If anyone knows something about teamwork, it’s Orland Park’s Paul Janik.
He grew up playing football for Brother Rice and Northern Illinois University.
After that, he spent more than four decades as the leader of a huge team as a senior vice president of the Burr Ridge-based Midco, Inc., a national communications, data and security systems integrator.
So he marveled Friday at the teamwork he saw during a house build involving seven Catholic parishes in the parking lot of St. Stephen Deacon and Martyr Church in Tinley Park.
“We’re working as a team,” he said. “And the one thing I’ve noticed is that we’re moving these piles (of wood) pretty quick.”
“I think everybody is out here for the same reason. Everybody seems to be in a good mood.”
The two-day event wrapped up Saturday and Janik moved a lot of the wood on his own, hoisting a lot of lumber over his shoulders. This is the fourth time the seven parishes participated in the build, but this is the first time the St. Francis of Assisi member volunteered his time.
“I felt I needed to give something back to the community,” he said. “I retired a few years ago and decided I needed to get out and help other people.”
More than 200 volunteers from the seven parishes felt the same as they built the framing walls for three houses.
This year, the group will build the trio of houses to benefit Habitat for Humanity chapters in Lake County and Troup County, Georgia. The Georgia location was the site of tornado damage in March.
In the past, houses were built for those in need a little closer to home.
“You want to help where there is need,” said Matt Vieck, one of the chairmen overseeing the project. “If there is a need (in Georgia) that’s where we’ll send them.”
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The seven parishes raised more than $20,000 for the housing project through donations.
The parishes lending a hand were St. Elizabeth Seton in Orland Hills, St. Francis of Assisi in Orland Park, St. George in Tinley Park, St. Julie Billiart in Tinley Park, St. Michael in Orland Park, St. Stephen Deacon and Martyr in Tinley Park and Incarnation St. Terrence in Palos Hills.
Once again, CrossRoads Missions of Louisville oversaw the project.
CrossRoads is based in Louisville. Project manager Joe Wilson and his wife, Colleen, helped keep the two-day project, which started Friday with prep work, running smoothly.
Joe Wilson has been a part of home builds all over the country.
He has more than 40 years of experience in construction and was ordained in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and moved to Louisville in 2006.
Last year, Crossroads built 96 houses. The usual blueprint is that a single church or business gets involved with the financing and work.
“It’s unique that seven churches have come together to do something together,” Wilson said. “That’s incredible. Sometimes there is a struggle getting the money together to do one home. Here we have seven churches to split the cost and we’re building three.”
Getting volunteers doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Vieck said his church, St. Julie Billiart, had a sign-up sheet.
“We filled it up in one weekend,” he said. “All of the roles were filled up right away. There are a lot of people who want to do this and I think the word is out now and they signed up pretty quick.”
While he was talking, there was a lot of noise and activity going on as wood was sawed and groups of people stapled.
But it was organized, and Vieck enjoyed seeing the work come to fruition.
“There is a lot of planning that goes into it and I like to see it in action,” he said.
The first build took place in June 2019, benefiting Habitat for Humanity in DuPage County.
There were no builds in 2020 because of the pandemic but it returned in 2021 at St. Francis and in 2022 at St. Julie. The plan is for the sites to rotate each year.
Last year, houses were built for families in need in Elwood.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.