“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
~ Margaret Mead

Habitat for Humanity Tucson volunteers dedicate their time, talent and often their treasure to helping local families achieve the dream of homeownership.

Please take some time to read more about our volunteers and why they volunteer for Habitat Tucson. Many of these stories were written by volunteers themselves.

Dave Bezaire and Susi Havens-Bezaire

Dave Bezaire and Susi Havens-Bezaire are extreme examples of how deeply volunteers can become infected with “habititus”. From a start in Columbus, Ohio 20 years ago, their work has expanded to encompass Michigan, Mississippi, Arizona, Costa Rica, Ghana, Mexico, Guatemala, Thailand, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Ecuador and – coming up this summer – Botswana.

Click here to read the rest of Dave and Susi’s story.

Jan Hoffman

In the mid 80s, several families were transferred around the country by IBM.  Jan’s husband, Art, was a part of this temporary “transfer migration”, so the family moved from Poughkeepsie, NY to Tucson in 1987.

In the early 90s, when other IBM employees chose to return to “home”, the Hoffman family decided to remain in Tucson.  They felt that since Art’s job required frequent travel, remaining in Tucson would be less disruptive for their teenage children.

Once the children were grown and gone, Jan and her husband decided to move to the western part of Tucson and soon became immersed in…. Click here to read the rest of Jan’s story.

Jim Brohaugh

Like so many of our  Habitat Regulars, those loyal construction volunteers who can be counted on to be at any given build site on any given day throughout the year,  Jim Brohaugh has morphed in and out of several diverse careers before he came  to Habitat.

Growing up in Montana near Yellowstone Park, he remembers family trips with his big brother Don, to watch the bears forage through the garbage dumps.  Perhaps that is when he began to develop his very own unique sense of dry humor, wit, and imagination.  Those qualities, plus his talents as a homebuilder/ carpenter/woodworker, make Jim fun to be around.

Click here to read the rest of Jim’s story.

Judy Dare

Habitat Tucson (HT): Tell us about yourself.
Judy Dare (JD): I hail from Nebraska and have been in Arizona nearly 40 years.  I have a BS in Education from NAU and MPH from ASU.  My twin daughters live in California as does my granddaughter, Sarah.  (Sarah enjoys volunteering at the HabiStore when she visits in Tucson.)  My son lives in Tempe.  I retired as a Public Health Nutritionist and Teacher when I moved to Tucson 13 years ago.  Retirement has given me time to participate in numerous organizations in Tucson including Tucson Clean and Beautiful, VOICES, Inc., Old Pueblo Trolley, WAMO, and El Presidio Historic District Neighborhood Association.  I am active in the Unitarian Universalist Church.

Click here to read the rest of Judy’s story.

Rich Marciari

Rich is originally from New York City where he worked for IBM for 30 years. Along with his wife Josephine, Rich first came to Tucson on a business trip where the climate and community won them over, so it was decided that this was where they would move and retire.

Rich was finally able to transfer to Tucson 13 years ago and, while still working for IBM, became a part-time volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

Three years ago Rich retired from IBM, and this enabled him to become a regular full-time volunteer…Click here to read the rest of this story.

Pat Hirschman

Habitat Tucson (HT): Tell us about yourself.
Pat Hirschman (PH): I’m originally from Massachusetts where, I taught Special Education for 9 ½ years. In Massachusetts, I was involved in several volunteer organizations, including The Junior League, Learning Disabilities Assoc., the Conservation Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission. When I got married and moved to New York I started a new career working in the Operations Dept. of a large corporation headquartered in Manhattan…

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Dani Hitchcock

Dani Hitchcock started volunteering with Habitat in 1999 while helping her church, St. Philip’s of the Hills, work on their sponsored house. At that time she was one of the few women who came out to the construction site with her own tools. She claims that she discovered that pounding nails and building walls were great stress relievers. She also had a lot of fun and met some great people while building.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Dennis Navin

It seems that some of the nicest people volunteer for Habitat. Dennis Navin volunteers at the HabiStore and he is one of the nicest people. He and his wife Ellen moved to Tucson three years ago from Albany, New York. There he worked in the construction field after leaving the military. No school for him…he left that for his wife, who has her Master’s of Education and who worked at Excelsior College as a student advisor. Dennis said, “During the ‘60s in Albany all you had to do was show up at a construction site and they threw money at you!”

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Pat McGoey

Pat McGoey is lively, unassuming, an excellent conversationalist and delightful lunch companion. Twice she suggested that maybe someone else would be more interesting to interview, someone who works on houses. What she doesn’t realize is that she is indeed the perfect person to interview for the Habitat volunteer newsletter. Pat has been volunteering for ten years, working in the office in whatever ways she can…

…click here to read the rest of this story.

Jack Sanders

Habitat Tucson’s construction crews’ occupational skills run the gamut, from doctors to laborers, with teachers, engineers, bankers, farmers, and the military services well represented. The U.S. Air Force has provided several volunteers, with the presence of “Top Gun” jet fighter pilots. One of these elites is Jack Sanders, who spent 30 years in service to our country. An Arkansas native, who graduated from Washington University of St. Louis with a BS in Business Administration, and as an AFROTC participant, Jack followed the Orville and Wilbur legacy of “off we go into the wild blue yonder” …

…click here to read the rest of this story.

Dan Francis

Dan Francis is a fascinating man. He is articulate, has a master’s degree in Theater History, taught for many years at prestigious universities, and started his own business as an architectural photographer, all with his wife Stretch at his side. He makes lifelong friends and pursues his passions with…passion.

You will find Dan volunteering at Habitat for Humanity Tucson’s Habistore….

…click here to read the rest of this story.

“Builder Bob”

At the Habitat worksite he is known as “Builder Bob,” he signs the morning log as “BB,” nobody actually knows his last name, but a check of his driver’s license shows his parents named him Robert Schultz. He arrives at work in his Mustang convertible, usually with the top down, his T-shirt emblazoned with “and then God created Bob” full of enthusiasm for the day’s activities…

…click here to read the rest of this story.