We LOVE our staff
We don’t say it often enough, but we LOVE our staff. Last year was a heavy lift for us all, which made it even more inspiring and HEART-ening to see individuals and teams rise to the challenge.
“I’ve always known that our staff is special. Their belief in our mission is what makes our work possible. Even in the face of great adversity, I saw their amazing spirit, dedication and ingenuity shine through. Together, they moved mountains in their quest to make the world a better place. Watching our direct-service and front-line team members go above and beyond to safely and effectively serve customers, clients, and future and current homeowners left me inspired and humbled. This work, and the extra effort that it took in 2020, did not go unnoticed. It truly is an honor to work alongside each and every member of the Habitat Omaha and Habitat ReStore teams!” – Amanda Brewer, CEO
Our work would not be possible without the contributions of everyone on staff. This Valentine’s Day, we want to give extra love to our ReStore and Construction Teams. These front-line workers are our boots on the ground doing their part to help make our vision, a world where everyone has a decent place to live, a reality. Despite everything that 2020 threw their way, they NAILED it!
“Every member of the ReStore team has so much to be proud of when thinking about last year. They quickly pivoted to online sales when in-store shopping wasn’t possible and took extra time to create and enforce new safety policies aimed at keeping shoppers and each other healthy when the stores reopened. They went above and beyond to answer questions online and over the phone for customers who, for health reasons, were unable to shop in person. But I think the thing that warms my heart the most is thinking about the grace and kindness that they extended to one another as we all navigated through a year full of uncertainty, confusion, fear, and stress both at work and at home. It’s been hard to stay positive all the time, but when someone was down, another team member would lift them up and they continue doing this even today, nearly a year into the pandemic. And this is why I CHAIR-ish the whole ReStore team!” – Jackie Knobbe, Senior ReStore Manager
“What had been standard practice for our Home Repair and Weatherization Teams became a real challenge in 2020. The front-line workers on these teams regularly enter occupied homes as they help families complete renovations and repairs. I was so impressed by their ability to adapt and provide quality service and care in a way that kept everyone safe and healthy. It was cool to see them get creative. By fully utilizing our loan software for electronic closings and a “drive thru” process for signatures, they limited exposure while keeping things moving. Their efforts ensured that we were able to carry out repairs for those in critical need.
Watching the Construction Team band together to complete so many homes in the midst of a pandemic, even with very limited volunteer assistance, was impressive too. It’s a feat they should be very proud of. Each home they built meant another family had the opportunity to become first-time homeowners—that is significant. And that wasn’t all they did. They also helped evaluate and improve our systems and processes so that we could remain efficient in 2020 while setting ourselves up for even more success in the future. Everyone worked hard to keep themselves and each other safe and healthy while staying committed to furthering our mission.” – Drew Lier, Director of Construction
To ALL of our staff—accounting, administration, advocacy, communications, construction, development, finance, home improvement, homeownership, human resources, mortgage services, operations, ReStore and volunteer services teams—THANK YOU! Wea-DOOReach and every one of you and celebrate all that you bring to our mission today and every day.Check out more highlights from our FAN-tastic staff!