Meritor Employees Build Walls to Help Break Down Barriers to Home Ownership

More than 200 employees with Troy-based Meritor Inc. worked through the morning heat on Thursday while building walls that will be used in the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home in Detroit.

“It’s a lot of fun, a little bit of hard work, but it’s a good payoff,” said Judi Stefani, a sales and marketing coordinator at Meritor, while she and her team put the final few nails in one large wall frame.

Forty-eight exterior and interior walls were built between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Habitat for Humanity’s Detroit chapter will use the walls when it erects a new four-bedroom home this fall on the Detroit's east side.

The work was a chance for employees volunteer their time while celebrating the company's classic car show. Thursday marked the ninth year that Meritor -- a major manufacturer of drivetrain and brake parts distributed around the world -- held the Meritor Classic Car Show at its Troy headquarters. The show is done in coordination with the Woodward Dream Cruise.

Last year’s car show raised more than $11,000 for Habitat for Humanity Detroit, Meritor spokesperson Julie Garrisi said. She said expects this year’s event will exceed that figure.

“This is how we feel we are helping to make a difference in Detroit,” Garrisi said.

“Meritor has a long history of community giving,” she said.

Christina Hanlon, a communications specialist with Meritor said visited the Habitat for Humanity building site in Detroit last year and was able to meet the home's future residents.

“It was an amazing opportunity,” she said. “It was really cool to go and see the walls we helped build be made into a home.”

Lisa Zangara, executive assistant at Meritor, said she volunteering is a way to give back to the community.

“We need volunteers every day to help people in our community,” Zangara said. “It’s been warm, but it’s been fun working with our teams and the community together.”

The event’s classic car show featured more than 40 cars, trucks and motorcycles. Employees paid a $20 donation to register their cars for the show.