This story was originally published in our Spring 2017 Newsletter.
With a twinkle in her eye, Jane Stickney spoke of the joy that her GMHfH Family Support committee feels when they help a “partner family” through the process of becoming Habitat homeowners.
Jane’s professional career ties into her volunteer work on many levels. She taught English at South Burlington High School, the Lyndon Institute and Mount Mansfield Union High School and then became a guidance counselor at MMUHS. Her love of teaching, encouraging and helping students to learn and make good decisions was the perfect “training” for her work on the Family Support committee.
Jane is a member of the Green Mountain Habitat Board of Directors as well as chairperson of the Family Support committee. Joining her on the committee are Gail Vogt, Ruth Magill, Sandy Gillim, Dot Slack and Sarah Orndorff, and Sarah is also a GMH partner family who recently paid off her Habitat mortgage after only 11 years! Jane said that having a partner family on the committee is extremely helpful and brings a different perspective to their work.
As soon as the Family Selection committee chooses a new partner family, and the family is ratified by the Board, they are assigned a Family Support person to work with them immediately, through the building process and for at least a year after the family closes on their new home.
Some of the tasks include working with the family to keep their sweat equity log up to date so that the required hours are completed, what decisions do they need to make around their new home, what are homeowners insurance and property taxes, how to set up a budget and lots more.
“What I really like about Green Mountain Habitat is that the emphasis is on the partner family, and that you work for what you get. It’s a wonderful opportunity to help a family understand the importance of putting in their sweat equity (GMHfH requires that a couple do 400 hours of sweat equity as part of purchasing their Habitat home) because it reinforces the importance of a good work ethic.”
Jane went on to say, “I get more out of volunteering than what I put in because I meet people I never would have met and who are dealing with issues I couldn’t imagine. It’s so nice to be part of seeing the families achieve their goal of owning their own simple, decent home, and leaving unhealthy housing behind.”
Comments are closed.