By Sam Parnitzke, Habitat Lakeside marketing intern

​Families all over Sheboygan County will soon settle down for the holidays. Snow is already beginning to stick to rooftops and car windows. Thanksgiving and its promise of a golden-brown turkey and a Packers victory is right around the corner. It’s a day of expressing gratitude and spending time with family.

On Friday, another kind of spending begins.

Thousands will head to the stores on so-called Black Friday to nab deals on everything from this season’s hottest toy to a gigantic smart TV. Saturday, with any luck, loads of people will flock to local stores, including the Sheboygan ReStore, for Shop Local/Small Business Saturday. And on Monday, Dec. 1, millions if not more will tap at keyboards and phone screens to get the best Cyber Monday bargains.

By Tuesday? Well, whatever's left might go to local nonprofits to honor Giving Tuesday, launched in 2012 to persuade people to donate to nonprofits across the country. It might well be observed that, given the traditional cadence of the days after Thanksgiving, giving pulls up dead last.

Isn’t it time to change that cadence?

Habitat Lakeside has joined Early Giving Day, an initiative that wants to reverse that sequence. Early Giving Day, started by Milwaukee’s Urban Ecology Center in 2021, designates Nov. 25, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, as the day to support community nonprofits.

​“Before the hustle and bustle of the traditional shopping weekend, Early Giving Day invites everyone to take a moment to reflect on the needs of our community and to care for one another,” say the people behind Early Giving Day, now a collaborative of more than 30 nonprofit organizations.

With the question of affordability on everyone's mind, this is exactly the kind of outreach the community needs. Across Sheboygan County, plenty of families will have no Thanksgiving dinner. Plenty of people will have no one with whom to share that day of football and food. They won’t have cash to spend on Black Friday, Shop Local Saturday, or Cyber Monday. Who are they? A neighbor, a coworker, the person who scans your groceries at the Piggly Wiggly.

As a faith-based organization, Habitat is totally on board with the spirit of giving rather than getting. “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously,” reads the verse from 2 Corinthians. “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” From Acts: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” As for timing, the instructions on tithing specify “first fruits,” which most interpret as “give first.”

In our opinion, giving is the best way to express gratitude and to acknowledge the abundance many of us enjoy. Think of Early Giving Day as a way to kick-start the holiday season and enjoy a fresh perspective on what it means to give and to receive.

Thank you for your support. Together, we build homes, communities, and hope.

Photo montage: Double Vision Films, Sheboygan Falls, Wis.

By Le’Shay Guy, Habitat Lakeside executive director

​As I reflect on this past year, I’m reminded time and again that when a community comes together, incredible things happen. That’s exactly what our upcoming Raise the Roof gala on Friday, Feb. 6, at The Village at 170 is all about: coming together to celebrate, connect, and continue building homes, community, and hope across Sheboygan County.

Every nail hammered, every wall raised, and every family that turns the key to their new home begins with the generosity of people like you. Raise the Roof is one of my favorite nights of the year because it’s a chance to be in the same room with so many of the hearts and hands that make Habitat’s mission possible.
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The need for affordable housing in our county continues to grow, and families are working harder than ever to find stability. At Habitat Lakeside, we’ve made it our mission to change that story, one family, one home, one neighborhood at a time.

Funds raised at this event will directly support:

• Building more homes for local families in need of stability
• Expanding critical repair programs that keep families safe in their homes
• Continuing Fulfilling our goal of reaching five homes built per year by 2029, if not sooner

​This work can’t happen without our community’s continued support, and your presence at the Gala is part of what keeps this mission alive.

The evening will feature a warm atmosphere at The Village at 170, inspiring stories from our partner families, and a few surprises along the way. You’ll also hear how your generosity has helped us make incredible progress toward our multi-year goals and how we plan to do even more in 2026.
Most of all, you’ll feel the impact in every story, every conversation, and every shared moment of hope.
Whether you’ve supported Habitat Lakeside for years or are learning about us for the first time, there’s a place for you at our table. You can:
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• Attend Raise the Roof and bring a friend or colleague who shares your passion for community.
• Sponsor the event to help us underwrite costs and expand our reach.
• Donate to help build the next home and support the next family in need of safe, affordable housing.

​Each act of generosity, large or small, helps us move closer to a future where everyone has a decent, affordable place to live.

I hope you’ll join me and the rest of the Habitat Lakeside family on Friday, Feb. 6, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at The Village at 170. Together, we’ll celebrate what we’ve built and all the lives we’ll continue to change in the years ahead.

by Sam Parnitzke, Habitat Lakeside marketing intern
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Not many people in the world know what it's like to see a Habitat Lakeside House go up piece by piece.
There’s something to be said about looking to your left and seeing a retired paper manufacturer secure a roof truss. Or on your right, the retired custodian, armed with a nail gun, making sure the support is steady. Seven guys stand in front of a wooden skeleton. With multiple generations separating the oldest and the youngest, they work hand in hand to make sure one more family has a decent, affordable place to live.

I can’t sit here and show you the “volunteer feeling.” Words don’t even do justice to what I saw. But what makes it worthwhile is being surrounded by lifelong volunteers who have a heart for serving Sheboygan County. They spend weeks on end devoting their skills and time because they believe in our mission just as much as we do. They crawl up scaffolding, walk fearlessly across roofs, and collectively lift hundreds of pounds of lumber. What stands out to me the most is the community within the community. As the guys spend hours on end, working towards a goal that will never benefit any of them personally, they talk. They talk, they joke; they debated last night’s game, and if the Packers defense had taken the next step yet. In that moment they were nothing more than just regular guys.

The truth is that these volunteers don’t need to be out in the sun for eight hours a day putting up trusses. Our volunteers don’t need to be 75 years old and still work with a nail gun like they’re a half-century younger. Our volunteers aren’t required to be gracious givers who are firm in their search to put God’s love into action. They are never required, yet they show up and do the work. What I observed and worked alongside were six other guys who inspired me to work harder because I could see their vision. I could feel their commitment.

Spending a couple hours a week on these jobsites has been one of the coolest working experiences of my life. I came in as an office intern who had very little knowledge of that side. I don’t know if I could have told you the difference between a framing hammer and a straight bar. However, I never felt lost. They taught me the skills I needed and made sure that what I was doing was right. I vividly remember Jon teaching me the precise angle to maximize leverage on a drill and Paul showing me how to shovel gravel in a way that doesn't make your forearms burn. Even if it meant measuring far more times than I cut, it was a reward to see the finished product being added to the house.

The coolest thing about my experience? It doesn't have to be just mine. Becoming a build site volunteer has never been easier. You don’t need certifications or training, even skills are nothing compared to a strong work ethic. I wish I could shout from the rooftops how much personal fulfillment comes from driving past a house you worked on. To be able to see that plot of land looks a thousand times more beautiful now than when you first arrived. To me, working on a build site means joining the front lines of mission for good. To me, working on the build site means joining the Habitat family.

Marketing Intern Sam Parnitzke volunteering at the build site for Habitat Lakeside House No. 53.