On Tuesday, July 13, D.C. United players, fans, and staff with the help of Volkswagen and MLS W.O.R.K.S. came together with one common goal:  “To get stuff done!” as proclaimed by Adam Cristman. Short, sweet, and to the point, the United forward verbalized the atmosphere and the energy that was palpable at the D.C. Habitat for Humanity build site. It marked the kickoff of the three-day, three-city build project that gave the team the opportunity to put to use its philanthropic spirit. Despite back-breaking manual labor and sweltering heat, all were excited to be hammering away for a good cause.

“It’s getting out there and helping the people of D.C.,” said defender Devon McTavish of what the project meant to him and his teammates.  “These are the people we represent, the city we play for. We have a lot of support and a lot of people who care about us and it’s giving back to the community and showing them a little appreciation.” Adds teammate Chris Pontius, “Everyone sees what we do on the field, but there’s also a side of D.C. United off the field. It’s very important that the players are getting involved and I’m glad we’re here.”

After a four year absence, United returned to a familiar location. The déjà vu was less than coincidence seeing as the team had built homes with D.C. Habitat back in 2005 and 2006 that were just up the street from Tuesday’s build site. D.C. United’s Director of Community Relations, Aprile Pritchet, reminisced recounting their previous visit and its success stating, “It’s really awesome to see the progression.” United didn’t only want to give back to its own city, but also to the surrounding area. Pritchet stated of the team’s remaining two work days, “The D.C. build is almost complete and we’re expanding into Northern Virginia and Maryland. We have a lot of fans in those areas so I think it’ll be really exciting to get some of the fans out to help us in the community.” The eager team of Habitat helpers heads to Arlington, Virginia this Saturday, July 17 and Silver Spring, Maryland in September.

Jan Greenberg, representative for MLS W.O.R.K.S. beamed, “It’s going to make an impact. There's a family that's going to move into this house and to be a part of that and be able to make a difference in this community is why we are here. It’s just great to see everyone come together with one goal and try to get this done.” As the day’s build came to a close, a wave of fulfillment washed over the group of volunteers. It was clear that the success of the day would not be the end of a campaign to make a difference in D.C. United fan lives, but rather what is sure to be a lifelong effort.

“Groups like this are especially important [to Habitat for Humanity] because of the visibility it brings which gets a lot of young people interested,” said Communications and Client Services Director for D.C. Habitat, Heather Phibbs. “I would love to see D.C. United come back and make this an annual thing. I think everybody- the staff and players, enjoyed it so much that we’d like to do it again.”