Former Board Member

When Monte started as a board member in 1998, there was no staff at Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity besides a part time Executive Director and a part time office assistant. They hardly had enough funds to build a home a year or enough volunteers to find the families in need to live in the homes. "The staff and the organization grew to a capacity that I could never imagine and it is wonderful to see how many families that are getting served, but the problems are still the same," said Monte, "You will always need money, volunteers and families."

     Monte has worked in the computer business since 1965, long before any of us even knew what one was. We asked him how he got involved with Habitat even though he didn't have any experience in construction. "Construction is the end product. It's the easy part. There is so much more to it." He talked about how he continued to stay involved with Habitat because of the philosophy of Hand Up Not Hand Out. "We are assisting the families to improve their lives and to make it more meaningful."

     Monte moved from being volunteer coordinator at his church, to a board member, to president of the board and even an interim Executive Director for six months. He has done and seen it all! He has even seen the Mortgage Burning to house number one back in 1999. "It was quite a moving story. She was a divorced woman who lost custody of her children because she didn't have a home for them to live in. However, once the home was dedicated, they were able to move back in." After hearing that story, it is easier to understand the mission of Habitat. To provide families in need with a safe place to call home.