Stephanie Veit, business development manager at The Hagerman Group, is one of 10 Goddess Contractors participating in Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne’s ReStore Your Passion event on Feb. 6. In this month’s blog, Stephanie shares some thoughts about why she is involved with Habitat and how the ReStore Your Passion event benefits the community.
Why did you decide to get involved with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne?
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that allows families to purchase a stable and decent home with an affordable mortgage. Since 1986, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne has built over 244 homes, filling a large gap in our community for people who never thought homeownership was possible. These homes are not free—families repay a 30-year, interest-free mortgage and are required to attend personal finance classes and complete 400 hours of sweat equity. It’s a true partnership that helps set them up for success.
Specifically, the Restore Your Passion event supports Habitat’s Women Build program, which invites women to serve their communities by building Habitat homes. The Women Build Program is a great way for women to learn how to build while serving as advocates for decent and affordable houses in our community.
The Hagerman Group is committed to building a better future for the communities in which we live and work, and it’s important that all of our team members engage in some sort of volunteer opportunity. We saw this event as the perfect blend of corporate sponsorship and individual volunteering. And with the connection to Women Build, it promotes another important cause—supporting women in construction.
What does the ReStore Your Passion event involve?
Each Goddess Contractor has set fundraising goals to support the program. In addition, we created teams that refurbished an item from ReStore—Habitat’s nonprofit donation center that sells new and gently used items. These items will be revealed and auctioned off at the Feb. 6 event, and the Goddess Contractors will be recognized for our fundraising efforts.
The Hagerman Team included Roger Strautman, field superintendent (and quite the skilled woodworker); Chris Harmon, director of field operations; and Chris Freiburger, director of estimating. The four of us selected a dresser as our project, and the end result is a beautiful representation of the team’s creativity and craftmanship. We’re excited to reveal the transformation next month, so stay tuned!
How can people help support the cause?
I’ve set up a fundraising page here. There’s no donation too small to help fill a big gap in affordable housing for families that may have never gotten to experience home ownership without Habitat’s help. I appreciate all of the support!
