Volunteers are the heart and soul of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro – the local chapter of this international organization presented its 2016 volunteer awards during this morning’s annual volunteer-appreciation breakfast. Founded in 1987, Habitat Greensboro celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Arnold Jeffries won the 2016 Joe White Volunteer of the Year Award. Jeffries has been a Habitat volunteer since 2003; he began volunteering with Habitat on Saturdays with a group from St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church but later moved to Habitat Greensboro’s “weekday crew;” since 2007, Jeffries has volunteered nearly every Wednesday and Thursday and has become an integral part of the Habitat Greensboro construction crew. The Joe White Volunteer of the Year award is named for the late Joe White who helped build Habitat Greensboro’s first house in 1987 and volunteered on more than 400 Habitat Greensboro houses.
Geneva Metzger and Joseph Stiefel are co-winners of the 2016 Gerard Davidson Lifetime Achievement Award. Metzger has been active with Habitat Greensboro since the chapter started in the late 1980’s. She has served as a Habitat board member, weekday crew member, family-selection chair and as a member of numerous committees. In addition, she provides meals for Habitat’s AmeriCorps members and collegiate-challenge students and faithfully contributes her resources to Habitat. Metzger is a retired pastor.
Stiefel began volunteering for Habitat Greensboro in 2002 when he was drafted by another member of the weekday crew, Palmer Shelburne. Since then, he has been a consistent member of the weekday crew working with the construction staff most weeks during the year. Stiefel is a retired neurologist who moved to Greensboro with his wife, Nancy, in 1962. The Gerard Davidson Lifetime Achievement Award is named for Davidson who has played an active role in almost every facet of Habitat Greensboro and led 18 mission trips to Honduras.
“On behalf of everyone at Habitat Greensboro, including our board of directors, we congratulate our 2016 volunteer award winners,” Habitat Greensboro CEO Maria Hanlin said. “We are proud of every person that volunteers with Habitat Greensboro no matter how large their commitment, but each year, we like to recognize some volunteers who have made a commitment to the Habitat mission that elevates them to leadership roles within not only our volunteer team but also our entire Habitat Greensboro community. We are eternally grateful to them for their long-standing commitment to our mission and to building the Greensboro community one house at a time.”