Habitat couples

Steve and Ivy Goers

Steve was on one of Habitat’s Global Village volunteer trips in Malaysia when he met Ivy, who worked for Habitat at the time.

“I was at orientation, and one of the team leaders told a story about how she met her husband on a build. I remember thinking, ‘Like that’s going to happen. I am on the completely other side of the planet.’ Meeting my wife was the most opposite thing that I expected to shake out of that trip, which tells me there is a higher power at work.”

“My husband and I both care about the work of Habitat. I think Habitat creates community, not just between Habitat and the homeowner, but also between the homeowner and the volunteers and the homeowner and their new community.”
— Habitat supporter Catherine Dixon met her husband, Dave, of 14 years at a church-sponsored build

Carli Stark and Andrew Nelson

Carli worked at Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota as an AmeriCorps member before pursuing a career in law. She and Andrew, a Habitat volunteer, asked friends and family to give to Habitat instead of giving them wedding presents.

“I talked to Andrew about the fact that we were going to have to do a registry for our wedding and asked, ‘What the heck are we going to ask for?’ We have stable housing, are able to pay our bills with some extra, and have more than enough love from each other, family and friends to last our lifetime. We both knew immediately that we wanted to give to Habitat Minnesota because we had seen firsthand the great things the organization can accomplish. We have always believed that decent, affordable housing should be a basic right for all people, no matter their socioeconomic status.”

“Habitat helped my husband and me see how valuable a home can be. It also makes us appreciate our home even more. Having a home allows us to share what we have with others.”
— Deanna Manbeck, who worked with Central Delaware Habitat as an AmeriCorps member, met her husband, Joe, at the Habitat AmeriCorps Build-a-Thon in 2010. He served as an AmeriCorps member with Habitat Spokane.

Ann and Jim Dowman

Ann, a retired schoolteacher from Valdosta, Georgia, first met Jim on a Global Village trip to New Zealand, where he is a local volunteer. The couple volunteers with Habitat in New Zealand and leads Global Village teams building around the world.

“Jim and I really believe in the Habitat model and consider it a real privilege that we can do it together. We know so many folks who like to do volunteer work but end up having to do it without their partner, so we think we are pretty lucky to feel so passionate about the same thing.”

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