Making a difference through the RV Care-A-Vanners
Even though life wasn’t always easy for Ron Vandeveld, he sought to make an impact – and throughout his 84 years, he did, in ways both big and small.
As a young child, Ron contracted whooping cough, a respiratory disease that left him developmentally disabled. At the time, schools weren’t equipped to accommodate students with special needs. Frustrated, Ron dropped out in the eighth grade. Refusing to let his disability define his life, he pursued other paths.
Ron joined the U.S. Army where he served as a fuel truck driver during the Korean War and, upon returning home to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, served his community for three decades as a sanitation worker. Although he never married or had children, Ron took great pride in the role of uncle, making sure his nieces and nephews never lost a soup label collecting contest. And like clockwork, every month for years and years, he wrote $10 checks to causes that he most believed in.
One of those causes was Habitat for Humanity. Ron’s younger brother, Dave, and sister-in-law, Mary, are long-time volunteers through Habitat’s RV Care-A-Vanner program. RV Care-A-Vanners journey from state to state, hooking up their RVs and lending a hand at Habitat offices and build sites. From responding to disasters at a moment’s notice to leading safety trainings for Habitat volunteers and staff, roughly 2,000 RV Care-A-Vanners crisscross the country to help ensure that Habitat families — no matter what time zone they live in — have a decent place to live.
For several years, Ron Vandeveld was one of these traveling housing champions, throwing himself into Habitat’s mission. His time on the build site confirmed the indelible difference that a house can have on a family, especially the children. “Seeing what a house could do for a child left a mark on Ron and was why he wanted to support Habitat,” Mary says. “Once you get kids into a stable environment and into one school system, they do so much better. Time and time again, we’ve seen that.”
It was in this spirit that Ron planned out how he was going to make his biggest impact on the world after he was gone. The mere thought of not using the money he had saved during his lifetime in a way that could do the most good brought Ron to tears. “There were times that he surprised you with his big thinking, with his thoughtfulness,” his sister-in-law says.
Ron Vandeveld died on Sept. 21, 2018. He left behind money to build two Habitat houses. One of those homes began going up in Fort Myers, Florida, when hundreds of RV Care-A-Vanners descended to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their program and the life of an honorary RV Care-A-Vanner named Ron.
For the families who will benefit from Ron’s gift, the houses represent a launching pad. They represent a safe and stable place from which they can invest in their futures — efforts that will grow and build across generations to come. For Ron, the houses will be a legacy fulfilled, a lifelong impact a lifetime in the making.
“He wanted to make a difference,” his sister-in-law says. “And through Habitat, he will for a long time to come.”
Like Ron Vandeveld, you can make a difference beyond your lifetime. Learn how.