Vicki, Our Habitat for Humanity Thousand Islands Brockville ReStore Manager
It is said that Habitat for Humanity ReStore managers are Masters of Chaos and our Brockville ReStore Manager can attest to that! Vicki is a self-professed juggler of activities and ideas. She is a genuine problem solver with a passion for retail and helping people.
A petite bundle of energy, you can see her at all hours of the day with many fingers in the ReStore pie. She is pricing items, loading and unloading the truck, answering phone calls, coping with copious amounts of paperwork, meeting the public, scheduling pick-ups and deliveries, supervising staff and volunteers, balancing her cash, handling complaints and taking on any and all other activities that crop up in the daily running of Habitat for Humanity Thousand Islands’ Brockville ReStore.
Vicki started her career with Habitat for Humanity Thousand Islands in 2012 when the ReStore was smaller but the activity level was very hectic.
Vicki speaks thoughtfully when she says, “We have experienced tremendous growth over this ten-year period and the activity hasn’t slowed at all. Daily I see goodness all around me. I receive calls about people downsizing and wanting to donate furniture and appliances to help raise money for the families who need a home. Some of the items have been cherished heirlooms but by donating these items to Habitat for Humanity others can reap the benefits. Then I see families in real need who are able to come to the ReStore and purchase something that they really need and could not otherwise afford. Our work transforms families and lives in such a positive way.”
One of Vicki’s most rewarding life experiences came about when she joined Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village Build in Whitehorse, Yukon. As a volunteer Vicki had to pay for her own transportation, accommodations and costs to the build. For the week she was there she and 17 others took on the challenge of erecting all the walls of the build and she gleefully recalls being required to use every power tool on the site.
“It makes you feel so good doing good deeds for others. It really is a blessing and I am the lucky one.”
Vicki says that her love and her mission have always been one and the same. In the past, she has served as a board member and volunteer at Kings’ Kitchen, a weekly soup kitchen in Prescott and the House of Lazarus Food Bank in Mountain as a volunteer and board member. Throughout the years she also participated with her church on many activities that assisted the needy.
Her passion is infectious and as a result is that she is being asked routinely to speak to like-minded groups of individuals about what inspires her to help others.
Habitat for Humanity Thousand Islands has been helping families in need since 1998 and since that time great people like Vicki have been the engine for positive change.
This Giving Tuesday, make a real difference in your community and in the world, and consider an act of generosity and kindness.