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Featured Volunteer
Susan Wadsworth 
The 10th year anniversary of owning your own home is a special time for all of us. Imagine being Susan Wadsworth and her family. Susan and her daughters Elsa, 26, Hannah, 22, and Greta, 21 were able to purchase and move into their new Habitat home in 2000. In 1999, this was a dream. In 2010, it still feels like a dream come true.
A New Beginning
Back in 1999, Susan found herself going through a rough patch. Her good friend suggested she seek out the new Habitat ministry in Douglas County. Susan applied for Habitat housing, and was denied. After a phone conversation with Pastor Ron Otterson, though, Susan found hope in knowing she could reapply if her financial situation changed. Months later Susan reapplied, and she qualified as a partner family.
Susan proclaims the volunteers that helped her get started were phenomenal. The construction site was not quite as staffed with volunteers as it is today and completing her sweat equity was no problem. “I was there every night into the wee hours and so were some of the volunteers.” She remembers most Anita Stone, Dave Anderson, Ron Otterson, and Bob Pearson. “Every day Bob Pearson gave his compassionate smile, a voice of reason, and always looked to the future. He was on the scene every day. He envisioned things for my new home that kept me moving forward.”
When Susan began her journey with Habitat for Humanity, she was in a “bad place with Christianity.” She found in Habitat for Humanity, her church home as she calls it, a renewal of her Christianity. She was working alongside Christians who were not just talking the talk. She comments, “These are the true walkers. I was never preached at and experienced God’s work being built right in front of me.”
A Home and Business
The transition from being a stay at home mother and home schooling her children to entering the world of being a sole provider had its challenges. Susan was determined that this would work for her family. Susan is a cosmetologist and had her shop in the lower level of her home. When laws changed to adapt businesses to a more accessible place for those with disabilities, Susan thought she would have to close her beauty shop and work outside the home. In addition, with our tough winters, she was constantly calling her parents when her car would not start. With the support of her father, Ed, and her mother, Evadne, Susan was able to add to her homeowner’s dream. She added a garage and the beauty salon to the garage and to this day runs her successful business from 413 Spruce Street. With the recession and the economy being what it is, Susan has taken a part time position at Hardwood Hills Golf Course. In addition, she has renovated her lower level to allow her to rent to tenants and allow extra income to help during these economically unstable times. “You do what you have to do.”
Susan has made many improvements to her home on Spruce street including 4-5 patios and sitting areas, using refurbished, recycled and salvaged materials that others were throwing away. She has some mosaic work in the yard. When HFH was building on Roosevelt Street, construction volunteers offered that if Susan wanted a yard, she could come and cut the sod from the Roosevelt property, roll it, haul it to 413 Spruce Street and lay it down. This was not an easy process physically, but she persevered. She had some early help and when it got to be too much physically, she was left to finish on her own. Her mother recruited in no time at all the Youth Group from First Lutheran Church in Alexandria. As far as plans for her home, there is really only one change she would like: a 4-season porch on the north side of the house.
Giving Back, Giving Thanks
Over the years, Susan has volunteered in different aspects at Habitat for Humanity. Susan currently serves on our Family Selection Committee as a volunteer and formerly on the family support committee. Susan speaks at events whenever she can to promote the ministry. She delivered a heartwarming presentation at the Hard Hat Breakfast in 2007 alongside the founder of Habitat, Millard Fuller. Outside of Habitat, Susan is an excited member of BNI (Business Networking International) as the Secretary and Treasurer. She has been a member for 5 years in this organization where they meet weekly and network ideas. Susan will become a grandmother for the first time in May, and she has a rocking chair waiting anxiously at 413 Spruce.
Susan cannot cite one example of her best Habitat experience. “They have all been profound. It is like a vortex; you come one time and you are hooked and you want to keep going, building, volunteering, and working.”
Susan’s partnership with Habitat 10 years ago allowed her to raise her family in an affordable and decent home. Her solid Christianity is back in her life thanks to HFH, she says. Susan reiterates that Habitat volunteers are “true walkers, not just talkers.”
Susan offers advice to families struggling in these current economic times: “Don’t ever give up! Keep going! Even if you don’t succeed the first time, the smallest change in your life could change your life forever. “Make a visit to the Habitat for Humanity office and start the process.”