By Habitat for Humanity Lakeside staff
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On any given Tuesday at the Sheboygan ReStore, a shopper might find Betty placing merchandise on shelves or Jill tidying up the store, preparing it for Wednesday’s flood of customers.

“Next to Kohler, this is the best job I ever had,” says Betty, whose happy place in the ReStore is the bench where she cleans and prices donated goods.

Jill, for her part, is happy to sweep, mop, and otherwise make the store presentable for customers. “It keeps me busy,” she says, adding that since joining the ReStore in June, she’s gotten to enjoy the camaraderie among employees.

Betty and Jill found their ReStore positions through Indianhead Enterprises, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that sponsors the federal Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). SCSEP helps income-eligible older adults build skills, gain valuable work experience, and prepare to re-enter the workforce by connecting them with part-time training opportunities. Throughout their training, individuals can explore a variety of career pathways, including roles in customer service, administrative support, retail, food service, custodial work, and other in‑demand fields that match their interests and abilities.

Indianhead works with 40 to 50 organizations, called host agencies, in 22 counties across Wisconsin to place seniors in training opportunities.

“Between the skill building and individuals’ determination, the program is successful,” says Carrie Zinda, SCSEP project coordinator at Indianhead, noting that SCSEP has placed thousands of people since its founding in the 1960s. Participants may remain in the program for up to four years while developing the skills and experience needed to transition into unsubsidized employment; indeed, they can get help transitioning to unsubsidized employment at any time. “We are a workforce development program, not a temporary staffing agency,” Zinda explains. “We help job seekers re-enter the workforce with enhanced skills, confidence, and capabilities.”

Most participants learn about SCSEP through flyers, word of mouth, the Wisconsin Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Aging and Disability Resource Centers, veterans’ organizations, and other community partners. Once placed with a host agency, participants receive paid, on-the-job training, with wages funded through the SCSEP program.

Zinda counts off several ways Indianhead’s program benefits job seekers: They earn money and stay competitive in the job market while updating their resumes. They build skills and connections to find permanent posts once their four years with SCSEP is up. They get a boost in self-confidence and well-being, and, as an added benefit, the money they earn bolsters the local economy.

Employers, such as Habitat Lakeside, reap benefits, too.

“I really enjoy working with Indianhead,” says Sheboygan ReStore Manager Rachel Hartlaub, who heard about Indianhead through a Green Bay-based agency that no longer works with the SCSEP program. “Jill and Betty add a lot of character to the store,” she says. “They are hardworking and help out wherever needed.”
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Betty “is a jack of all trades,” Hartlaub says. “She can price, put merchandise away, cashier, answer the phone, help customers and has even helped me lead high-school student volunteers. She feels like a member of the ReStore family.” Jill, who joined the ReStore this spring, “is a huge help on Tuesdays, when we clean and prep the store for the week,” Hartlaub says. “She sweeps, mops, cleans the bathroom and takes out the trash, which allows staff members to catch up on pickups and pricing on Tuesdays. It may not sound like a huge deal, but it is.”

For nonprofits interested in working with Indianhead, Hartlaub advises doing a little planning first. “Think about what needs you have and communicate this with Indianhead,” she says. When meeting with Zinda and the job seeker, “treat it like an interview and listen to your gut to evaluate whether the job seeker will be a right fit for the needs and tasks of your nonprofit,” Hartlaub says.

Her biggest advice? “Just do it,” she says. “Indianhead has a list of job seekers who need to be matched with a nonprofit, and nonprofits need the help. And it’s free help. It truly is a win-win-win for the non-profit, Indianhead, and the individual who needs a job.”

For more information on how nonprofits can work with Indianhead, visit their website. The organization has two project coordinators in Menomonie and two in Green Bay, with each assigned to different counties around the state. “The way to begin is to contact the designated coordinator,” Zinda says.
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Seniors interested in the program can also visit the website; they will need to fill out an application and undergo income verification to make sure they are eligible for the program. “Be persistent and let an organization know you’re interested in the job,” Jill says. “Just because you're an older adult doesn't mean you can't work and be productive.”

