Meet Shuanita, Tanya and LaDonna! These sisters volunteer as homeowner mentors, each supporting a homebuyer as they complete our homeowner education classes and building of their home. They offer resources, experience, and encouragement to help their mentee successfully complete the program and become a first-time homeowner!
Shuanita attended one of our first annual Kick-Off events to learn more about the ways she could volunteer with Greater Indy Habitat. After the event, she joined our mentor program and recruited her sisters to join her in this impactful work!
Learn more about Shuanita and why she is a homeowner mentor:
- How did you get connected to the Habitat for Humanity mentor program?
I was looking for a way to do community service and through a conversation with some friends Habitat for Humanity came up. I felt the mentor program would be a good way to meet people and have the chance to be part of the building experience. - Why do you choose to mentor a future homeowner?
This is such a wonderful way for them to LEARN homeownership verse just being a homeowner. - Three sisters volunteering together is unique! Why are you excited about doing this together?
Well, we like doing things together as sisters. It’s just the three of us now so spending time together is precious. - What would you tell someone thinking about volunteering?
It a great way to give back to your community, it doesn’t take much time just the willingness to be there for someone. There are many ways to help and whatever you do it’s appreciated.
RSVP to attend our 2018 Kick-Off event on March 22 at DeveloperTown to learn ways you can support our Habitat homebuyers and affordable homeownership in Greater Indy.
Interested in becoming a mentor just like Shuanita, Tanya, and LaDonna? Come learn more about this volunteer experience by attending a mentor info session on Thursday, April 19th. Register today!
Meet Carol:
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Day 6:
Being that this was my first year on the Greater Indy Habitat team, I’ve had many opportunities to share of my new job with friends, family or even strangers. I can usually guess the response I will get after I tell someone I work for Habitat. It’s usually something like, “Oh wow, what an exciting job! What’s it like to work on the build site?” Most – if not all people – are surprised when I say that I’m mainly in the office working with our corporate sponsors to coordinate volunteers. Over time I’ve even noticed that a fair amount of people look disappointed after I derail their Disney-build site version of what it’s like to work at Habitat. I have learned to quickly respond with “I’m meant for an office setting. I don’t like getting dirty,” which helps to make people laugh. While getting dirty doesn’t actually bother me, the other part is true. I am meant for the office. I came from the corporate world, so emails and spreadsheets are my jam.
Getting out of the office to periodically serve as a build site volunteer was just what I needed! I helped to raise the walls of Danyelle’s home, carried heavy pieces of sod for Miranda’s yard, and used a nail gun to hang up siding on the front of Christine’s house. I loved hanging with volunteers, spending time with our homeowners, and learning the ins and outs of home construction from our 
Q&A with Scott:
When we build hope, what is that hope for? What are we expecting? What is the “certain thing” which we desire to happen?
When I first started here, I certainly wouldn’t have been likely to piece together something so distant from our current reality. However, after almost a year of peeking at the all ways in which Habitat tackles their mission, I am no longer convinced of the impossibility of their vision. I’ve witnessed people from different faith backgrounds smile as they served alongside one another, listening to and learning from one another. I’ve seen children run across their new bedroom floors, all the while grinning from ear to ear. I’ve listened to brand new homeowners tearfully describe the joy they never thought they would be able to experience which has now become a reality. After seeing Habitat’s work change so many lives right in front of me, it is hard not to be hopeful for their vision.
From the very first steps we take with our homeowners, to the home dedications and beyond, the process we facilitate is oriented so that it builds communities. We strive to make sure our homeowners are supported throughout their journeys, and we work to affirm that each homeowner knows they won’t be doing this alone. The staff, mentors, fellow homeowners, volunteers, board of directors, and sponsors all come together to make our mission possible. Every group and every individual is appreciated, and every group and every individual is vital to the journey of homeownership.
This significance gets particularly emphasized in builds such as our 
Perhaps Bill Withers put it best when he sang, “And this house just ain’t no home, anytime she goes away.” There is a distinct difference between a house and a home. For the esteemed Mr. Withers, a house is where he lives, but a home is where he and this woman who brought sunshine to his life could be together. For many of our homeowners, the structure we build together is a place where their families can be safe. It’s a place where they can find respite and revitalization. It’s a place where they can find fellowship and freedom. It’s a place where love can thrive.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of Habitat’s work here in Greater Indy and across the country. Our volunteers may spend a day with us once a year or come back every week. Regardless of the amount of time spent on a 
