Posts Tagged ‘volunteer’

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Meet some of our favorite team members

Thursday, November 1st, 2012

They’re dog-gone adorable

If you’ve been to one of our ReStores, whether as a customer, shopper or volunteer, you may have been witness to unexpected moments of chaos! A mad pile-up of last minute donations, a dropped sink or the guy who wants us to fit a 6-piece cabinet set into his Miata.

While we have come to accept (and yes, appreciate) expecting the unexpected, we have to give props to those team members who bring a valued energy to the ReStore. These team members provide companionship, a calming energy, support, and sometimes a friendly lick…….WHAT?

Meet the dogs of the ReStore.

Dottie wants pets - and treats

Dottie is a 9 year old greyhound mix who loves greeting the volunteers in the morning and giving them those “sad” puppy-dog eyes in order to receive more love and treats.  Dottie likes to shadow her owner, so if Janell is on the move don’t expect Dottie to stick around.

Gabe's ready for anything

Gabe will be 8 years young in January. This handsome Burmese mix loves greeting customers at the door, especially the pint sized ones! Be careful of those loving eyes…no one can resist that sweet face.(Note: The Washington County ReStore had to recently limit the “fuzzy” visitors to only those who are Service Animals.)

Meka greets everyone

This feisty 3 year old short-haired collie mutt is never short on energy! Meka is very sweet and gentle and likes to keep watch at the top of the stairs at the store’s entrance to make sure she gets pets from everyone coming in. She likes little kids a lot (especially ones with cookies in their hands).

Izzy is very cool!

Our giant beauty is about 5 years old and full of wags. Izzy likes to lean on her favorite people (she’s pretty heavy, so be prepared.) She gets lots of love from the customers and volunteers, and she really likes how cool the concrete floor is. Izzy follows her human friend, Craig, everywhere, but as long as she can hear him she is available for a hug, a pet, and a scratch behind the ears.

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Meet our Volunteer Coordinators

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Have you ever considered volunteering at the ReStore?  We have three hard working Volunteer Coordinators who are happy to help you find just the right fit. We asked them several questions to let you get to know them a little.

MaliaPortland ReStore
Name:  Malia Tam Sing

What do you appreciate most about volunteers in the ReStores?

I appreciate that not only do our volunteers give their time to our organization, but the great attitudes and smiles that come along with their service.

What are your current greatest volunteer needs at your location?

We need volunteer drivers to pick up donations with our box truck on Thursday mornings, and truck crew assistants on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. This volunteer opportunity is a weekly commitment, please contact me for more details.

How long have you been with Habitat For Humanity?

Six years – two with AmeriCorps and almost four with the ReStore.

What is the craziest/scariest item that you’ve seen come in as a donation?

Antique hand puppets. Nightmare causing, creepy little hand puppets.

If you could be any tool in the toolbox, what would it be?

A cat’s paw, which is great for fixing mistakes.

ColleenWashington County ReStore
Name:  Colleen O’Toole

What do you appreciate most about volunteers in the ReStores?

Their willingness to get the job done! We have some of the most amazing volunteers. They are flexible and excited to tackle whichever task comes through that donation door!

What are your current greatest volunteer needs at your location?

We always need volunteers to go out on our truck to help pick up donations. We typically schedule pick ups during our morning shift from 9-1 and need some good strong backs to ride along with our staff driver, Mike.

How long have you been with Habitat For Humanity?

I’ve been working at the Restore since January 2011 – a little over a year-and-a-half.  I also did an internship with an affiliate in Michigan and have volunteered at affiliates in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, LA.

What is the craziest/scariest item that you’ve seen come in as a donation?

One of the coolest things that we have gotten in at the Washington County store would have to be the hair dryer chairs – or stylist chairs?  Most of the scary things we get have very large spiders or fake snakes attached!

If you could be any tool in the toolbox, what would it be?

That’s a tough question. There are some really great tools out there.  If I had to, I’d choose a cat’s paw. It’s a simple tool but I like it.

Janell Clark County Habitat for Humanity Store
Name:  Janell Watt

What do you appreciate most about volunteers in the ReStores?

What I appreciate the MOST is the time they are willing to spend helping us run our store.  Even when the sun is shining and it’s beautiful outside, we have an incredible army of volunteers who choose to spend a few hours helping us get through the day.

What are your current greatest volunteer needs at your location?

We need volunteers who can commit to one 4-hour shift a week helping us run our front end.  We have lots of shifts available, and we’re pretty flexible. This is a great position for someone who likes to talk to people, is a creative thinker and/or anyone who likes to keep busy and organized. Plus, you get to hang out with yours truly.

How long have you been with Habitat For Humanity?

3 years as a volunteer with the Portland affiliate, and a little over 3 years as Volunteer Coordinator at the Vancouver Store.

What is the craziest/scariest item that you’ve seen come in as a donation?

I would say that the giant swordfish takes the cake. It came in as part of a huge donation from Red Lobster when they remodeled their restaurant. It lasted about 30 seconds on the floor before it sold…I miss him, and I hope he’s in a good home.