Jill (left) and Betty at the Sheboygan ReStore

By Habitat Lakeside staff

A few weeks ago, we attended a local family event and brought along a project: Collages. The frame: Post caps repurposed from the ReStore. The backdrop: Pieces of corrugated plastic, reclaimed from old Habitat Lakeside event signs, cut into squares by Packaging Systems of Wisconsin, and covered with stick-on wallpaper sourced from the Sheboygan ReStore. The collage elements: Whimsical decorative items, including googly eyes, puff balls, pipe cleaners, and beads, donated by Michaels. 

The results: Out-of-this-world creative. One young person crafted an ocean scene, complete with blue water and fanciful fishes. Another used the background of flowered wallpaper to make an aviary. Others spelled out names, fashioned pipe cleaner hearts, spelled out messages with lettered beads, and used googly eyes to make a classic smiley face. The finished collages sparkled with creativity and imagination.

Witnessing this beauty sparked by the human imagination made us realize how much we need creativity and imagination to carry out our mission: Making sure everyone has a safe, decent place to live.

Habitat for Humanity International itself is built on the creative premise of partnership housing: People in need of shelter join in the process of building their homes with volunteers, then buying the homes thanks to a financial tool that tailors a zero-interest mortgage to the homebuyer’s budget. The innovative thinking that launched this global organization continues today as Habitat affiliates all over the country come up with novel ways to combat this tough housing market. Solutions include townhomes, multi-family dwellings, and houses made partly with prefabricated elements.

Then there’s the creativity and imagination of our home buyers. Kewanna, who just closed on a beautiful Habitat home for her and her four children, imagined what her children’s future would look like if they had a home of their own: Stable. Comfortable. Nurturing, with room inside for Kewanna to cook and outside for her to garden (she loves doing both). She imagined her children one day coming to the family homestead with their children, “for my babies growing up to have a home to come to forever,” Kewanna told Seehafer News when her home was dedicated earlier this summer. “It’s just the thought of the future and how happy they will be.”

Finally, there’s the amount of creativity, imagination, and innovation on the part of all Habitat Lakeside stakeholders, from staff and volunteers to donors and in-kind partners, required to build our homes. Our financial and in-kind donors have the tremendous gift of vision: They can imagine a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to world. And they understand that it will take time and money to get there. They have the foresight to invest in Sheboygan County’s future. Our staff and volunteer share that same vision for the future of our community.

Very soon, Habitat Lakeside will launch a fundraising campaign to gather the money we will need to build 21 affordable, decent houses on Sheboygan’s near north side. We are early in the process of acquiring the land and preparing it for building. It will take every bit of imagination, creativity, and financial support from Sheboygan County’s businesses, foundations, citizens, and grant-makers to make this dream come true.

Yes, building 21 homes is a little more complicated than making collages out of pipe cleaners and googly eyes. The spark and the fuel are the same, though. Vision. Imagination. Creativity. And the desire to create something beautiful.

Please help us get started on this journey by making a donation. If you or your organization would like to play a more prominent role in this partnership, please call Le’Shay Guy at 920-458-3399 ext. 308 or email [email protected]. Thank you!

By Charlie Allis, Habitat Lakeside marketing intern

​Over the past year, I have spent about 470 hours as a marketing intern for Habitat for Humanity Lakeside. Throughout this time, I have gained valuable hands-on experience that helped me grow both professionally and personally.

Throughout my internship, I worked on a variety of projects. Most of my responsibilities focused on marketing tasks such as creating social media posts, which taught me how to properly take product photos and how to write a effective caption, and writing blogs and press releases, which improved my writing ability and allowed me to better understand what it takes to create a compelling piece of writing. I also spent a lot of time designing posters as well as helping with other tasks around the office and even working in the ReStore or occasionally on home-build sites.

Working on such a large variety of tasks enabled me to develop many new skills that will benefit me no matter where my career takes me. It also helped me to understand everything that goes into the marketing process for a nonprofit organization, which will be beneficial to me when I begin my career in marketing.
One of my biggest accomplishments during my time with Habitat for Humanity Lakeside was proposing, creating, and helping distribute a customer engagement survey for the ReStore. The goal of the survey was to gather direct feedback from customers about their experiences shopping at the ReStore. I spent weeks researching the best method to present the survey, creating the survey questions, then distributing it to our customers. After crunching the numbers, I presented the survey results to ReStore staffers and offered recommendations based on the data.

