Volunteer Stories

Hunter VanDolah, a student at Creighton University, first heard about Habitat for Humanity of Omaha through fellow students and the school’s local volunteer opportunities. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Hunter came to Omaha to attend Creighton. He is currently a full-time student studying biochemistry.

“With a Global Village trip you get to experience a country on a whole deeper level than you would as just a tourist. You also get to meet and work alongside the Habitat families and see firsthand how owning a clean, safe and comfortable home means so much to them and how that improvement in their lives will ripple through generations to come.”

This week we’re spotlighting a Habitat for Humanity of Omaha Volunteer! Erin Fulton, a Licensed Broker for the Investment Management Services Team at TD Ameritrade, first heard about Habitat Omaha through her work. A self-proclaimed military brat—her father was in the air force—Erin was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota. “We were stationed in Texas and then moved to Offutt in 1983.”

Turner has been with Habitat for Humanity of Omaha for 6 years. He is a proud Iowan and has roots across the Missouri river in Council Bluffs. “I was born and raised in the area, usually crossing the river for food and fun—my father was actually a North O police officer so we have some family ties to this area. It’s interesting to compare his experiences and perspectives of the area with my own.”

Last month, a team of fifteen volunteers spent seven days in Zambia. The build site was located in a village called Linda—a half hour drive from the capital, Lusaka. The team built two houses for two families. Volunteers were able to establish a relationship with the family they were building with. “You’re working side by side…and eating lunch together.”

During the company’s first Global Village trip, volunteers from ACI Worldwide worked on two sites in Romania. The first was a five-plex building designed for apartment living. The other location was a shelled Romanian air force base in Timisoara, reclaimed by the city after the fall of communism. The volunteers cleaned and organized the site—“shoveling at least seven tons of rubble.”

For six weeks this spring, Habitat for Humanity of Omaha is hosting the Maple V AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team. These nine members come from all over the country and will be serving with various nonprofit organizations across the central United States for 10 months. Habitat Omaha is their first assignment.

Participating in the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project had been on Lucy Shepard’s ‘Bucket List’ ever since she first heard about it over 25 years ago. “I always wanted to do a Carter Build and I was so glad when Mona [McGregor] got picked and the other three decided to go. I was just thrilled,” she said.

Because Mohamed served as a translator for his parents, he spent a year working side-by-side with them as they completed their 350 hours of sweat equity on Habitat Omaha build sites. Shortly after his family purchased their Habitat Omaha home in 2015, Mohamed decided to take his involvement to the next level—he joined the Habitat Omaha team as an AmeriCorps Service Member.