Giving up vacation time to toil in the sweltering heat in rural Kentucky was only a small price to pay for Jeff Ball to help build homes for two needy families in one of the poorest counties in the United States.
Ball, along with 15 other members of the Knights of Columbus Father Sikora Council No. 7992 from Nativity Parish in Burke, embarked on an 11-hour car ride to assist the Appalachian Construction Crew build the homes from scratch in eight days.
“It was exhilarating to be able to do something like that,” said Ball of his first-time home building experience. It was “humbling and uplifting to make such a major difference in these people’s lives,” he said.
Despite the aches and pains and smashed fingers, he said the project was worth it.
“It was a time where you run on adrenaline the whole time,” said Bob Corsi, who initiated the partnership between the Knights and the construction crew, a Christian non-profit organization from Omaha, Neb. When Corsi was stationed in Omaha with the military in 1990, he learned about the construction company’s home building efforts for poor families and wanted to get involved. Corsi found the project profoundly rewarding. He remained in Nebraska for the following year, and immersed himself in the charitable endeavor building his second home with the crew.   
Nearly 10 years after he moved to the Diocese of Arlington, he learned that the construction company was in dire need of financial assistance, so Corsi asked his fellow Knights if they would be willing to help. They raised funds for the project, and four of them drove to the heart of Appalachia to help build a house from July 7-15.   
With the help of Father Richard Martin, Nativity pastor, the Knights and the parishioners continued to raise funds and provide manual labor each year.
Participation grew each year, and this summer the council and Nativity Parish raised more than $29,000 for the construction of their seventh and eighth homes with the Appalachian Construction Crew in McCreary County, Ky., — one of the poorest counties in the nation, according to the Children’s Defense Fund.
The homes, which cost about $25,000 to $30,000 each, were built next to the trailers and shacks that the two young families were living in, said George Ziska, founder of the construction company. At about 1,000- square feet, each home includes three bedrooms and one bath, and was completed in seven days. The crew spent eight days waking before sunrise to start work at 6 a.m. and continued until 6 p.m. By the end of the week the houses were close to being completed.
Although the week was exhausting, it was rewarding to see the houses go up so quickly, said Corsi, who along with his brother Knights and the Omaha crew worked long hours to complete the project. “The families are amazed because essentially the house is ready in three days,” he said.
Giving a week of his vacation time to help with the project was not as a significant sacrifice as one might think, said Corsi. His involvement in the home building each year is perhaps one of the most important activities that he participates in, said Corsi, who schedules the week of building one year in advance.
“I have been very fortunate in my life and there is nothing more precious in my mind than to give of time,” he said. 
The project could not have come to fruition without the assistance of Natvity parishioners, said Corsi, noting that the parish provided two truckloads of new household items to the families including bedding, pots and pans, utensils, and toys for the children.
 “You can’t imagine the satisfaction you get to look someone in the eye and give them something they would never have had,” said Ziska, who started the Appalachian Construction Crew in 1988 and completed his 22nd house. “I believe in helping other people.”
Ziska appreciated the generosity of the Knights and the parishioners who are dedicated to bettering the lives of poor families.
The week concluded with a dinner hosted by the Omaha crew in honor of the two families. Each received the keys to their new home along with household items.
“The families were overwhelmed,” said Corsi, who noted one of the fathers was in tears. “Watching the families makes it all worthwhile.”
The families will move into the homes this fall after the completion of several final touches, including molding and installing windows and kitchen cabinets.
Henrietta Gomes can be reached at hgomes@catholicherald.com .

(c) Copyright 2007 by Arlington Catholic Herald