Working in the nonprofit industry isn’t easy. It can often be compared to an actor trying to make it in Hollywood or a country musician strumming their guitar in Nashville with dreams of performing at the Grand Ole Opry. There are more “no” replies than “yeses,” more challenges than benefits, and a clichéd thick skin is required. So, why do people stay?

Surely the answer is different for everyone and this affiliate issue showcases just that. But, here at Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GSHFH), Marketing and Communications Manager Brandy O’Brien said she stays because she enjoys seeing how Habitat affects the public.
People who had no prior association with the nonprofit organization are so inspired and empowered by the mission, they have to get involved. They want to see the organization and its partner families do well. “Since I’ve been here, almost four years, I’ve worked with several young adult interns and met numerous youth volunteers, and their dedication is constant,” she said. “Even though they won’t directly benefit from the finished product, they want give all they can and they do.”
Greater Springfield Habitat is a medium-sized affiliate with a tiny staff. There are just four full-time employees and two part-time staffers who serve 13 cities and towns in Hampden County. In addition to the homeownership program, which builds one to three houses a year, GSHFH has a home preservation program. The home preservation program provides micro-loans to qualifying homeowners who need accessibility modifications, home weatherization, general home repairs, yard cleanup, and landscaping. Since opening its doors in 1987, Greater Springfield Habitat has built or repaired 129 homes in Hampden County.
This past winter, GSHFH welcomed two interns from a local high school to help plan and execute a countywide summer read-a-thon. The freshmen came in with little understanding of the nonprofit and are now working tirelessly, beyond the scope of their project, to raise money and awareness for the nonprofit.
“They’ve brought in countless pounds of empty, clean aluminum cans for a recycling effort and have increased the reach of social media by getting their friends and family to ‘follow’ Greater Springfield Habitat,” Brandy said. “Then, they asked what other projects they could help with after the read-a-thon project ended in August.
“I have never seen two kids so incentivized to do something for a nonprofit when they have nothing to personally gain from it,” Brandy said. “Yes, they get bragging rights and that feeling of doing good for the community, but it’s not like they’ll personally pocket the money. They’re really something incredible.”
In another instance, a local church’s youth group of seventh to twelfth graders recently built a standing planter for Greater Springfield Habitat for its summer mission-related project and had it delivered to the nonprofit. The seven teenagers worked with a church member, who is also a handyman, to complete the task. The planter will be given to the newest homeowner family when they move into their home.
“The goal was for the teens to have a hands-on heart change where they would be involved personally and collectively in these community projects. Our theme came from Micah 6:8 ‘To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God’,” said Assistant Pastor Peter Yoon, who leads the youth group at Second Baptist Church in South Hadley. “It was a challenging experience for the teens but also a powerful one. They could see that their lives can be connected to a much bigger vision and bigger things going on in the world around them.”
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