Who
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Dave Bezaire, 54, has been the house leader on seven Habitat builds in Columbus, three of which were blitz builds during the Ohio State Fair, and he has participated in Global Village missions trips to Ghana, Mexico, Guatemala, Thailand. He has just finished his second term on the HFH-GC Board and he also helps out on the construction committee. Since retiring 5 years ago, Dave finds Habitat a great way to live his faith while playing with great toys... err…umm… tools.
Randall Bustamante, 29, is a high school English teacher at Mandela High School in Oakland, California. When not up late lesson planning or grading papers, he enjoys taking hikes, running, playing softball, and helping coach their girls' soccer team. He tells us, "I'm also guilty of being a bit too silly, sarcastic and dramatic, but I try to balance that with consideration. I love teaching because I love working with youth. My second favorite thing in the world is to be a camp counselor." Randy treasures volunteer work and is looking forward to his first Habitat for Humanity experience. He also notes, "I am a retired Catholic and a fluent Spanish speaker as my parents immigrated from Costa Rica and Mexico, respectively."
Stephanie Fishman, 24, currently lives in Chicago, and feels that growing up in Los Angeles helped her learn to relate to people of many cultures. She is looking forward to this experience because "I hope to grow as a person and help families to have a comfortable and safe place to live." Stephanie has traveled throughout the Caribbean, Europe and Tahiti, and is a beginning Spanish speaker. She enjoys being outdoors, running, and says she "is looking forward to creating lasting relationships with the team."
Lauren Haskins, 22, will graduate next winter from Oregon State University with a major in Political Science and a minor in Spanish. She hopes to work in the Peace Corps -- a perfect fit for her love of traveling and learning about other cultures. "I hope that through this Habitat Global Village experience I will meet interesting people from the Dominican Republic and hopefully discover some more about myself. I'm also excited to meet the other group members and have a life changing and rewarding experience with them." Lauren enjoys being outdoors and playing soccer.
Susi Havens-Bezaire, 55, began volunteering for HFH-GC in 1989 to help plan the 15th Anniversary celebration of HFHI, held in Columbus. Following that wonderful event where she met President Jimmy Carter and Milliard Fuller, she directed her volunteer efforts to fund raising for the local affiliate. She has served two terms as a Board member (7 years), filled in as Interim Executive Director for 8 months, and continued to focus on resource development. In 2004, at the request of the Executive Director of HFH-GC, she organized the first Global Village trip from Columbus, Ohio. Having seen the deplorable living conditions in developing countries and experienced the wonderful impact that Habitat has on people's lives, she continues and so far has led trips to Ghana, Mexico, Guatemala, Thailand.
Marissa McBride, 23, is currently finishing her degree in Boulder, Colorado. During the previous 1½ years she traveled & lived in Greece, Italy, Moscow, Spain, Germany, Portugal and Paris. She defines herself as multicultural and enjoys running, playing soccer, and practicing yoga.
Lauri Meyer, 49, works with information technology at Nationwide in Columbus, Ohio. She is the mother of 4 children, 2 of which are grown, the other 2 teenagers. Lauri is grateful to be joining the team for her first GV experience with Habitat for Humanity because it has always been her greatest desire to immerse herself in another culture.
Lauri says, “I was fortunate to have been born in this rich country where I never had to experience hunger, poverty, anarchy, terror or any of the many other deprivations humans suffer on a daily basis.” She is thankful for the opportunity to give back a little and wants people in other parts of the world to know that Americans are a generous and compassionate people.
Cristabel Sosa, 23, is the Global Village Coordinator on the HfH Dominican Republic staff who arranges myriad trip details including food, lodging, work schedules, R&R, etc. She lives in the capital city of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, and next semester she will graduate from Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo with a degree in Clinical Psychology.
Cristabel, daughter of a writer and a journalist, has pursued numerous volunteer and cross-cultural positions. She served as interpreter and guide for mission teams brought to DR by the Círculo Juvenil and the International Youth Initiative. She volunteered on the Logos II ship along with more than 200 volunteers from 46 nations where she worked in the kitchen and as an interpreter. She also coordinated volunteer logistics and training for the Make Trade Fair campaign organized by Intermon Oxfam and Oxfam International at her university.
Cristabel immensely enjoys art (music, photography, writing), making new friends, seeing new places, cooking, learning new stuff, singing when she's driving, and eating ice cream. She tell us, "I look forward to meeting and working alongside all of you for this amazing cause!!!"
Laura Stritzke, 19, has completed her first year at Hope College in Michigan. She worked with the Columbus Global Village Team mission to Mexico in 2006. She loves being with friends and family, sharing with people, and experiencing new places.
Thelma Tappin, 74, is an active volunteer at Scarborough Grace Hospital near Toronto. She has traveled to Kenya and Sudan on previous mission trips, and has recently completed a house build with the local Habitat affiliate in Scarborough. Thelma keeps fit by walking, tai chi and tearing up the clubs with her weekly line dancing. She and her husband are originally from Guyana in South America. Thelma says, "I look forward to learning about and sharing with the people of the Dominican Republic, and building friendships with all the team."
Geralyn Thompson,joins us as a 33 year-old special educator from Boston, MA. Her public school teaching experience ranges from middle school to pre-school, which is where she has found her niche. Last summer she began her quest for bilingualism and better communication with her students and families, studying Spanish at a language school in Oaxaca, Mexico. This summer she is anxious to combine her physical strength with her love of travel and new cultural experiences with our grown-up Team in the Dominican. As a Cape Cod native, the ocean always pulls her close. Geralyn anticipates Habitat becoming a repeated and revisited experience in her life.
Shawn Wernig, 23, will begin studying Architecture Technology at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in the Fall. He recently returned from doing civil construction in northern Canada for 1½ years, where, while becoming an expert in building with concrete, he learned that he is better suited to a different pace and lifestyle than north Alberta. He says, "I'm extremely excited for this endeavor and look forward to my first Habitat for Humanity build with great enthusiasm. I hope to take my knowledge and experiences to the Dominican Republic where I can help families and be part of a more global community." He speaks English and some French, and enjoys running, painting, sketching, reading & journaling.
Kevin Yavorcik, 20, is a pre-med student at Pittsburgh University who says, "I'm really excited to make a lasting difference in somebody's life who isn't as fortunate as we are here in America." He’s excited at the prospect of putting his 5 years of Spanish studies to work, but adds, "Hopefully I'll be able to speak some Spanish, but I look to help out the team mostly by a positive attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes to build a home in 2 weeks!" He enjoys playing classical piano to relax, and has been active in football and basketball.
Marjorie Ward, retired in 2004 from the faculty of the Ohio State University College of Education where for 26 years she coordinated the graduate program for teachers of students with visual impairments (low vision and blind). She worked with Columbus Global Village Team missions to Ghana and Thailand, and is now an active volunteer with the local Habitat for Humanity—Greater Columbus affiliate. In 2006, she visited a Presbyterian Church mission hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo with a medical mission team, and participated in an Elderhostel Service trip to Jackson, Wyoming. Marge has taught both general and special education, completed graduate work at the University of Pittsburgh, and served on the Penn State University faculty. She continues to tackle new challenges in service to humanity including chairing the Missions Team of Bethel Presbyterian Church. In her spare time she likes to bicycle and ski.
Vivien Yip, 18, is a high school student in Toronto where she volunteers at a senior center and a youth program. She is very excited to support Habitat for Humanity with both her donation of funds for houses in the Dominican Republic and also her work with the families to build them. Vivien enjoys sports including running, rugby, football, tennis and field hockey.