Deconstructing a Place that Feels Like Home

Deconstructing a Place that Feels like Home

Wendy spent years of her life at Pottawatomie Girls Camp, a Girl Scout summer camp located in East Troy, Wisconsin. Wendy went to camp there for 20 years and went from being a camper, to a kitchen helper, to a counselor, to waterfront director, to camp director. However, the camp, a place that Wendy once considered home, closed after the last season. After finding out, Wendy was able to go back to the camp and team up with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity’s deconstruction team to salvage reusable items from the grounds. This was an emotional yet healing process for Wendy, as it provided her closure to a place where she grew up. 

Wendy is the niece of a dedicated deconstruction volunteer who has deconstructed many projects with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. Wendy joined her uncle and together they salvaged pieces of old camp buildings that will be sold at Milwaukee Habitat ReStore to fund safe, affordable housing in Milwaukee. 

We followed Wendy through this emotional day, salvaging decades of fond memories. Watch as she relives those memories, while ensuring items from the camp go on to live a second life. 

Milwaukee Habitat’s experienced and insured Deconstruction Services crew salvages reusable items from residential and commercial buildings, keeping millions of pounds of usable materials out of local landfills. They give items a second life, reselling them to fund Milwaukee Habitat’s mission of building decent, affordable homes in partnership with families in need.