If you could be any tool in the toolbox, what would it be?

I would be a hammer. I’d hammer in the morning and in the evening. I’d hammer all over this land.

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Have you seen our new sign?

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

Nick and Matt painting mural

Nick and Matt’s hand painted sign in the Portland store  is a work of art.

The ReStore volunteer spotlight shines on two people this month, Nick Cogswell and Matt Davis. In February, Nick approached store manager Shel Reinwald about painting a sign on the wall that separates the front and back rooms of the Portland ReStore. Shel asked that Nick show her his design idea and if she liked it, he could start.

About a week later, Nick came back with an impressive design and was given the green light to start painting. He and longtime friend and business partner Matt Davis began their work in mid-March, and three and a half weeks later the sign was complete. Many store patrons have stopped to admire the fantastic sign on the once blank wall.

Nick painting the mural

When asked why they chose our store as the canvas for their sign, Nick and Matt both said they really appreciate what Habitat does for the community, and they were also excited for the opportunity to do what they love – paint signs by hand. They believe that hand-painting signs is a dying art in the digital age, that they stand out more, and that the charm is in the imperfection. We couldn’t agree more.

A big warm Habitat thank you to Nick and Matt for bringing beauty to our store!

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“Wait – let me see that!”

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Reuse, recycle, and repurpose are words we use daily and values we incorporate into the daily running of our Habitat for Humanity ReStores – we want to practice what we preach! We have ample opportunities for repurposing materials and are always trying to think creatively and see things with a “crafty” and useful eye.

At the Clark County Habitat for Humanity Store, we’ve been blessed with several creative and experienced woodworkers. For starters, they have an amazing passion for the success of the store. They believe in our mission and will do whatever is needed to help us bring that mission to fruition. In doing so, they have lots of fun and have built some lasting friendships along the way.

They also build lots of wood things. From garden benches and chairs, to tool boxes, birdhouses, tables, rustic garden furniture, shelves and planter boxes, they regularly churn out cool item after cool item from the material donations we receive. I’m amazed at the creative ideas of our customers and volunteers – I’ve learned so much from you guys!

These woodworkers transformed a small corner of our warehouse (only 100 sq. ft.) using salvaged cabinets, old doors, cast off tools and other donated materials to create an amazingly efficient and professional wood working shop – one that I never would have dreamed we’d have and that I totally enjoy using. They have taken complete ownership of the workshop and truly make us better than we could be by ourselves. It’s awesome to hear the saws running, the nails being pounded, the laughter echoing in the back room and yes – my having to sweep up sawdust again because of their efforts.

That’s the “Habi-magic” that I have witnessed from our volunteers over and over through the years; passionate, skilled people seeing a need, matching their unique talents to a task and pooling those talents with others to help those around them. They selflessly give of themselves with no thought of reward.

Thank you guys for helping others build a better life for themselves and their families and for helping us build a better and more reuse oriented store!

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Meet Ellie Jaimes-Figueroa

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Volunteer Eliana “Ellie” Jaimes-Figueroa came to the Washington County ReStore from a work experience program run by the Oregon Human Development Corporation (OHDC), based in Hillsboro. Ellie served the ReStore as a customer service assistant and cashier while actively looking for full time employment with a focus on accounting and banking.  Her placement at the ReStore was helpful in providing her more customer service and cash handling experience. Ellie quickly became a valuable member of the Washington County ReStore team – ask any of the regular customers. Her willingness to learn and her great attitude made a difference in our store. After multiple interviews and a skills test Ellie landed a job at a Wells Fargo call center toward the end of her work experience placement. The Washington County ReStore crew misses having her around but wishes Ellie the best of luck at her new position with Wells Fargo. Thanks Ellie!

OHDC places program participants in local business and organizations for an average of 320 hours of work experience while OHDC assists the participants in an ongoing job search and provides a paycheck during their work experience. With a mission “to promote economic and social advancement of farmworkers, Hispanics, and disadvantaged individuals through the provision of education, training, advocacy and services that enhance self-sufficiency” (www.ohdc.org), OHDC makes a difference in our communities with the help of multiple partner agencies and work placement sites.  We are honored to have participated in this program, and we are proud of Ellie’s accomplishment in getting her new job.

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Great things come in BIG packages, too.

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

He was born with the name Albert Tester, but he’s best known as Tiny. Standing at 6′3″, Tiny is pretty easy to pick out of a crowd. He has lived in the Vancouver area since he was 11 years old, born #9 in a family of 12.

We got to know him at the Clark County HFH Store pretty quick, as he would find time to visit the store nearly twice a day. Often complaining about the prices being too much and the lights too dim, you would think Tiny was just an ornery old curmudgeon. But according to other locals, Tiny has always been just a big lug who looks out for the little people. We have heard many stories about Tiny’s past from other customers, mostly about his kind heart and how he looked out for the youngest and weakest, and of course how his size often caused a lot of trouble.

