819 volunteers gave their time and their talent to Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity in 2020. From build sites to home repair, ReStore, office volunteers, Playhouse Project, A Brush with Kindness and two Rock the Block events, volunteers gave 12,550 hours in 2020!
Because of volunteers generous hours,
- Eight families closed on their homes in 2020.
- Our Home Repair program completed:
- 61 life changing health and safety repairs
- Implemented two incredible and beautifying Rock the Block events in the Junction & Birmingham neighborhoods
- Completed 64 impactful roof replacements
- AND, we are growing partnerships with the community in order to do more – We have begun administering the City of Toledo’s owner-occupied rehab program, HOME RESCUE, serving 34 additional families, in new and impactful ways.
Meet all the volunteer award winners:
Volunteer of the Year 2020 Home Construction – Tammy Banachowski
Tammy is described by Site Supervisor, Tim Ringle as “the epitome of the Habitat Volunteer”. Enthusiast, pleasant, and always willing to do what is needed. She is capable, able, and a leader when asked. She has perfected a wide range of skills which has made her indispensable, both volunteering herself or instructing volunteers on a variety of projects. Her positive attitude makes a difference. Tammy gave over 250 hours of service in 2020 and was instrumental in our success.
Volunteer of the Year 2020 Home Repair – Doug Elliott
Doug's work involves volunteering on construction site build days, building custom projects for the office and ReStore, and leading Playhouse Project and Giving Tuesday builds. And if that isn’t enough, we feel his biggest impact in 2020 was through his work with our HRM program, specifically, the two Rock the Block events held in September. He created and built 9 free standing garden planters for the Junction neighborhood community garden “What Blooms on Blum”. This community garden traditionally serves 65 families each year. With 339 hours in 2020, Doug is one of the best!
Volunteer of the Year 2020 Committee – Michelle Manges
Over her five years, Michelle has supported six future homeowners through the Homeownership Program. She is dedicated to the Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity mission and truly believes everyone deserves a safe, decent and affordable place to live. Despite her busy schedule, she attends the monthly Homeowner committee meetings and plays an active role with the committee. She is caring, dedicated and truly a mentor to future homeowners.
Volunteer of the Year 2020 ReStore – Jon Boykan
Jon can routinely be found most Saturday’s mowing the lawn, pulling weeds and trimming the shrubs at ReStore. In addition to this work, he has assisted in training future homeowners on landscaping and mowing, things that come in handy when they have their future home. Jon donated 130 hours to Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity in 2020.
Spirit of Habitat Award 2020 – Ann Malak
Throughout the 2020 build season, MVHFH was presented with lots of challenges to accomplish our goals. This volunteer worked closely with us to develop systems within the new COVID-19 working environment. She volunteered every day, over 100 hours, that Owens Corning volunteers were on site with both the Owens Corning build and the Women Build. Our own Director of Construction, Mark Achinger stated “I ALWAYS have a good day when Ann is around”.
Community Impact Award 2020 – Dunbar Mechanical, Laibe Electric, OCP and VM Systems
OCP helped build two homes, one in Toledo and one in Oregon, from the ground up for Maumee Valley Habitat. Further, OCP team leader, Matt Townsend rallied his partners, Dunbar Mechanical, Laibe Electric, and VM Systems, to provide the mechanical, electrical, HVAC and carpentry needed to complete the homes.
“You Nailed it Award” 2020 (Peer-to-Peer award) - John Harrison
John has been a part of Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity directly, or indirectly for many years. Since retirement, he has continued to volunteer as a Habitat Pro and is especially helpful on OC builds. In 2020, he volunteered 175 hours at build sites, including 14 days at the OC builds on Northgrove and the OC Women Build home on Pasadena.
Director’s Award 2020 – Chris Manges
108 days is how many days Chris volunteered in 2020, amid a pandemic. His dedication and commitment to Habitat’s call is simply phenomenal. He led teams at build sites and was crucial to the success of completing our builds on time this year. Chris is the gold standard when it comes to Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity volunteers.
Volunteer of the Year 2020 – Jack Lindberg
With 360 hours logged in 2020, Jack continues to have a direct impact on our affiliate. He is always willing to assist on projects. He can always be found with a smile on his face. He has rolled with the changes this year. We appreciate his honest candor and suggestions on how we can improve our processes.
Volunteer Hall of Fame 2020 – David Simpson
This volunteer has supported Habitat since 2013 in so many ways. In 2020, he volunteered 310 hours by working at over 50 build sites and leading a team at our Playhouse Project Blitz Build. He reminds us why we do what we do and who we are doing it for. People like Dave remind us that it’s not all about the skills we display, but the seeds we sow along the way. He truly is a gift to our organization and to quote Dave Simpson himself . . . “This is a ministry . . . It’s God’s work that we are doing”.
In addition to the awards, certificates were awarded in four categories:
PRO Certificates:
Apprentice Certificate – For any NEW volunteer who volunteered 3 or more times: Allan Wegman, Neil Bersticker, Tom Brainard, Kevin Hammer, Todd Hayes, Libbey McKnight, Mike Niebauer, Nathan Rumbaugh, Darryl Taylor, Rick Thielen
Journeyman Certificate (for volunteering 100 plus hours in 2020): Jon Boykan, Mike Condon, John Harrison, Leo Knox, Howard Luebke, Alan Thompson, Allan Wegman
Carpenter Certificates (for 250 plus hours in 2020): Tammy Banachowski, Doug Elliott, Jack Lindberg, Fred Schaefer, David Simpson
Presidential Award (volunteered 500 plus hours in 2020): Chris Manges, Ed Pohlman, Chuck Corpe (ReStore Appliance Tester).
