Having the distinct honor of being one of two employees at our affiliate that are also Habitat homeowners, it is absolutely wonderful being asked about why I chose to serve. The brass taxes of the whole thing is the people…..partner families, volunteers, employees. While I also have a special place for the sponsors, without the people above it’s kind of hard to build a safe, decent, and affordable home. I will never get tired of each partner family’s story because I used to be the one sharing my story to everyone.

Next, I really grew to appreciate the volunteers and their wealth of information. A lot of our regulars bring many years of experience, and if you sit back and take the time to listen, they have so much to share. This not only helps in the moment, but some conversations will also last a lifetime.

Finally, the Habitat employees, who helped us learn skills some of us didn’t even have when we started, made a lasting impression. For myself personally, I didn’t grasp construction skills until 38-39 years old. I wish now that I could have learned this right out of high school. Ultimately, I know God has a plan for my life (Jeremiah 29:11), and things fell the way they did for a reason. I never thought when I started my AmeriCorps journey that it would take me to a management position within our affiliate. So for those who are looking and wondering if AmeriCorps is for you…I would say, “Take a step of faith. There may be some sacrifice, but the payoff will be so much more than you could have ever imagined.” I am proud to be an AmeriCorps alum now.