Tiny loves the Habitat for Humanity Store, and you will often find him roaming the isles in the morning after he’s had his coffee and oatmeal from a local café and in the afternoon before he heads back to his woodshop. Tiny has a great love of woodworking, and has had ever since his father gave him his first pocket knife at 8 years old. He started whittling little boats and propellers, and now he has a woodshop with at least 23 pieces of equipment where he makes custom walking canes, baskets, various carvings, and can also help out with any custom work that someone may need done.

After some gentle prompting by our Store Manager, Mark Haley, Tiny agreed to bring some of his knowledge of tools to the back room of the HFH Store. Once a day, Tiny comes in and helps us sort out all the tools that come is as donations. He always tends to find a diamond in the rough, and will often take what we see as a hunk of useless metal home to his shop, and bring it back the next day looking shiny and nearly new. Tiny is very proud of his neat and orderly woodshop, and helps us keep our store in the same neat and orderly fashion. He’s always happy to help customers with questions, and seems to know where to find any tool or piece of hardware that they might be looking for.

So stop by the HFH Store in Vancouver and say hello to Tiny!

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Dan Goes to Mongolia

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Dan in PortugalI have had the opportunity to participate in Habitat for Humanity over the last several years in various ways, including volunteering at the Portland Restore and working on builds in various Portland locations. Last year, I decided to do an international build in Portugal. It was a fantastic experience, not only in helping build a home but also in learning about the local culture and making new friends.

This year, the plan is to go to Mongolia for a two-week build. I chose Mongolia because I thought it would be unique as I have not been to that part of the world, and I find the history of the region fascinating. I will meet up with more than a dozen other people from around the United States. Some of these people are seasoned veterans of international builds, for others it will be their first time.

My girlfriend Darlyne and I leave for Mongolia on September 9. We arrive in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on September 11th where we meet up with the rest of the team. The next day, we take a 5 hour van ride to Darkhan, Mongolia, the site of the build. The ride will provide time for the team to meet and get to know each other. On the 12th we will receive our briefing and find out exactly what we will be doing as our part of the build.

Our typical workday will involve a group breakfast, travel to the work site, working until late afternoon and returning to the hotel after the workday is done. The evenings will provide the opportunity to spend time with the local Habitat people and learn about the local customs and history. It promises to be an exciting time.

We will have the middle weekend to visit the local sights, including one of the largest monasteries in the region, museums and other local events. Upon completion of our second week, we will travel back to Ulaanbaatar for a final farewell dinner and departure from Mongolia.

I plan to provide updates during the build to share the experience.  I will keep you posted.

Dan

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Meet Mike O’Neil

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

Mike O'NeillMeet Mike O Neil, our wonderful volunteer truck driver! Mike has a long history of volunteerism, including long-distance trucking for breast cancer relief, delivering Meals on Wheels and working for Veterans charities. Mike comes in each week to drive our big ReStore truck, pick up donations and be our Habitat representative out on the road.

Mike says, “I really enjoy being a part of the ReStore team. I feel like my job counts – for the donor, for Habitat for Humanity, for the customer who gets a great deal on building materials, and for the environment.”

We need more drivers!

Do you or someone you know have a few hours each week to donate to Habitat for Humanity? Contact our Volunteer Coordinators and find out how you can help!

In Portland, call Malia at 503.283.6247
In Washington County, call Colleen at 503.213.1313
In Vancouver, call Janell at 360.213.1313

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A New ReStore is Coming to Washington County!

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Three years ago, the Portland Metro ReStore developed a plan to open two additional ReStore locations by 2011. The Clark County Habitat for Humanity Store opened in Vancouver, Washington in March 2009 and was an immediate success. Now, preparations are well underway to open the Washington County ReStore at 13475 SW Millikan Way in Beaverton this April. The combined proceeds from these three Portland Metro area ReStores represent an important source of funding to support Habitat’s home building efforts.

Alex Bertolucci, Washington County ReStore Manager, Colleen O’Toole, Washington County ReStore Volunteer Coordinator and Joe Connell, ReStore Director, are busy transforming the empty space into a well-designed, well-stocked ReStore. Among the first things they need are a box truck, a forklift and volunteers to help build-out the store. If you’d like to help with a donation or to volunteer, please contact Alex Bertolucci at 503.906.3823. Look for future progress updates on facebook and on the ReStore blog at pdxrestore.org/restories. We are thrilled to bring this ReStore to Washington County.

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Megan and Alexis: two outstanding volunteers

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

A couple of our recent volunteers in the store are students. They come for various reasons, such as specific class credits, general extra credit for various classes, service projects or senior projects. Some have other motives though. How about; “Just because I like to help.” How’s that for a great attitude?

Megan is a local high school student who volunteered with her church at one of Evergreen Habitat for Humanity’s recent builds in Vancouver. She has a great spirit of service and her good freind Alexis shares that desire to give back to her community. These are the type of individuals that are the heart and soul of our organization  –community minded individuals who see a need and rise up to do what they can to help.

Some say the younger generations “don’t get it” or “are off in their own little worlds.” I’m here to shout “No!” They are thinking of others and putting their youth and energy to work. Thanks for your help and great attitudes, Megan and Alexis!

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