Joann Bon is a people person, and she says her job at Habitat Tucson’s Habistore serves as a strong backbone to her social life. When people ask where she works, she is usually greeted with enthusiasm and a slew of questions.

“Then I get to tell them the whole story,” she says with a smile.

Joann enjoys promoting the store by telling people the mission of Habitat, and she admits that sometimes she’ll come in on her days off to do some shopping or drop off donations. She also promotes the store by donning Habitat tee-shirts and bumper stickers all around town.

“All my neighbors know where I work,” Joann says.

It is little surprise that Joann can communicate in more languages than one. She can speak Spanish and Russian and this ability allows her to get a better grasp of what HabiStore customers are looking for when they come into the store.

“It’s nice when people come in looking for something specific and I can say, ‘You’re looking for a twin-size sleeper sofa? It’s right here,” Joann said. Adding, “knowing what they need is nice.”

Joann also enjoys exchanging cultural differences with volunteers and homeowners from other countries.

“A lot of the homeowners are people like you and I,” she said. “They’re excited about getting their new home, and they’re eager to put in the sweat equity here.”

By working alongside one another and communicating, Joann and her fellow coworkers get the job done and learn from each other in the process.

By Sierra Russell