For about ten years, Lucy Denzin was the Habitat Coordinator at All Saints Lutheran Church in Lilburn. She organized volunteers and meals for the church’s sponsored Habitat builds in Gwinnett County. In 2012, she and her husband, Damon, moved to Marietta. With her husband’s support, she stepped away from her 25 year career in health care management and administration to give back through volunteerism for all the blessings they have received in their lives. They chose four areas: housing for the homeless, environmental stewardship, elder care and youth mentoring. Lucy works with our affiliate’s Gray Ghosts during the week. She is a Trail Ambassador, a Crew Leader and student program leader at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. During tax season, she assists in the AARP Tax-Aide program, providing free tax preparation help to low- and moderate-income seniors. She also mentors a Marietta City School student through Marietta Mentoring for Leadership.
Lucy found our Habitat affiliate through our website and volunteered for a Thursday build. She said, “I had no skills, but a willing heart.” All the Gray Ghosts were very patient with her. She especially remembers that George Davis was extremely patient and even encouraged her to return. She still considers herself a “novice,” but enjoys the opportunity to learn new skills and work alongside the others.
Since Lucy had organized volunteers for so many years, I asked her what she would say to someone who was thinking of volunteering. She said, “Particularly for those who are retired, how can you not find something where you give back? Finding a volunteer activity where you can make a difference in even just one person’s life gives you a reason to keep going.” As for Habitat in particular, she said, “Habitat volunteering has the added benefit of learning skills that can be applied in the rest of your life. After learning some of the jobs at Habitat, I have tackled repairing sheetrock, installing baseboards and changing out door knobs. These are things I would never have tried in the past.” (Footnote: Habitat promises not tell your friends and relatives about your newly acquired skills.)