I love working with Habitat for Humanity. I enjoy building things, and we help people in a very meaningful way.
David grew up in Cincinnati and graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in electrical engineering. He moved to Dallas after graduation and worked for Texas Instruments for 16 years before joining Hewlett-Packard where he managed many engineering projects across multiple disciplines. David and his wife Patti, who also works at HP and is a past participant on the Board of Directors for the Habitat for Humanity of South Collin County, have three adult children and one grandchild. Patti will join David on the cruise.
David has always liked to work with his hands, so he was naturally drawn to Habitat for Humanity. He has been a volunteer with Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity for almost twenty years. At first, David put on his tool belt and helped build the homes himself doing every phase of construction that didn't require a license, things like framing, roofing, painting, and finish carpentry. He helped build countless homes side-by-side with a team of volunteers as well as the partner family purchasing the home. Along the way, David learned every phase of construction and is now a "house leader." That means he is effectively the project manager responsible for construction from the time the home is designed until they have the ceremony delivering the residence to the family.
During his time with Habitat, David has met former President and First Lady Jimmy and Roslyn Carter on four separate occasions. Says David: "Even though President Carter has a Secret Service detail, he is always accessible, and most recently I met him when volunteering in Staten Island after Hurricane Sandy." One of the things that David most appreciates is the spirit of cooperation in building these homes. The licensed contractors are sometimes people who have partnered with Habitat to build homes of their own, and they give Habitat special deals on their phases of projects. Many people who purchased homes through Habitat also come back time and again and help build homes for other families.
Dallas Area Habitat has constructed 1250 homes in Dallas County. The need is vast and never ending, but says David, "We take this one house at a time. We can't provide affordable housing for everybody, but it sure makes a big difference for the families who do qualify for a home through the program. We raise all the funds locally, and each house is its own success story."
