This December we’ll be saying farewell to one of our star volunteers, Nancy Hackett. Nancy came to us through Career Path Services—a workforce development nonprofit. During her time with us, Nancy helped our Habitat Store by sorting donations in the backroom, merchandising on the sales floor, and cashiering. But we saw Nancy really shine when it came to expressing herself creatively—from making gift baskets for our homebuyer families who recently moved in at Telegraph Townhomes, to painting backdrops for the games at our annual Auction and decorating the conference room for the changing seasons.
Here at Habitat Whatcom, we love partnering with other local organizations to fulfill interrelated missions. Not only can we accomplish more together, the relationships we build will benefit our broader community for years, and in ways we could never expect.
Our partnerships with Cascade Connections, Work Opportunities, The Center for Independence, Options High School, Bellingham High School, and Community Transitions (among others!) helps our work of building homes and hope, while providing their clients and students with meaningful volunteer opportunities and a chance to connect more deeply to their community.
We also partner with several organizations who pay their participants to receive job training at our Habitat, including AARP and Career Path Services. These volunteers provide a stable work crew to help keep our Habitat Store, construction and office operational. Volunteers are with us anywhere from nine months to four years depending on the program. During this time, these volunteers develop their skill sets while becoming part of the Habitat family.
Setting up the office Christmas tree has been an especially meaningful experience for Nancy this year. Not only is it the first time she has decorated a Christmas tree in over 15 years, this year she did so with her mom, Betty. After being diagnosed with dementia last year, Betty moved to Alaska to be with Nancy’s sister just before Christmas 2024. The future looked very uncertain, but thankfully Nancy and Betty were reunited in November and have been helping in the Habitat office together. Even though Nancy is at her place of employment, Habitat is also open for the general public to volunteer, creating a unique opportunity for both of them to volunteer together.
We’re incredibly grateful for Nancy, for Betty, and for organizations who partner with us and the volunteers who help us fulfill the mission to create more affordable housing in Whatcom County.
If you represent an organization and would like to talk about partnering with Habitat or if you are an individual who simply has a heart to serve our community, please reach out to tralayna.haslett@hfhwhatcom.org
