BUILDING CHARACTER

Valley student, mom spring into action for Habitat cause

By KATIE SEMINARA

Vindicator Staff Writer

At 4 a.m. April 11, Dawna and Lyndsey Cramer of Green Township were second-guessing their trip to Guatemala.

The mother-daughter duo had signed up for a Habitat for Humanity trip, and while heading to the airport, they found out their flight was canceled.

Traveling five hours across unknown territory in Guatemala alone wasn’t an adventure they wanted to have. So the two called numerous airlines to find a flight that would get them to Guatemala on time to meet with the group.

Although it wasn’t easy, said Dawna, 47, “It all worked out but put a little doubt in our minds.”

Lyndsey, 18, a senior at South Range High School, had to choose for her senior project something foreign to her or community service-related.

“My friend and I were going to have a soccer camp, but we didn’t have anywhere to host it without paying for a facility,” Lyndsey said. Her second idea was to sponsor a child from Haiti whom she could visit, but those plans were shortly halted, Lyndsey said, adding that visiting Haiti wasn’t an option.

After nixing her first two project ideas, she searched the Habitat for Humanity Web site and found a trip during her spring break. Although other kids her age would be heading to the beach or a sunny vacation spot, Lyndsey and her mom would be getting dirty building a house, they said.

The trip consisted of five days of working on a house that was only 250 square feet, Dawna said.

The house was small but had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom that was like a small addition, she said.

The house was for a husband and wife and their one-month-old child.

“To us, by American standards, the rooms were like closets, but they were thrilled,” Dawna said.

During the building process, Lyndsey became known as the “U block queen,” she said.

The mother-daughter team were assigned to make what are called “U blocks,” which are cement blocks they hand-chipped into the shape of a U.

All the specially created materials are handmade, Dawna said.

“We’re so time-constricted here, we’d rather spend the money than the time. But there, they have more time and no money,” she said. “It’s just so different; they’re very resourceful.”

Both Lyndsey and Dawna noticed the differences in culture and had to overcome the language barrier.

Lyndsey took German in school but still found ways to communicate with one of the neighborhood boys, 4-year-old Andy.

“I knew the essential phrases,” she said, adding that playing with Andy was one of the most memorable parts of her trip.

“That was the hardest I’ve worked and the dirtiest I’ve ever been, but it was so rewarding to see the family’s appreciation,” said Dawna of what she’ll remember most.

“I didn’t want to come back; it was bittersweet,” Lyndsey said of leaving. “I’m definitely going back.”

Lyndsey will attend Mount Union College in the fall and said she hopes to get involved with Habitat projects or similar projects during her college time.

Right now, Lyndsey’s plan is to study exercise science, she said.

“And to learn Spanish,” Dawna added with a laugh.