Geoff is surrounded by family members who love to volunteer. While Geoff was growing up, his mother volunteered anywhere she could, and his wife regularly spends time at seniors’ programs, elementary school reading programs, and children’s programs in their community. It is no wonder then that Geoff himself loves to donate his time to Habitat for Humanity.
Despite spending a great deal of his time volunteering at Habitat, you won’t be able to find Geoff in just one place. From November to April, he lends a hand in our ReStores, helping anywhere he is needed. This includes unloading donations from trucks or helping customers on the floor. In the summer, Geoff parts ways with the internal side of ReStore and instead spends his sunny days maintaining the lawns and properties at two of our Edmonton ReStores.
Geoff has long enjoyed lawn maintenance, having created his own landscaping company while in university. His support of Habitat began when, after retiring, he didn’t want to part ways with his passion, and so he uses his landscaping skills where he can for Habitat. When Geoff heard about ReStore, he was hooked, and he has volunteered both inside and outside of ReStore since.
As a believer in Habitat’s philosophy of a “hand-up, not handout”, Geoff understands how the Habitat program transforms lives and leads to generational change. He loves to support those in his community who need affordable homeownership and, through his volunteer work at ReStore, he knows he is playing a part in empowering them. He has seen firsthand how hard Habitat’s homeowners work to own their home and how appreciative they are for the opportunity.
In addition to the community support, Geoff loves to volunteer at ReStore because of the people. Having travelled to over 50 countries for work, he has met many people in his lifetime and wants to meet more! From volunteers and staff to ReStore customers, Geoff enjoys getting to know people, and he brings plenty of friends to volunteer with him at ReStore. The next time you visit a ReStore, keep an eye out for Geoff. He might be inside helping customers or outside tending to the lawn, but either way, he is making positive change in his community.
