Volunteer Laura Breyfogle has enjoyed her volunteer work with Habitat in LaGrange: "I have been a fan of Habitat for Humanity for years and wanted an opportunity to do this. I just really admire the organization."

By Rebekah Daniel

For volunteer Laura Breyfogle, building with Habitat for Humanity is more than a chance to get out of the house and learn a bit about painting; it’s a chance to act on her convictions.

“I’m really uncomfortable about the wide gap between the rich and poor in this country,” she says. “It just isn’t right. I know people that don’t even go to the doctor when they’re sick because they can’t pay for it.”

Breyfogle, a LaGrange resident, first heard of Habitat when her church participated in an interdenominational build. She read about the Jimmy Carter Work Project in the newspaper and began helping build construction components for The Magnolias, a cluster of apartment buildings being constructed through a partnership between Habitat and Twin Cedars Youth Services, a nonprofit organization specializing in residential treatment services for boys and girls who have suffered from sexual abuse.

One day, while Breyfogle was working on the pre-build materials, she noticed a mother and son being especially attentive to their painting.

“They were being really careful about it, and I found out they were going to be living in one of the buildings,” she says.

Breyfogle was painting inside walls on Wednesday, enjoying a job in the relative coolness of the shade. She has considered traveling to other countries to broaden her understanding of poverty, she says.

“But I am happy helping with projects here,” she says. “There’s a lot to be done.”