This project helped me learn more about analyzing data and figuring out what the answers to our questions actually mean — and the hard work and thought that go into creating a survey. I have taken many surveys in my life and now look at them with new respect.

Beyond the marketing experience, one of my favorite parts of working at Habitat for Humanity Lakeside was the people. The staff and volunteers always brought a positive attitude to work every day, creating an environment that was warm and welcoming. I especially enjoyed talking with employees and volunteers about all the interesting items that we have in the ReStore. For instance, going on a few donation pickups with ReStore staffers gave me a firsthand look at what people donate and even why. This experience showed me just how unique everyone’s donations can be.

Another thing I enjoyed was seeing the community come together during events like Rock the Block or the Raise the Roof Gala. Watching so many people work together toward a shared goal showed me how Habitat Lakeside’s mission benefits the community.

This internship confirmed for me that I wanted to pursue a career in marketing. It gave me the opportunity to develop important skills, gain real-world experience, and better understand the significant role marketing plays in an organization’s success and connection to its community. I am grateful for everything I learned during my internship with Habitat for Humanity Lakeside and to everyone who helped make the experience so memorable.

Charlie Allis at work in the Sheboygan ReStore. He plans to attend the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee this fall.

By Sam Parnitzke, Habitat Lakeside marketing intern 

I started my Northeast Wisconsin Youth Apprentice journey late in my junior year. With no real vision of my future, picking where I would be working for the summer and for the school year felt like tossing a hat into a thousand different rings. Three months of summer felt like a lifetime. Senior year was miles away in my head.

When our advisor asked me for a focus for the internship, I suggested marketing. Marketing looked the most interesting to me. I thought it would allow me to have a sense of creativity without falling into a boring repetition that I feared other business-type jobs would have.

What my advisor and I couldn’t figure out was where exactly to find this marketing internship. There wasn’t a business in the area looking for a part-time marketer, especially one with no experience or marketing knowledge.

Then she mentioned that a nonprofit with a famous name surrounding it — Habitat for Humanity Lakeside — was searching for a marketing intern to support its rapid growth. Without a doubt, I knew that was the place for me. Before long, I had an interview, then an offer, and soon the first day.

The first couple of months were certainly a period of learning. Press releases, blog posts, ReStore promotions and posters and TikTok videos were all firsts for me. I was taught everything from how to take the best pictures possible to uncomplicated ways to make my writing clearer. My iPhone camera, Canva, and Microsoft Word became my best friends.

To say that marketing was fun is an understatement. I had no clue what the day held for me when I stepped through the door. That naive junior in high school had no clue how this internship would make him feel. How cool it was to see the ReStore bustling with people looking at the things I posted on Facebook the day before or even a trendy TikTok getting thousands of views and dozens of likes.

Furthermore, I got an inside look as to just what makes this organization tick. Habitat for Humanity doesn’t build and give away houses. It is a nonprofit that believes in the community it serves and partners with the people who will inhabit its homes. It was truly the mission that stuck with me: Habitat builds homes, communities, and hope in Sheboygan County.

To truly dedicate myself to my time here, I had to “buy in.” Some of the most special parts of my youth apprenticeship were the days I spent on home-build sites. There, I saw an entirely different world than the one I had been exposed to. You could see that “Habitat magic” in everyone's eyes. Whether it was Jon or Derek on the staff construction crew or all the volunteers I met along the way, they all believed. You could tell that in their hearts and minds they weren’t building someone a home; they were building someone an opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families. The volunteers showed up for hours a day, day after day. Their paycheck? The satisfaction that someone would move in and raise their kids under a dry roof. 

My “buy in” is this value — to work as much as I could out there on the journey to serve. It also forced me to rather quickly learn skills I never thought I'd ever have to come across. In a marketing intern role, I learned about concrete, woodworking, and even window installation. I pinched my fingers more times than I could count, watched nails slip from my pocket working on the roof, and even retired a pair of white Nikes to the mud on Geele Avenue. After working on a build site, coming back to the office became so much easier.

