Volunteer Spotlight: Martha Cole
Whether it’s searching for jewelry, finding a new car, or – in our case – recruiting volunteers, sometimes you find one that truly stands out. In our case, this came in the form of Martha Cole, a retiree and well-tenured Habitat volunteer. Her background in volunteering is extensive and Habitat has usually been the focus of it all. After moving to Lake County, she wasted no time in getting engaged with our efforts and has proven to be a hugely valuable addition to our team.
With National Women Build Week presenting a large amount of work and volunteer groups, we decided we’d need a Crew Leader to help manage the workforce. We asked Martha to take that role and she was key to making that week a success. Now that we’re entering summer and work is slowing down, we wanted to hear from her about how her experience as a Crew Leader was, her thoughts on Women Build as a whole, and what the story is behind one of our favorite volunteers!
- You were excited to be involved in National Women Build Week. What do you think about the event itself?
I think it’s a great concept and I’m grateful to Lowe’s for sponsoring it. It’s a super way to get new volunteers, and the resultant publicity builds public awareness. What’s not to like?!?
- What did you enjoy most about being a Team Leader for Women Build?
Well, due to my advanced age, it’s kind of fun to have a platform from which to be able to inspire women to realize they can do a lot of things they never thought they could, and that age is not necessarily a deterrent. One of my favorite sayings is: “Age is an attitude”. At the end of the day, I tell them to take a good look at what they have just accomplished, and to be proud of having made a difference.
- When did you first get involved with Habitat for Humanity – not our affiliate, but Habitat in general?
My first involvement with Habitat was in 1992. I wasn’t even aware of Habitat for Humanity until a Habitat volunteer addressed the congregation at my church in Naples, FL one Sunday, explaining the concept and telling of the need for volunteer workers. It sounded right up my alley, so I started volunteering and fell in love with the mission, the work, my co-workers, and the whole concept. That was 26 years ago and I’ve done hands-on building one or two days a week ever since…and loved every minute of it. When we decided to move to The Villages, the hardest part for me was leaving my Habitat friends in Collier County, and the first question I asked our realtor in The Villages was whether there was a Habitat chapter here. That was last January, and as soon as I got the boxes all unpacked, I began volunteering at Habitat-LS’s Veteran’s Village site in Umatilla two days a week.
- What’s one of your favorite experiences or build sites? After building 1900 houses more or less the same [in Collier County], a fun experience was to come to the Veterans’ Village where the houses are built so differently, and learn all the new skills of building (vinyl planking floors instead of 12” vinyl tile squares; metal roofs instead of asphalt shingles; cement board siding instead of vinyl siding, etc).
- We hear you’re planning on participating in a Global Village trip this year! Where are you going, and what excites you the most about the trip?
In late October I’m going to El Salvador for a week with my old chapter to build two houses in the area of Ciudad Arce, about 15 miles northwest of San Salvador, the capital. I’ve never built anywhere outside of Florida and I’m really looking forward to the experience. I have no idea what sort of houses we’ll build, but I’m excited to meet and work with the local families who will be the recipients of the houses. Having been fortunate enough to do a lot of traveling, I am struck over and over again how much people are alike all over the world. We all want to be able to provide our families with a decent place to live, and it thrills me to be able to help people achieve this.