By working 10-hour days Monday through Thursday so they could donate Fridays, the crew of Morris Builders in Rockford, Mich., built an 8-by-10-foot playhouse, auctioned off with eight others that were also donated to Habitat for Humanity.
Owners Kirk and Joy Morris are rightly proud of their contribution. "The money raised from our playhouse, $7,500, was able to help house a family," says Joy Morris. And the buyer delighted her triplet grandchildren with the house.
The playhouse, roofed with about 900 custom-cut scalloped cedar shakes, equipped with a loft and doorbell, and landscaped by Morris' brother-in-law, helped build relationships with 15 suppliers who donated time, materials, or equipment. The 540 man-hour project cost $15,000.
The benefit where the playhouse was auctioned off exposed the company to more than 400 potential customers. But for Morris, the biggest benefit was seeing Kirk and their employees having fun and connecting as they worked together, "and getting as creative as you wanted to," she says.
