Chuck and Clarissa "Frog" Brittain were supposed to be in Las Vegas this week. But when the opportunity to volunteer with JCWP 2003 came up, Chuck Brittain said he looked at his wife and said, 'I can give up Vegas. Let’s go do this Carter thing.'
This was exactly what Frog – who has her favorite amphibian tattooed on her stomach and on her husband’s arm – wanted to hear. They jumped in their car Saturday and made the drive from Marshfield, Mo.: "550 miles, 10 hours exactly, with two stops," he said.
The story of spontaneous volunteerism is one veteran Habitat for Humanity workers can identify with. You hear about it, and, suddenly, it seems like the right thing to do.
As she sat in the stadium stands, anticipating the opening ceremonies Sunday evening, Frog Brittain could not conceal her excitement. Her mismatched, dangling frog earrings danced, matching their owner’s energy.
"Oh, my God, we get to see our family," she screamed, as the project’s selected homeowners filed in to take their seats. And then lowering her voice, she admitted, "I even bought a stuffed animal frog for their daughter."
When she spotted Kim Bradford and her two children, the soon-to-be occupants of house No. 8, Frog waved with both arms, calling out, "Kim! Kim!"
Bradford looked up, visibly confused and pointing to herself.
"Yes, you!"
With that, Frog leaped up, eyes tearing, long blond braids bouncing and ran down the stands for a big hug.
"Oh, please, I’ve been crying all day," she said when she returned.
She greeted her work site teammates with high-fives all around when she joined them outside the stadium after the ceremony.
Later that night, in her hotel room, Frog said she had a hard time sleeping. She and Chuck are on the Elf Team this week, which means they’re supposed to be working the night shift, 5 p.m. to midnight. But before the sun came up, she said she’d dragged Chuck out of bed.
In her striped overalls and decorated construction hat – complete with her nickname, peace and yin-yang stickers and the phrase "love constructors" – she headed off to Wellborn Manor bright and early, for an extra-long day.
"I was hurting so much, I had to get here."
