It began with a nudge from a fellow churchgoer. “You ought to try this out,” he said.

Jim Schneider had heard of Habitat for Humanity, vaguely. But that invitation led him to a Saturday build site, where he met the family who would one day call that house home. “That was it for me,” Jim says. “I started volunteering on Saturday builds whenever I could.”

There was something about the work. It was physical, it had purpose, the impact was right there for you to see. It stuck with him.

“You can start a house from the foundation and take it all the way to cleaning up and welcoming in the new family,” “You have this real, personal connection to the home. I think a lot of volunteers liked that,” Jim says.

Jim came to Omaha in 1979 to attend Creighton. He met his wife, Peg, here. They raised a family. The plan had never been to stay, but, as he puts it, “we joined a church, had kids, and here we are all these years later. We love it here.”

Eventually, volunteering led to something more lasting. Jim and Peg made the decision to include Habitat Omaha in their estate plans.

When asked why they included Habitat Omaha in their plans, Jim said, “First, have an estate plan. You’d be amazed how many people haven’t really done one, or haven’t updated it in 20 years. And then ask yourself: do your kids really need it all? Probably not. So what a wonderful legacy to leave behind for Habitat or a cause you care about.”

That trust was built over a lifetime of seeing Habitat in action, families working alongside neighbors to build not just homes, but whole communities.

Today, Jim says, he’s “blown away” by what Habitat has become: mortgage readiness, credit restoration, home repairs, energy upgrades and more. “Habitat’s not just putting up walls. They’re helping families build equity and stability for the long term,” Jim says.

He’s retiring soon, and he’s already looking ahead.

“I love the builds. I’d still rather be out swinging a hammer than anything else,” he says. “I told Amanda [Brewer] I’d even lick envelopes if it helps.”

“It’s just good to know you’re doing something for someone who really needs it.”

Learn more about including Habitat Omaha in your estate plans and other ways to support our work.