It is National Volunteer Week. Several years ago I saw a sign that read: “‘That’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back,’ said no volunteer, ever.” And if you are one of our Habitat for Humanity volunteers, I think you know how true that statement is.
Habitat for Humanity has been building homes around the world and throughout our country since 1974. Although the organization has grown and evolved since that time, two things remain constant: Habitat builds homes and volunteers make this happen.
In fact, having professional staff at Habitat is a somewhat newer concept. The role of staff, like me, is to empower you to transform lives through shelter, whether by working at a construction site, at our ReStore or in another capacity. I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating… Because of you, 250 families are safely self-isolating during the stay-at-home order in Habitat-built homes.
And the impact of our volunteers reaches beyond the homes we build. Despite the fact that our building efforts are temporarily suspended, our volunteers are finding ways to continue to make a difference in the lives of others. Take my friend and Habitat volunteer Carolyn, who has been a construction volunteer and served on the board of directors. This month, Carolyn came out of retirement as a nurse to help meet a local hospital’s need for more medical professionals in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Thank you, Carolyn, not just for your service, but for your leadership.
Habitat, at its core, is a movement of faith. And by movement I mean a grassroots uprising of optimism through action. From our entire Habitat team, thank you to our volunteers and to those who have enabled them to do great things.
God bless and be well,
Andrew Szalay
Executive Director
Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity