sgusers5的部落格

Source: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, IowaDec.24小時迷你倉 31--WATERLOO -- Ali Parrish considers herself a "people person."She spent more than six years promoting empowerment, charity and teamwork as communications director of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa.Now, as the new executive director of Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, Parrish's focus is on sheltering them.Parrish took over the leadership position at the Waterloo-based Habitat chapter Dec. 5, as longtime director Linda Morgan prepared for a Dec. 20 retirement date.Parrish described the opportunity as a natural next step in her career."I have a deep passion for people, in particular, the idea that someone's home is a place to get their start," said Parrish, who grew up in Waterloo and earned a public relations degree at the University of Northern Iowa in 2000. "You feel safe, protected and loved and supported. I've had some experiences where I've been in some people's homes where that's not the background people have, so it's just one of those things that's personal to me."Parrish, who handled a variety of duties both officially and unofficially at the Community Foundation, said her experience there provided some necessary insights into what her current position would require."I feel my experiences at the Community Foundation were important, seeing it from a donor's perspective, the community's perspective, because I felt like not only do I have a passion for homes and families and for making the community the best place it could be, I also felt I had the background where I could be some use here and bring experiences that would be valuable."The Community Foundation's goal was to contribute grants to projects and organizations that are designed to build a better Cedar Valley, Parris said.She cited the Foundation's Women in Philanthropy group, which helps to provide funding for women's and girls' programs, as particularly satisfying -- and not unrelated to what she does now."Before I left, we were just completing our second round of a competitive grant cycle for the women's fund, where we were able to give away $10,000," she said, citing a renovation at House of Hope as a beneficiary."Our $10,000 helped leverage the funding and did that in collaboration with Iowa State students in the landscaping architecture and interior design departments," Parrish said. "Women feel it's safe place to come. They fe迷你倉旺角l more respected and valued. They have a donation room and can shop for items they need for their families. The kitchen was renovated with an extra sink and stove, so more people could be in there and have a supportive and nice place to live."Habitat is going about the same type of work, she said. Would-be homeowners put in sweat equity on other projects before they start on their own home. They work side-by-side with volunteers -- many of them regulars -- as someone's new home takes shape."The volunteers are incredible," said Parrish, who also is learning about the building projects first-hand on sites. "We have a group of what we call the regulars that come on Mondays and Thursdays, and I believe a lot of them are retired gentlemen, for the most part. Some are from John Deere. One is from Viking Pump. They come every Monday and Thursday and work on homes. We also have a Nazareth Lutheran crew that comes on Tuesdays. We also partner with AmeriCorps and have a crew that comes on Wednesdays."Deere also sends current employees out regularly each year to do "full builds," Parrish said."There are different people each time, but there are always a couple from John Deere. We have various businesses and churches that will provide volunteer crews."Students from UNI, Wartburg College and institutions from outside the area also show up for help out each year, generally during spring breaks, Parrish said.Habitat has built 119 homes in three area counties -- primarily Black Hawk -- since 1991. In 2013, 12 homes were completed in Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Waverly, plus a home-repair project in Hudson, Parrish said.Twelve more projects already are lined up for 2014: 10 in Waterloo and two in Cedar Falls, she said.Morgan, who retired officially Dec. 20 after more than 20 years with the organization, said Habitat is in good hands."She has great knowledge of the community and its needs because she's a lifelong Waterloo resident, and as an Iowa resident, she's very familiar with the state and its citizens," Morgan said. "I think she'll move the homebuilding program forward and stay focused on the mission on building homes with families and community volunteers. I see only good things ahead."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) Visit Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) at .wcfcourier.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage