As the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Lakeside, I quickly learned that I need the help of volunteers day in and day out to make the amazing things happen that we do at our organization. From manning the register at the ReStore, to building a house or serving on our Board of Directors, we wouldn’t be who we are today without the help of volunteers.

This week is National Volunteer Week and I wanted to take a minute out of my hectic day to humbly reflect on the value of volunteers. Thanks to volunteers, we will build two houses this year for families in need of a hand up. We won’t just build them a house, we will also engage these families with all of the opportunities, programs and support our community has to offer.

This year, Habitat for Humanity will rely on volunteers to provide 6,000 volunteer hours of renovation and building. That’s a big commitment from generous people, but I am confident we will reach the goal because of our involvement with the United Way Volunteer Center. Since 2014 when we became a member agency, our database of volunteers has grown exponentially, from 300 to over 3,000 volunteers. We can count on these people to step up when called upon. Not only that, but by engaging these volunteers, we have watched our fundraising results increase in direct correlation to the number of volunteers who feel they are a part of the Habitat for Humanity family.

Activities put on by the United Way Volunteer Center, such as the Day of Caring, have created lasting connections for Habitat for Humanity and our staff. Last year, the team at Habitat wanted to give back to thank all of the volunteers who have helped us. We volunteer at the Sheboygan A’s Ball Park, providing our expertise in building and painting to another great organization. This led to another partnership with Wisconsin Bank & Trust and the Sheboygan A’s. For every home run hit by the A’s this year, Wisconsin Bank & Trust will donate $100 to Habitat for Humanity. Great things happen when connections are made.

This week the United Way Volunteer Center is hosting a Community Volunteer Fair at UW Sheboygan on Thursday from 11-1 and 3-6 p.m. More than 30 worthy organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, will be waiting to see you and connect you with great opportunities to get engaged with needs in your community. If you can’t see us there, visit our website, www.hfh-wi-lake.huterra.com or check out all of the volunteer opportunities at uwofsc.org/volunteer.