Seeing the Habitat mission first-hand helped clarify and improve every press release, blog post, and TikTok I made. I knew each thing I wrote, designed, or photographed would help fulfill this mission. The work was challenging and, at times, a little frustrating. Content that took hours to make flopped, while our best-performing social media content was a throwaway TikTok featuring random sound about lamps. For the life of me, I couldn't have guessed if you gave me a thousand tries on how our content would perform. It was disheartening at times. 

But I wouldn’t trade the experience for any other role pushing papers or filling spreadsheets at an office. I am truly grateful for my time spent as a marketing intern at Habitat for Humanity Lakeside. While I might not be pursuing marketing, I can use all the skills I’ve learned in pretty much any career. Everything I did in my year here helped me become the person I am today.

No matter what road life takes me on, these valuable experiences won't leave me. In any field, job, or opening, the Habitat values remain. At the end of all this, I’m still just 18 years old. I may think I know everything, but truth be told, I’m throwing my hat into ten thousand new rings every day. Habitat Lakeside has shown me a little bit of how to aim. 

Graduation will mark the end of this journey. Putting God’s love into action in everything I do is an adventure that has no end. 

​Sam Parnitzke on a build site. He plans to attend Concordia University Wisconsin in the fall.

By Le’Shay Guy, executive director, Habitat for Humanity Lakeside

April is a time of renewal. As spring returns, we are reminded of what matters most: home. This month, Habitat for Humanity affiliates launch the Home Is the Key initiative to raise awareness and funds for affordable housing. In Sheboygan County, this campaign is not just fundraising. It’s a call to action: stable housing changes lives, especially for our children.

When we talk about housing, we often mention structures: walls, roofs, and foundations. But for children, home is much more. Home is where they sleep, learn, grow, and feel safe. It shapes their ability to succeed in school, build relationships, and imagine a future full of possibilities.

Unfortunately, not every child has that stability, and for many families, the challenge isn’t just affordability; it’s access.

Fair housing is the idea that everyone deserves equal opportunity to secure safe, decent housing, regardless of race, income, family status, or background. Laws have been in place for decades to protect these rights, but barriers still exist. Families can face discrimination, limited lending, or systemic challenges. These obstacles make it harder to achieve homeownership.

These barriers don’t just affect adults; they affect children in lasting ways.

When families are denied fair access to housing, children are more likely to move frequently, live in overcrowded homes, or face unsafe environments. Instability can disrupt education, harm mental health, and limit opportunities. Research shows that children who grow up in stable housing perform better academically, face fewer behavioral challenges, and are more likely to graduate high school.

Stability creates consistency, and consistency allows children to thrive.

At Habitat for Humanity Lakeside, we see both challenges and possibilities every day. We partner with families who are working hard, raising children, and contributing to our community. Many still face barriers to affordable, equitable homeownership. Through our programs, families invest their time in partnering, building alongside volunteers, and committing to long-term stability.

And the transformation is powerful.

Children who once lived in uncertainty now have a place to call their own. They have a quiet space to do homework and a neighborhood to build friendships. They know they won’t have to leave. Parents often tell us they see changes almost immediately. Improved behavior, better school performance, and renewed confidence are common.

A home provides more than shelter. It provides a foundation for opportunity. When that opportunity is fair and accessible, entire communities benefit.

The Home Is the Key campaign reminds us that we all have a crucial role in creating a solid foundation for our community. Act today: Donate, sign up to volunteer, or use your voice to champion fair housing practices. Each action directly impacts families and builds stronger, more equitable communities.

Here in Sheboygan County, every dollar raised stays local. It goes directly toward helping families achieve affordable homeownership, completing critical home repairs, and revitalizing neighborhoods. It supports children who deserve a stable place to grow up and a fair chance to succeed.

As a community, we pride ourselves on looking out for one another. Supporting both affordable and fair housing is one of the most impactful ways we can live out that value.
Because when we invest in housing, we’re not just building homes. We’re investing in the future of our community.
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Home is the key. Together, we can make sure every child has one. Every family should have a fair chance to build it.

Kewanna and her children in their as-yet-unfinished home.

By Habitat Lakeside staff

When Shawn and Carla were young, they dreamed of owning a dining table big enough to host future family gatherings, one complete with grown children, grandchildren, and other family members. In July of 2025, that dream started to come true when the two found a round cherrywood table at the Sheboygan ReStore.

