"No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor is given by what he gave." - Calvin Coolidge -

Last Wednesday, the staff at Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna gathered together with friends, volunteers and donors, to celebrate what can be achieved when people forget themselves for the sake of others. 

Though I could throw out the numbers of homes our volunteers and donors have built, repaired, or sponsored, I won't. Numbers alone can't capture the joyful tears on the faces of mothers, the widespread grins of fathers who have only ever wanted the best for their children, the words "Welcome Home," on a hard-earned front door. To make tangible the dream of homeownership—it's an utterly beautiful accomplishment. But we at Habitat Susquehanna can't take the credit for such a feat.

We are an organization that relies entirely on the generosity, selflessness and humility of ordinary people who make extraordinary sacrifices. The Habitat homes you see across the county were built and funded by volunteers from all walks of life.

We have retired teachers, college students, insurance agents, stay-at-home-moms, working moms, first-graders, lawyers, doctors, dancers, computer programmers, engineers, soldiers, musicians, pastors, artists, photographers, boy scouts and girl scouts all working together to making a difference. 

Whether they give two hours in the office or eight hours on the site, every minute they spend giving of their time, talents, resources and hearts is a minute spent changing the world.

So, to all of our one-hour volunteers and all of our one-hundred-hour volunteers, I can only think to say, "Thank you, thank you and thank you."

If you want to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna, contact Abrielle Willis, Volunteer Coordinator, at awillis@habitatsusq.org.