One of our longest volunteers has been around since the first house was built in the late 1980s, and he still is volunteering in 2024, the year of Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity’s 40th anniversary.
This volunteer is Bruce Venner. He has a background in engineering, construction, and project management, so when he saw an ad in the local paper, he knew he wanted to get involved with Green Mountain Habitat.
Bruce and his wife Lil (Lillian) have been active members of their church, and they had done community volunteering in the past, but nothing quite like Habitat.
When a group of community members were beginning to form the Affiliate, Bruce, Lil, their youngest daughter, and other group members traveled to Americus, Georgia to learn more about the mission of Habitat for Humanity. They learned about the process, the model, and the resources required, and in 1984, Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity was officially incorporated.
Bruce has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity across the state of Vermont, the United States, and the world. He even traveled to Guatemala to work with another Green Mountain Habitat volunteer, Charlie Magill.
“The greatest joy that you get is working with one of these people, moms or dads, that have never owned their own home. And they’re going to have their own home!” said Bruce. “You get the warm fuzzy feelings.”
Bruce spends hours of his week volunteering for Habitat. In the early days, Bruce would be on the site early and would be the last to leave.
“As a Habitat partner it is difficult to imagine getting my home built without Bruce,” wrote Habitat homeowner, David Billings, in a letter to the organization in the early 1990s. “It seemed like every time we’d work on the house, or just take the family over to see how far we were, Bruce would be there, finishing one more chore, or getting info on what to do next.”
Bruce estimates that he spends 30 hours a week volunteering for Habitat. While he mentions that he no longer can do any of the heavy lifting, Bruce is happy to run errands and help where he can.
“We’re blessed, and I want to help others who need a hand up,” said Bruce.
In 2019, Green Mountain Habitat dedicated the 90th build to Bruce Venner in honor of his 35 years of service and the organization’s 35th anniversary.
At the groundbreaking of the site in Burlington, David Mullin, CEO of Green Mountain Habitat, unveiled a sign honoring Bruce.
“We’ve come a long way in the last 30 to 40 years,” said Bruce. “Habitat has a good product. If you have a good product and are doing the right thing, then people will come to help.”
Bruce’s passion for Habitat is truly unmatched. His hard work has contributed to the construction of over 115 homes for families in Northwest Vermont.
“We’re really lucky to have a volunteer like Bruce,” said David Mullin. “We could not be more grateful for his generosity and support.”
While Bruce cannot be involved at the sites like he used to, he hopes that more people will support Habitat, whether it be by volunteering or financially, so Green Mountain Habitat can continue to build more affordable housing for families.
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