Volunteer Stephen Whitley, of Center Point, Ala., hammers inside of house #14.

Stephen Whitley has written the nickname “Santa” on his JCWP nametag, but people would call him that regardless.

He even delivers toys. A lifetime member of Jaycees International, Stephen has been volunteering with different organizations for 25 years. One of the groups he works with provides books for kindergarteners and first-graders. “I’ve delivered a lot of books over the past couple of years,” he laughs.

Stephen has never done a Habitat for Humanity build before, but when he heard about the opportunity to build a Habitat house through work—Stephen works in the seasonal department at Lowe’s—he decided to jump at it.

"When they said we were going to build a Habitat house, I thought, ‘Well, that’ll be cool—we’re going to build a house.’ I didn’t know they were building 35 in the same neighborhood! It kind of blew me away at first,” Stephen says.

A landscaper, Stephen looks forward to Friday’s yard work and, of course, the dedication of the house. Alabama’s own Santa Claus hopes his wife can take the day off work to participate as well.