Jim Wicks has spent his life building better lives.
He grabbed the hammer early, holding it in a firm yet caring hand, as Habitat for Humanity slowly got off the ground in Prince Edward Island in the late 1990s.
Wicks needed to pound the pavement as he preached the virtues of the non-profit, faith-based organization, working to get people to buy into a movement that builds affordable housing and promotes homeownership as a means of breaking the cycle of poverty.
The passion and selflessness of Wicks won over Martin Hilchie.
Hilchie was working for a building supply store when he first met Wicks in 1999.
Habitat for Humanity was putting up its first house in P.E.I. with little money, but a whole lot of faith, placed in the project.
Hilchie, who is now Habitat president, credits Wicks with the organization’s solid foundation. Each time Habitat has hit a hurdle, Wicks rallies the troops onward.
To date, 20 homes have been built. Five more are set to go up this year: two each in Summerside and Charlottetown, and another in Cornwall.
Lisa Yorston, who moved with her two children into a Habitat home on Aug. 30, 2007, calls Wicks “amazing’’ for his devotion to giving people like her a hand up.
“Jim has done an awful lot for Habitat,’’ said Yorston. “We need a lot more people like him.’’
Wicks, 64, of Charlottetown gets teary-eyed when he talks about the impact of Habitat for Humanity.
“It really does make a difference in families and their lives,’’ he said.
“There have been surveys done across Canada that prove that the families are better off financially, they have fewer encounters with the justice system, the kids do better in school, there are fewer arguments — a better life.’’
Wicks and his wife, Myrna, are both committed to the cause.
He has spent countless hours both on site building homes and in churches and hardware stores garnering support for construction of Habitat houses.
His commitment to Habitat for Humanity is rooted in his long-held belief — and oft-executed practise — of strongly standing up for social justice. He believes love is not charity.
Rather, love is demanding equality and justice.
“It’s not good enough to sort of give handouts,” he said.
“We have got to stand up against structures that are disadvantaging people . . . . My involvement in Habitat comes because of the way I read the gospel.”
Habitat homeowners must put in 500 hours of work on the home or in the community and also sign a mortgage contract.
Wicks, now a national board member with Habitat for Humanity, opted early on to nurture students rather than pursue a far more lucrative career as an engineer. He left the good pay and chance of advancement in his two-year-old job in quality control with the Ford Motor Company in Windsor, Ont. to teach in Prince Edward Island.
He and Myrna, also a teacher, spent two years on special education projects, working for an organization called Frontier College in conjunction with the P.E.I. Department of Continuing Education.
They set up and ran a school on Lennox Island and another in Georgetown. Both of these projects involved working with young adults who were at risk or who had dropped out of school.
The experience changed the couple’s lives, said Wicks.
“I think what it convinced us of is we needed to do whatever we could to change some structures,” he said. “Continually since then, we have striven to distinguish between what I’d say is charity and what is justice.”
The pair has been very active members of Park Royal United Church for about 35 years. Both have sat on numerous committees over the years and currently serve on the Church In Action committee. That's the CIA, Wicks notes with a laugh.
The pair also continues, after many years, to be involved with Kairos, a group that advocates for social change through uniting churches and religious organizations.
“I view the church and organized religion as a vehicle to express my faith,” said Wicks. “That vehicle must be active in the community.”
He was more active than most as an educator.
Wicks instituted and taught the P.E.I. Junior High School Industrial program. He was involved with design of facilities, selection and purchasing of equipment and setting up the actual facilities.
He also developed curriculum for the P.E.I. Senior High Industrial Arts program and a prevocational course in electrical wiring and small engines, among others.
But it was in the classroom, as a teacher, where Wicks made his greatest connections in a career that included teaching industrial arts for one year at Queen Charlotte and for five years at Stonepark, then 23 years at Bluefield teaching industrial arts, prevocational, science and physics.
His approach to teaching, which was recognized with the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in Science, Technology and Mathematics in 1996, has been described as innovative and engaging.
A nominators’ summary for the award summed up Wicks’ gifts well: “He is expert at adapting the curriculum and his methods to respond to any learning style. He is equally adept at challenging the academically gifted student.”
Wicks, who retired from teaching in 2002, misses the interaction and challenge the job provided on a continual basis.
“I don’t think there is a better job than teaching,” he said. “There are so many good teachers out there. The very, very large majority do such a good job with the limited resources that they have.”
Wicks, who had reservations about having a spotlight shone on him but agreed in order to raise the profile of Habitat for Humanity, is humble in assessing the considerable good work he and his wife have partnered in doing over the years.
“I think both of us probably feel that we’ve done what we can within the structure that we have,” he said.
“And that might be a bit of a cop out because we can always do more.”
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Darren Gallant from Westlake, Ohio, USA writes: Mr. Wicks (along with Mr. Hagan) were awesome teachers!! I had them both in Grade 10 at Bluefield in 1983. Although I was only a kid, it was Mr Wicks' dedication and enthusiasm that really made his subjects very interesting. One question - is there a website or something that one can donate funds?
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Andrew M. from Halifax, NS writes: I commend The Guardian for running such an uplifting and inspiring story. Habitat for Humanity certainly makes a difference among the lives of those who benefit from this organization.
As for a website, I searched for Habitat For Humanity's PEI Chapter and found this link:
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Jason G from PEI writes: Mr. Wicks was awesome teacher at Bluefield in 1991-93 while I was there made the learing fun & not like work.. woo hoo.
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Donna Sentner nee Fall from Cornwall, Pei writes: My husband and I both had Mr. Wicks and Mr Hogan in Ind. Arts Class in the mid 1980's and loved them both as teachers. My great times and happy memories happened in that room. We learned a lot of things that we continue to use in our lives today. Thanks
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