When Joe Wary frames a Wichita Habitat for Humanity home he sees beyond the 2x4s, nails and his hammer. Instead, Joe sees an excited family who can hardly wait to purchase their new home.
Joe and the team from ICM were framing Baraka and Francine’s home in the Rock the Block neighborhood this week. Joe is the corporate manager of safety at ICM. This will be the 18th house that ICM has sponsored and built alongside our future Wichita Habitat homebuyers – and Joe has helped frame all of them.
“Knowing that this helps someone and to see how the families appreciate it is great.” – Joe Wary
Joe calls framing “hidden work” because it naturally gets covered up as construction progresses. But it’s work he enjoys. Joe learned how to frame a house when he worked with his brother in college.
Joe said the Habitat homes he’s helped build take on a new life as he works alongside the future homeowners and learns what owning a new home means to them. “To have a new house is so exciting for them,” he said. Joe also has great memories of seeing the parents bring their children to the build site to see their future home. He loves seeing a child’s face light up when they see where their bedroom will be.
Joe says he’s enjoying this year’s ICM build and looks forward to volunteering in the future. “Knowing that this helps someone and to see how the families appreciate it is great,” he said.