Volunteer Spotlight

Jimmy Dishner, Nat Goddard, Roger Arbo, and Sue Baker serving French Toast at Dennis Union Church

Jimmy Dishner is a Habitat Renaissance Man. His volunteering has encompassed construction, devotions, disaster relief, rehab on the ReStore, committee work, caretaking of our properties on Namskaket Road in Orleans, helping do pick-ups for the ReStore, and those who know him well will tell you that no one else can make French Toast for our Church Breakfasts the way he can. 

Jimmy retired from a career in the military in 2003. He had heard about Habitat's work and done some research on the organization, and he told himself that when he retired, he would look to see if there was a Cape Cod affiliate. He started with us here on Cape Cod with the Danvers Way project in Hyannis (2003-2005), and also worked on Gomes Way in Harwich (2009). He says he did anything they asked him to do - starting with roofing. He also got involved with the Church Relations Committee and chaired that committee in 2005 and 2006. "That's how I got into the devotions side of things," he explains. Although he no longer sits on the committee, they continue to ask him to help with devotions and special projects - especially the annual Church Breakfasts, where he is the go-to man for French Toast.

Jimmy likes to tell the story of the time he hit his thumb with a hammer while on a disaster relief trip to Mississippi. He says the whole thumb got black and they actually had to puncture the nail to take the pressure off. But, like other volunteers, he never felt the need to complain. "I've never heard anyone complain," he says, "No one goes home and says, "I've got to put ligament on my back. No one ever says it's a burden. Because it's not a burden - it's a privilege."

Jimmy loves the "wonderful feeling I get in helping others. It's such a satisfying thing. There's never a dry eye in the house when you hand the key over to a new homeowner at the dedication ceremony. You're helping others to grow and putting a roof over their heads - it helps me grow. And you feel like you are a part of that house."  

Jimmy wants new volunteers to know that the value of the work they do is inestimable. "It changes lives forever - it's not just a one-time event. Every time the homeowner walks into that house they are going to know whence the house came and remember the volunteers. No matter who you are or where you are in life's journey, you can make a difference."

To volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod, contact Dawn Walnut at dawn@habitatcapecod.org or 508-362-3559 ex. 16.