Habitat adds 2 new AmeriCorps VISTA Positions

We have 2 new VISTA (Volunteers in Service To America) staff members here at GFCA Habitat for Humanity.

Ally Peerenboom will be our new Family Services VISTA. She recently graduated from UW-Oshkosh with a Spanish degree and has a lot of background in the field of education. She will be spending her time here creating, implementing and sustaining homeowner education programs. She is very excited about being here and can't wait to meet all of the community involved with Habitat!

Erica Soufal is our new VISTA Community Outreach Specailist. She graduated in May of 2009 from UW-Oshkosh with a major in history & minor in sociology. During college, she also worked & wrote for a newspaper as well as helped to organize new community events. Her duties while working here with Habitat will include doing PR, building beneficial relationships with local media as well as writing profiles & stories concerning the affiliate. She is looking forward to getting to know everyone and making a difference in the community!

Welcome Ally & Erica!

In addition to Ally & Erica, we have 2 remaining VISTA staff members - Joe Hentz working with Outreach and Beni Westgor working at the ReStore.

Sadly, one of our VISTA's, Sandra Miller, will be leaving after her one year term is up at the end of July. Sandra is a retired teacher and has developed our Family Services and volunteer education. She has brought MUCH expertise to this area for Habitat and will be missed very much! Sandra has accepted another VISTA position and will be serving as a VISTA Leader with the Michigan Volunteer Center in Lansing (MI State Capital). She also wants everyone to know she will be volunteering with Lansing Habitat affiliate because she is completely addicted to Habitat after her experience here. :-)

We are so blessed to have such talented and dedicated VISTA's working with us! They have added SO much to our mission and we are so grateful for their wonderful dedication and commitment to our work!