"I'm from a Family of Doers"—Randy's Volunteer Story

Randy, a retired pediatrician, has been volunteering with Twin Cities Habitat since 2010, but his journey to become a Regular Volunteer began many years earlier.

"I'm from a family of doers and givers," explained Randy. "And that's made me into a lifelong learner."

Some of his uncles worked for utility companies and built an addition to his grandparents' home. Another uncle built a log cabin. Other family members worked as nurses, pastors, and in other caregiving roles. Randy grew up seeing those around him serve others, and he learned to make and build things from an early age—and quickly found he enjoyed it.

Fast forward to 2010, when Randy was working as a regional medical director with HealthPartners. At the time, HealthPartners was sponsoring a week of the 2010 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in the Twin Cities.

Randy served as the volunteer coordinator for his group of coworkers, and that was all it took for him to know he wanted to keep volunteering. Since then, HealthPartners has been a corporate sponsor, hosting one to two build weeks annually. Randy has continued to spend two weeks per year on site as a volunteer coordinator. Their most recent project was a rehab in Edina, and they'll be at The Heights next. In 2024, Randy and other former colleagues started a growing HealthPartners Retirees Regular Crew.

Randy was also a volunteer crew lead at the 2024 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. He had such a great time that he's applied for a chance to go to Austin, Texas, with other members of his crew for the 2025 Carter Work Project.

"As a long-time volunteer and supporter, I don't think of Twin Cities Habitat as 'them.' It's just 'us.' We're all part of the Habitat mission," he said. "Building a house takes hard work, but it's also a lot of fun. People, including myself, develop skills and understanding that we can use on site and at home. It's empowering."

By volunteering with Habitat, Randy is continuing his family's legacy of service and empowering others: "Both my wife and I benefited from growing up in a stable home. Our parents were able to build equity and give us more opportunities. We think those are the most basic benefits of home ownership and we want to support and help provide them for others."

If you want to support Habitat by volunteering like Randy, the good news is that you don't need to show up with skills. There are different roles for different comfort levels, and you can learn new things in a safe environment. If you give it a try, you just might keep coming back.

"Volunteering is so much fun. We're all working toward the same goal. And we're all learning, so there's no need to be embarrassed if you don't know something. Everyone is invested and working together," Randy said. "At the end of the day, you're going to be tired, dirty, maybe even hot and sweaty. And you're going to feel great."