The table, priced at $85, was made by Tom Seely, a furniture maker specializing in authentic reproductions of classic designs. As purchased, it was 50 inches round, had no leaves with which to expand it, and its chairs had stained cushions. Shawn and Carla, though, looked past its imperfections and saw possibilities.

​They took it home and embarked on an eight-month-long journey of turning a Sheboygan ReStore bargain into a family heirloom. “We have always loved creating and building,” Carla says. Over the years the couple, who live in Town of Herman, have laid a 180-foot-long brick driveway, added a bedroom, finished a basement, tiled a bathroom, and landscaped a yard, among other projects. “We prefer to do the work ourselves and feel great satisfaction in creating something beautiful,” Carla says. “It allows us to do more projects without debt.”

The two started by searching for planks to expand the table, which at the time of purchase sat only four people. “It was tricky to source 5/4-inch rough-sawn cherry,” Carla says. When they found it, Carla’s parents gave them the planks as a Christmas gift.

The couple then used Carla’s father’s basement to joint, plane, glue, and clamp the planks to turn them into leaves, drill holes for the pegs used to place the leaves in the table, then finish the whole tabletop with stain and polyurethane. They had planned to reupholster the chairs but found that that spot remover got the stains out of the cushions.

The finished result is a 10-foot-long oval table with six removable leaves and a detachable center leg. Wooden chairs from previously owned tables, or chairs found at the ReStore, accompany the four original chairs. The table can seat 12 comfortable, “14 if we’re cozy,” Carla says.

The table accommodated the couple, their grown children, and other family members for a recent Easter celebration. “It was a blessing to have,” Carla says. “This is the table we dreamed of having when our children were young.” When family members aren’t around, the couple can reduce the table to its original 50-inch round shape.

In addition to the $85 purchase price, the couple invested time and money to turn the Sheboygan ReStore purchase into a family treasure. Economizing, though, was never really the point. “This was an investment in our future, not really a money-saving venture,” Carla says. “It was the fulfillment of a dream of having as many people around our table as would fit in our space. We never expected to find this treasure at the ReStore,” she says.

The couple visits the store to find supplies that can work with whatever project they’ve embarked on. “It’s always fun to see what new items come in or what I can repurpose as my children are moving out of our home and attempting to furnish a place of their own,” Carla says.
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Interested in finding your own dream come true? “Try to look past the scratches and imperfections and see what it could become with some time and effort,” Carla says. “You never know what you will find.”

View the slide show below to see how the table progressed from ReStore find to family treasure.

By Charlie Allis, Habitat Lakeside marketing intern
Every donation to the Sheboygan ReStore has a story, from the moment it leaves a home to the moment it finds a new one. Each item plays a meaningful role in supporting our mission of providing safe, affordable, and stable housing to Sheboygan County.

Recently, a Sheboygan family that had decided to remodel their home donated several truckloads of items, including nearly new kitchen cabinetry, refrigerators, dishwashers, and washing machines, to the ReStore. Family members said they decided before the remodeling to donate their items to the ReStore.

ReStore employees picked up the donations to help the family and to ensure that everything made it safely to the ReStore. Once items arrived at the ReStore, they were carefully evaluated, priced, and prepared for sale, allowing each item to begin a new chapter with a new owner.

One new owner is Rhonda, a ReStore customer who purchased a vanity donated by the family. Rhonda and her family are renovating their own home and plan to purchase gently used items whenever possible. Rhonda said she liked the vanity’s rustic look, which fits well with her design concept for her home. At $150, the vanity, which came fully loaded with a faucet, cost a fraction of what a similar item would have cost new.

In short, what begins as an item once new, once loved, and no longer needed in one household becomes a valuable resource for another. This cycle of reuse ensures that top-quality materials continue to serve a purpose.

The impact of each ReStore sale goes beyond the transaction itself. Revenue generated from donated goods supports all of Habitat for Humanity Lakeside’s programs, helping families achieve safe, stable, and affordable housing. Every purchase made in the ReStore contributes directly to home builds, repairs, and community initiatives. Every donation helps keep the store filled and prevents perfectly usable items from ending up in the landfill.

