VSI members helped build 50 high quality homes for Michigan families at Habitat for Humanity International’s (HFHI’s) 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP) June 17-24, 2005, in Detroit and Benton Harbor, Michigan. VSI members donated enough vinyl siding certified through the VSI Vinyl Siding Product Certification Program that, laid end-to-end, would reach the top of the highest Detroit Renaissance Center building 125 times.  

VSI volunteers wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan I’ve Nailed It! Certified Vinyl Siding made identifying knowledgeable installers easier for volunteers. HFHI CEO Paul Leonard said, “I took great comfort in seeing our VSI friends in their blue t-shirts everywhere I looked, because I knew the siding installation was in good hands.”

More than a third of the 60 VSI volunteer instructors were Certified Trainers or Certified Installers who have passed the requirements of VSI’s Certified Installer Program, which includes a rigorous course of study and testing on proper vinyl siding installation and training techniques.

 “VSI volunteers were clearly a part of our success, getting the job done, whatever it was, and relieving us of any concern that the vinyl siding would be installed correctly, on schedule, and led by volunteers who are committed to the Habitat mission,” said Joe Newland, Chair of the JCWP Detroit Steering Committee.

 “By providing only certified vinyl siding to the JCWP builds, we’re ensuring that these families have homes that will maintain their durable beauty for many, many years to come,” said Jerry Massa, President of Heartland Building Products.

“We all know it’s not just about building a structure, it’s about building hope, building dreams, and building lives,” said VSI Certified Trainer Tom Kartheiser of Alcoa Building Products. The Guevara family, one of the new homeowners, told VSI, “You have helped us make our dreams come true.”   

Link to Habitat project description: 
Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy Carter Work Project (PDF)