The team at Raleigh Water usually spends their days safeguarding the flow beneath our city's streets, but a recent outing saw these stewards of the sewers swap their tools for altruism to aid in the raising of roofs. In a shift of scene, workers from the South Raleigh operations team joined Habitat for Humanity to put the final flourishes on homes for families in need, in Knightdale.
On the volunteer day, Raleigh Water employees were seen fitting windows, trimming out rooms, and sweeping spaces clean in anticipation of new beginnings for prospective homeowners, this according to an article released by Raleigh Water. The collaborative effort not only saw the convergence of city workers but also volunteers from wider reaches, such as NC State and Chapel Hill, making for a day rich with community spirit and the stitching together of new relationships—the guiding hand of the day being Habitat for Humanity worksite manager Paul, who was instrumental in keeping the day's labors on course.
Despite the daily grind of minding more than 2,700 miles of underground pipelines, the Raleigh Water team found unity and enjoyment in this different sort of endeavor. Carter Poole, an employee of Raleigh Water, conveyed in an interview that stepping out of their routine to collaboratively engage in an effort like this, "brings us closer. It’s not something that we always do together." Their bonds fortified, the team anticipates returning to their usual roles with a refreshed sense of camaraderie.
The initiative was architected by Michael Carpenter, another Raleigh Water employee who, although unable to participate on the day, orchestrated this civic mission; he expressed through a thank you to the participants that their willingness to dedicate time to the community is reflective of commendable character. Carpenter articulated his belief in the broader implications of their service, "I want the communities that we serve to know we do more than just maintain their infrastructure. We truly do care about the communities that we service, and we want to give back and help our neighbors as much as possible," the sentiment showcases a commitment to community that extends beyond the expected scope of their roles, as per the City of Raleigh.
