Our volunteers are not the only ones giving of their time and energy to serve Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity’s mission. This National Volunteer Recognition Week, we are taking a day to acknowledge our AmeriCorps and Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) members. Both are programs under the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) that seek to support people of all backgrounds in serving their communities.

Guest Blog by Lillie Taggart 
AmeriCorps Member at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

If you read Nick's last post about our time working at Jerry's house, you'll recall our work in Orange and exploration of Texas' Golden Triangle. We were far from home and tired from work, but there was more in store!

Our next step was Austin for a day of relaxation and play. A tour around the capitol building drove home factually what we had already learned experientially: Texas is quite different from Minnesota.

By guest blogger Nick Crowley

Guest Blog by Kristal Sawatzke
National Service Program Manager at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Regardless of what Minnesota weather had to say about it, the Twin Cities Habitat AmeriCorps crew decided they were going to enjoy spring…even if it meant driving to Texas for some warmth and sunshine. To support another Habitat affiliate by helping with rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Harvey, 15 AmeriCorps members and two staff piled into a couple of 12-passenger vans on Monday, April 2, and hit the road (conveniently missing 7” of snow in the Twin Cities).

Guest Blog by Shannon Twiss and Lillie Taggart
2017-18 Habitat AmeriCorps Members

You might just be adjusting to the chilly winter temperatures, but early in December on the first really cold weekend of the winter, 17 members of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity's AmeriCorps cohort bundled up and made the trek north to Virginia, Minnesota. We spent three days putting up siding (yes, outdoors), learning about a different Habitat affiliate, and getting to know one another better.

It’s the look in their eyes that gives them away and on which I hone every Wednesday at whatever Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity site I’m working. I can shake my head in faux understanding with the best of them. But for self-preservation, I look for the heads that aren’t shaking and for confidence that registers only through the eyes.

There is a wealth of knowledge to learn when volunteering for Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. From working the front desk, to teaching homeownership classes, to building Habitat homes—volunteers are a fundamental part of creating positive change in the community, and one of those caring, committed volunteers is Tim Blaisdell.

We are thrilled to announce that Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity has received $247,108 in AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency for volunteering and service programs.

This investment will support 26 AmeriCorps members total—22 at Twin Cities Habitat, and an additional 4 who will serve with other Habitat affiliates throughout Minnesota. AmeriCorps members in our program serve in three, six, or twelve-month positions. Without their dedicated service, Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the country would struggle to meet the needs of their communities.

If you've ever volunteered with Twin Cities Habitat, you've likely worked with an AmeriCorps member on site. The work and impact of Twin Cities Habitat would not be possible without the commitment of AmeriCorps members. The program is unique because it gives members the chance to develop their skills by leading and acting out the mission of Habitat while devoting a year to service.

“I’ve always had this motto for my life” Greg Rouse says, showing the word build tattooed across his right forearm: “Never stop building.”

He started as a kid with legos, then carpentry as a teenager, then architecture in college. Next, he built homes for two years as an AmeriCorps member with Twin Cities Habitat. And now, he’s designing homes as a Masters of Architecture student at the University of Minnesota.