ReStore gladly accepts donations of gently used items. “Make sure to check what we accept and be honest about the condition of it before donating,” says John Cassabaum, Sheboygan ReStore’s pickup ambassador. He also suggests that those who opt for a pickup (rather than dropping off items during store hours) post photos of the items to be donated. “That makes the pickup process more efficient,” John says.

This family that donated the high-end cabinetry and top-of-the-line appliances to Sheboygan ReStore didn’t have to do so. They could have had their contract demo the kitchen and cart the items away. Donating to the ReStore required an extra step from the family. Their generosity will make a difference long after their items have left the home.

ReStore shopper Rhonda and her new vanity

By Penny Rayfield, Habitat Lakeside family services manager

Partnering with Habitat Lakeside to become a homeowner is a transformative journey that can lead to creating generational wealth. While many believe the organization simply gives away houses, the reality is that the partnership is designed to set families up for long-term financial success.

Far from winning the lottery, prospective home buyers must be qualified and they must apply for the program. Here are 10 things to know about our homebuyer program.

1. You must live or work in Sheboygan County for at least six months and meet minimum and maximum income guidelines.
   
   
2. While there are national guidelines, Habitat operates through local affiliates. Each affiliate may have slightly different income limits based on their specific Area Median Income (AMI) and local housing costs. Sheboygan County income guidelines are shown below, to qualify your annual household income should fall within the guidelines in this chart.
   
   
3. The selection process is based on three core criteria; need, ability to pay and willingness to partner.
   
   Need for housing: Living in substandard, overcrowded, or unaffordable conditions.
   
   Ability to pay: Having a stable income to cover a monthly mortgage. 
   
   Willingness to partner: Committing to the program’s unique requirements. Instead of a large cash down payment, time is your investment. This typically involves 250 hours of volunteering for individual applicants and 400 total hours of volunteering for joint applicants. Partner families help build their own home, work on other Habitat projects, or volunteer at the Sheboygan ReStore.
   
   
4. All future homeowners must complete financial education courses covering budgeting, credit management, and home maintenance. The classes count towards the required volunteer hours, are designed to prepare partner families for the financial responsibilities of home ownership and provide lifelong skills.
   
   
5. Habitat homes do not negatively affect their surrounding neighborhood. Upon completion, the home is appraised, then sold to the partner family at market value. The total monthly mortgage payment (including taxes and insurance) does not exceed 27 percent of the applicant’s gross monthly income creating affordability.
   
   
6. You don't need a high credit score to apply. Habitat often looks at credit history over scores, focusing on whether you are currently paying bills on time and if you have recent bankruptcies or excessive collections.
   
   
7. You become a community ambassador when you buy a Habitat Lakeside home. Future homeowner families represent Habitat in their community. This might include sharing their stories at events or participating in media interviews to help the organization create awareness and raise funds for more homes.
   
   
8. Homes are built for sustainability and designed to be energy efficient, which keeps long-term utility costs low for the homeowner. Habitat Lakeside homes meet ENERGY STAR standards, meaning lower ongoing heating, cooling, and electrical expenses.
   
   
9. The process takes time, from the initial application, through the selection process and then to the day you move in, typically takes 12 to 18 months. It requires patience and a significant time commitment to complete all the program milestones.
   
   
10. Habitat homes are not custom built; the size of the home is based on family size and location is based on available land. As a future homeowner you do have the opportunity to choose your exterior colors, flooring, cabinet, and countertop colors. The homes come with donated new appliances, which is a great upfront cost savings for a home buyer.

 
There are various requirements to being a Habitat Lakeside homeowner, but the rewards outweigh the work involved. Habitat homeowners often report improved health and fewer environmental hazards, better educational outcomes for children, and the ability to build savings and family wealth through equity and energy‑efficient living.

A Habitat home provides an affordable, stable mortgage, support, training, and coaching, lower upfront costs, a community‑oriented homebuilding experience, energy‑efficient, newly built housing, and a lifelong partnership with Habitat Lakeside.

ReStore volunteer Karen (left) and Habitat Lakeside home buyer Kewanna at the Sheboygan ReStore.

By Wayne Casper
The week I spent back in March of 1992, working with my Sargento crew of about 15 fellow employees, was one of the fondest memories of my Sargento career.

