Winter 1998 Newsletter

Last Update: August, 1998

Who is the Superheroine under that Straw Hat?

by Melissa Martin, Volunteer Manager

Many of you saw her organizing morning devotions and construction materials at the Blitz Build. Others may have seen her in front of your congregation encouraging you to get involved. So who is that the woman with the trademark straw hat?

Marilee Gibbs attended a Habitat meeting in 1991 as a representative of Magnolia United Church of Christ’s Social Action Committee and caught the Habitat bug. Since working with the Magnolia Ecumenical Housing Council in their house sponsorship, she has played a significant role in sharing her experiences with two house sponsor coalitions involving over 21 area congregations. She has also served as a member of the Board of Directors, acted as the primary contact for congregations interested in partnering with Seattle Habitat, and been a volunteer’s first contact through her leadership at Wednesday Volunteer Orientations.

To individually list her contributions would be to restate all of the volunteer opportunities available within our organization, so I’ll keep it short. In recognition of her ongoing commitment to Seattle Habitat and our home owner families, we introduce the Marilee Gibbs Straw Hat Award to be given to a volunteer making a significant contribution of his/her time and talents to Seattle Habitat for Humanity. The First Annual Marilee Gibbs Straw Hat Award will be presented to a volunteer at the January Planning Meeting held January 24th, 1999 and will be announced in the next edition of the newsletter.

Thanks to Marilee and all volunteers who come together to build homes with low- income families and to make Seattle Habitat a great organization. We appreciate your dedication and strong volunteer spirits.