Columbus Global Village Team leads Habitat for Humanity Mission Trips: Mexico 2006 : Team Members

Team Members

Meet the team that worked in Amecameca in January 2006!

Photo of team near stairway

Kia Abbgy, 18, is a senior at Worthington Kilbourne High School. Originally from Virginia Beach, VA, she enjoys warm weather and saltwater beaches. She is very nature-oriented and spends most of her time outdoors, either hiking, studying, writing, thinking, or simply relaxing. After high school, Kia would like to further her studies in psychology and/or sociology. In participating in the Columbus To Mexico 2006 Global Village trip, she hopes to gain knowledge and understanding of Central American culture while doing her part to help those in need.
Dave Bezaire, 53, has been the house leader on six builds in Columbus, two of which were blitz builds during the Ohio State Fair, and he has participated in a Global Village mission to Ghana, Africa. He is in his second term on the HFH—GC Board and he also helps out on the construction committee. Since retiring 4 years ago, Dave finds Habitat a great way to live his faith while playing with great toys... err…umm… tools.
Kathy Ehrman is our most experienced Habitat volunteer, having begun with her church in 1987 and not showing any signs of slowing down to this day! She has participated in a couple dozen builds, including all the State Fair projects. In 1994, Kathy stepped up to be the House Leader on the first Women's Build and has led 5 more since then.

Kathy is a Medical Technologist certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathology as a Specialist in Blood Banking. She has years of experience at Children's Hospital in Columbus and Licking Memorial Hospital in Newark and is currently seeking other employment.

Kathy is a very dedicated missionary. Yearly trips with groups of junior and senior high students and adults have benefited New York City; Los Angeles; the Jicarilla Indian reservation in Ducle, NM; Reynosa, Mexico / McAllen, Texas; Boston; Toledo and Marietta, Ohio; and several Appalachian area projects in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. In 2004 she ventured to Bolivia where she worked in Santa Cruz and San Jose de Chiquitos.

Kathy has spent much of the Fall of 2006 doing hurricane relief work on the Gulf Coast. She is currently in Ocean Springs, Mississippi helping spearhead a local church's cleanup and rebuilding work.
Susi Havens, 54, 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, which she led to Ghana, Africa in January 2005.
Dale Krummen, 55, is a native of Indiana with degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue and the Ohio State University. He has been employed by American Electric Power for 28 years. Dale’s work experience includes engineering, construction and maintenance of electrical generating plants and transmission substations. He and his wife Rosa have two children, Brian and Monica. Brian is a member of the IT department at the Nationwide Insurance Company in Columbus, Ohio. Monica recently completed her first year of graduate school at Marymount University in Arlington Virginia.

Dale has participated in several HFH builds in the Columbus area. After graduating from college, he joined the Peace Corps and spent four years working in Ecuador in a rural electrification program. He enjoyed the Latin American culture and people while there and is looking forward to the Columbus To Mexico 2006 Global Village experience.
Erik Lambert, 35, is the Construction Director for Habitat for Humanity-Greater Columbus where he has worked for the past three years. He also has a background in computer operations and programming.

Erik is the proud father of two beautiful teenage sons, and also enjoys a wonderful committed relationship with his girlfriend and her four children.

He loves outdoor activities especially snow skiing. As he embarks on his first missionary trip, he says that, "I very much look forward to a hands-on, spiritually engaging experience".
Frank Martens, Frank Martens, 63, retired 3 years ago from the Ohio Civil Rights Commission where he was an Administrative Law Judge for 22 years. Although he still dabbles in the law as an arbitrator and mediator, he is pursing other interests. These include 5 grandchildren, golf, biking, tennis, birding, bridge, scrabble, and service to the community. Frank and his wife of 39 years, Karen, are active members of the Newman Center. Frank is also on the Board of Neighborhood Services Inc and has been a Habitat for Humanity supporter for many years. Now he wants to be more active and get some “hands on” experience, including the Columbus to Mexico 2006 Global Village mission trip.
Scott Moore, 45, is Vice President of Transmission Operations at American Electric Power. He is a member of St. Brigid of Kildare Roman Catholic church in Dublin, Ohio where he serves as a lector. He volunteers many Saturdays with the Dublin Habitat for Humanity Partnership. He is also an Eagle Scout and serves as an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 117 Dublin. Scott's wife, Anne, works for the Ohio Department of Health and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Audiology. Their children are Alex, a freshman at OSU, and Patrick, an 8th grader. Scott is a native of Idaho, but he grew up in Lubbock, TX. Some of his other interests include building, jogging, backpacking and outdoor adventure. Scott is thrilled to continue his Global Village work, having also been a member of the Columbus To Ghana 2005 team.
Anthony Smith, 51, began Habitat building during the 2005 Ohio State Fair. Tony is currently a Transmission Settlements Analyst at American Electric Power, where he has worked for 32 years in Transmission Engineering, Rates Interconnection Agreements and Settlements.

Tony is a member of Ambassadors for Christ Fellowship Church where he serves in the Deacon , Altar, Prayer and Mission Ministry. As a High School student in his native Jamaica, Tony benefited directly from the mission service of Peace Corps volunteers, leading to his strong desire and interest "to give back" to others. He believes that Habitat for Humanity is a great vehicle -- an active, hands-on way to live his faith and to bless others.

Tony and Sonia, his wife of 27 years, have 2 children. Jamila a senior at Columbus State Community College, and Shomari is a 7th grader. Other areas of interest include Bible study, soccer refereeing and volunteering as a youth-soccer coach.
Laura Stritzke, is a senior at Granville High School. She will be spending her final semester working with mission organizations (like HFH) while improving her Spanish and French skills. She loves being with friends and family, sharing with people, and experiencing new places. She looks forward to having a valuable learning experience in Mexico and learning more about God’s plan for her life.
Cabrini Swassing, 64, is a retired from a career dedicated to people with mental illness. In mid-career she left behind her job teaching children with special needs to earn her doctorate at OSU and become a psychologist. She then focused on the severely mentally ill, initially patients at a psychiatric hospital in town, and, later on, the women at the Franklin Pre-release Center and Ohio Reformatory for Women.

Cabrini is a seasoned traveler, and also has two brothers and sisters-in-law who were missionaries in South America. She recently began to build Habitat houses in Columbus with the Newman Center volunteers, and now is eager to apply her skills, including college Spanish, to good use in Mexico.

Her husband, Ray, is Emeritus Professor in Education of Gifted Children at OSU. Their daughter, Maria, along with husband Kurt and children Laura, Ryan and Madison live in nearby Powell.