From March 30 to April 3, the 16 of us worked with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity to build what I believe were the first two Habitat houses in the state of Wisconsin. The two homes were near Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood. The eventual owners worked side by side with us on the homes. While I had no previous construction experience, I was taught how to frame windows with aluminum siding stock. After a little trial and error, I got the hang of it with satisfactory results. Apparently, my Habitat trainer found me trainable.

During the project I stayed at the old Astor hotel on Milwaukee’s East Side. I remember falling asleep was easy after eight hours of work each day at the Habitat sites.

Over the course of the five days that we worked on the two houses, we got involved in several facets of new home construction. I remember measuring boards that were called for (measure twice, cut once), helping to frame the house with board, hammer and nail, and doing a lot of running around delivering boards and stuff to various people on the site who knew a lot more than I did about what was going on. The Habitat crew leaders were very friendly and helpful, and after a few days of working with us, they figured out where our strengths and weaknesses were in the realm of home construction.

I excelled most at running materials to those who were most experienced — it wasn’t their first rodeo.

The camaraderie at the work site was outstanding. The Habitat leaders, my fellow Sargento employees, and the two homes’ prospective owners all meshed well together as they focused on a common purpose: Building new homes and creating the American Dream.

The interesting thing was that I thought I would have lost weight after five six- to eight-hour days at the Habitat job sites. I gained four pounds, thanks to plenty of snacks and meals on the build site and very nice meals at Milwaukee restaurants in the evening.

I only worked on one Habitat project for an awesome reason: Sargento rotated the experience among other employees on future build involvements so that more people got a chance to experience building a Habitat for Humanity House. It takes a great company like Sargento to get many of their employees involved in a worthwhile endeavor like this. For this and other reasons, I will always treasure my 12 years at Sargento.

All in all, this was an unforgettable experience and provided wonderful memories of working for the Habitat organization. I recommend this experience to everyone.

Habitat Lakeside would love construction volunteers! For more information, please contact Penny Rayfield, our volunteer services manager: [email protected]
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Wayne Casper is a retired executive vice president of sales, marketing, and new product development at Sargento. At the time of his Habitat experience, he was vice president of new product development. 

By Michelle Schulz
I was standing in this beautiful museum, surrounded by Habitat for Humanity affiliates from all over the country. Beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling. I was surrounded by 500 people, all dressed in their best. And I had to ask myself: how did I get here? 

When I started, I had almost nothing. I was a single mother to two children, with the toughest decade of my life still fresh in my mind, and I was on a mission to rebuild my life. And now here I was, surrounded by nothing but good. 

I was attending the 2026 Habitat on the Hill, a Habitat for Humanity International legislative and advocacy conference held annually in Washington, D.C. The four days at the conference, spent meeting other Habitat-minded people, ended up becoming such a defining moment in my journey. It started with a solo plane ride to Washington, D.C., and I hadn’t flown in 25 years.

As soon as I touched down, I got to the hotel and started meeting people. It was like having a piece of home right in our nation’s capital. I was among people who had the same hopes as I did for affordable living and affordable housing. We were all gathered in one place with the same mission. We attended workshops. We talked about the issues that families are facing today. And groups of people went to the Capitol to speak to lawmakers about the steps we could take so more people could achieve that American dream of living in a home they could call their own. 

My favorite moment was meeting another homeowner, Doris, who had gotten her home at the same exact time as I did about eight years ago. It was so great to hear how our journeys aligned; it was as though we were on the same path, both directed to that meeting. She’s now a council member in her city, and she works for Habitat. Doris is proof that this program can work wonders in so many beautiful ways.

My attendance at Habitat on the Hill reminded me that your story matters, no matter where you’re from or what your story might be.

I also had the opportunity to meet Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. I let him know I was a homeowner, and he let me know how important it was that I was there, and that I was sharing my journey.
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If I’m ever offered the opportunity again, I would take it in a heartbeat. Nothing compares to spending time with people who feel like home and who are on the same exact mission as I am. I know where I started and I know where I am and I can’t wait to see the rest of my journey with Habitat for Humanity unfold.
 
Michelle Schulz (left) with Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, and Jacob Boyer, Habitat Lakeside board member.