Community Engagement

Tracey is a born caregiver. In both her personal life and her career, she gives herself selflessly to the care of those around her. Tracey was born and raised in Rockford, where she graduated from Jefferson High School.  Immediately following high school graduation, she entered school for medical assisting, and she started her career…

Kelly is one of our ReStore managers, which means she does a little bit of everything at the ReStore—from working on the donations dock and the sales floor to running cash registers from time to time, she truly is (in her words) a Jane of all trades. Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity was lucky…

Four years ago, Tammy stood in the driveway at the home dedication for the very first house that Guilford High School students had completed as part of our then brand new partnership program. Her son was a senior in Guilford’s construction trades program at the time, and he had helped to build the home…

Gary Trueblood is Rockford Habitat’s Assistant Construction Manager, which means that he wears many hats within our organization. He helps with everything from construction management to repairs, and this year, he’ll even be the house leader for our Community Build! Gary got connected to Habitat as a volunteer about five years ago. His first…

As an affiliate, we hope to be as conscientious as possible when it comes to our environmental footprint. That’s why we are so thankful for our partnership with the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program. This program is an incentive program for the new construction of affordable housing. To break it down, ComEd covers whatever it…

By Christina Magee, College & Career Academy Coach at Guilford High School Habitat for Humanity is known for building houses which clients turn into homes that nurture the futures of its residents.  But in Rockford, Illinois, Habitat for Humanity is building not just its clients’ futures, but also the futures of high school students.…

Meet Ericka, one of our ReStore cashiers! Ericka is incredibly kind, and is skilled when it comes to providing excellent customer service at the ReStore. Her role on the ReStore team includes cleaning and sanitizing high-touch traffic areas for the safety of ReStore customers and team members, as well as running the cashier and…

By Bill Rose, Academy Coach and Career and Tech Ed Director at East High School Earlier last year we were approached by Habitat for Humanity to take a more robust role in the community on helping build a home for an area family in need of housing.  East students in past years worked on…

By Ron Clewer, Illinois Market President, Gorman & Company, LLC How many of us have heard – if you’re going to do a job, do it right? For several years, I have committed to moving nonprofit organizations from thinking about how many people they serve, to achieving impact or the quantifiable difference they’ve made…

One of Jill Kruckenberg’s first experiences with Habitat for Humanity was a Framing Day in Rockford a few years ago. Little did she know that this day would impact her for a very long time. Jill found herself working alongside an excited, nervous, empowered Habitat homebuyer, who was on her way to becoming a…