Nauset Construction President Papantonis Elected to ‘Habitat’ Board

Needham, MA, January 21st, 2014 – Nauset Construction President and founder Anthony Papantonis was recently elected to the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston, Inc., the nonprofit organization dedicated to building decent and affordable homes for low income families. The thirteen-member board is comprised of professionals with backgrounds in architecture, finance, law, property management, construction and real estate development who apply their particular expertise to the various facets of the home building process.

“It is truly an honor to be chosen to serve on the Board with these dedicated individuals, and to aid low income families in achieving the dream of homeownership,” said Papantonis, who has been involved with the organization since 2009.

Papantonis first became involved with Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston when he was invited by Michael Liu, Partner at The Architectural Team in Chelsea, MA and then-chairman of the nonprofit, to participate in a project building homes in Hanoi, Vietnam. As a member of Habitat for Humanity’s annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, he supervised and worked to build a home for a local family of seven in dire need of decent housing in Dong Xa, a village near Hanoi.  The experience was an eye opener, and it gave him a heightened appreciation for his own life. “What I took away from that experience was that as a society we don’t appreciate what we have, and by trying to give back, we have a way to put gratitude into action,” said Papantonis.

Through volunteer labor and tax-deductible donations of money, land, and materials, Habitat Greater Boston builds or rehabilitates simple, decent houses. Families are selected based on their level of need, willingness to partner, and ability to repay a mortgage. They complete 300 hours of sweat equity by helping to construct their future home or working in other capacities alongside staff, volunteers, and sponsors. They also participate in homeowner education classes, like financial management and estate planning. Qualified families purchase Habitat homes with no down payment and pay an interest free mortgage to Habitat, which enables them to afford owning their own home.