at 1:30 pm after being displayed in downtown Madison and Guilford.

Throughout the day live demonstrations and talks also took place under the expo tent. These included a demonstration by Madison Earth Care Services on how to container garden and beautify your home; interior redesigner and home stager Lisa Leonardi, sharing tips on how to refresh rooms on an affordable budget; and award-winning architect, Duo Dickinson speaking on the evolution of the design of Habitat for Humanity Housing.

The day concluded at 7pm with a blue ribbon panel discussion featuring, Governor Dannel Malloy, former State Representative Deborah Heinrich, and others, titled “” The discussion, hosted by WTNH anchor Ann Nyberg, took place at First Congregational Church on the Green, and focused on the challenges non-profit organizations face in the post-recession era.

Dickinson, a board member of Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven, reflected on the events’ efforts to come together for the greater good saying, “What is true about any house is that it is a mirror of the values of the people who built the house.  Habitat [for Humanity] as the builder of these houses is a mirror, I think, to the very best of humanity, which is the idea that people that have time and talent can actually help people that have got a tough situation.”

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