Blue Wahoos, SFOC Team To Help Pensacola Habitat For Humanity

Undeterred by thick humidity, or the soaking from two rain showers, several Blue Wahoos employees extended the team’s community impact Monday in a special way.

The group, which included team vice president Donna Kirby, joined with members from entities within the Studer Family of Companies to help construction of two homes in a partnership with Pensacola Habitat for Humanity.

The adjacent homes were on 48th Street near New Warrington Road. The three bedroom, two bath homes will soon be ready for first-time homeowners.

“It was a really fulfilling and rewarding experience,” said Anna Striano, the Blue Wahoos community relations and merchandise manager. “I know everybody was super tired. We had just worked a six-game homestand (which ended June 21 against the Montgomery Biscuits), but it was a lot of fun.

“A lot of hard work and the weather was not the greatest, of course, but everyone I think felt a sense of accomplishment when we left that day.”

The SFOC group combined to help construction on the roof, front porch, installing and fastening hurricane reinforcement rods and other parts of the home.

The team began at 7:30 a.m. that morning, which followed the Blue Wahoos completing a six-game homestand about 36 hours earlier. Members from the Bodacious Café and Shops along with SFOC finance joined the effort.

“I think it is always fun to give back to the community, especially something like this, when you are physically making a difference… it is very rewarding,” said Gracey McDonald, in her second full year as the events sales specialist at 5eleven Palafox, a multipurpose events venue and part of the SFOC entities.

McDonald, a Milton High and University of West Florida graduate, worked the past several years in the Blue Wahoos front office handling a variety of roles.

Her sister, Betsy, is part of the team at Pensacola Habitat for Humanity.

“She mentioned to me one day that she was going out to help build, because they are able to go out and build whenever they want to and I thought that would be so much fun,” McDonald said. “So, she set me up with the person who sets up all their coordination and volunteer efforts and it just kind of steamrolled from there.”

This is the 40th anniversary for Pensacola Habitat for Humanity. The non-profit organization has built more than 1,400 homes in Escambia and Santa Rosa County.

“As far as I know, this is our first project with them,” said Striano, a California native and graduate of Grand Canyon University, now in her fifth year with the Blue Wahoos. “They have come out for fundraisers at our games, but this may be a first for us working to help build two homes.

“It was real special for me. My dad was a home builder and always talked to me about Habitat for Humanity and how much he appreciated what they were doing,” she said. “He always wanted to do a build, but there were not any options where we live, so this has a personal connection.”

The efforts were part of the Blue Wahoos continued outreach in the community.

Striano said in 2020, the Blue Wahoos worked a combined 1,012 hours in various community service projects or one-day events. With baseball returning this year, the availability is more limited, but she is able to take requests and determine if the time fits or not.

One added element with the home building project is the SFOC group worked alongside a homeowner for one of the homes as she was helping build her house.

“We got to know her a little bit and that kind of made it more personal,” Striano said. “You are working with the person who is actually going to be living in that house.

“A lot of what we have done recently has been restoration and cleanup efforts. This was definitely a little different than what we were used to, but I felt like it was so rewarding.”