Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Earns Award From Potomac School

MCLEAN, VA — The Potomac School has announced its first-ever Potomac School Award for Exemplary Service to recognize individuals who make a difference through service to others.

The inaugural award went to Ericc Powell, a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland. Powell received the award during a school-wide assembly honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. last Friday.

Powell has spent nearly two decades with Habitat for Humanity, allowing him to serve international, national, and local communities. He is a volunteer skilled craftsman on Habitat construction sites and supports the organization’s ReStores, where donated items are sold to support Habitat’s mission. Powell has also worked for AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, since 2009. As a training specialist, he trains AmeriCorps members and supervisors in the Volunteers in Service to America program.

"Ericc Powell has devoted his life to service. After college, he cycled across the country to raise money and awareness for affordable housing – a cause that he remains passionate about today,” said Head of School John Kowalik. In discussing his commitment to volunteerism, Ericc asserts that ‘meaningful service is not working for others, but working with others in partnership.’ That’s something we want our students to understand."

Candidates for the Potomac School Award for Exemplary Service were nominated by the Potomac School community. A nine-person selection committee with parent, student, faculty, alumni, and trustee members reviewed the nominations.

"I am grateful that through my friendships, through my education, through my work with Habitat, I’ve been able not just to build houses and homes, but also to build relationships and communities, and be part of something greater," Powell said upon accepting the award.

The Potomac School is a private K-12 school based in McLean enrolling 1,066 students.