Skip to main content

Interview with Jennifer Shunn, Executive Director West Georgia Habitat for Humanity

RKR: Tell us a little about your background.

Jennifer: Prior to working with West Ga Habitat for Humanity, my work experience had always been in universities in either enrollment management or development. When my husband and I moved to Carrollton in 2000, I chose to do freelance consultant work to better control my schedule while being a full-time mom. When a position became available at West Ga Habitat, I realized that I had an opportunity to work for an organization where I could really embrace my faith and make a difference in people’s lives. The position with Habitat allowed me to utilize both my employment and life experiences and my education in psychology and public administration. Working for the organization has been a big blessing in my life.

RKR: What excites you about your role at Habitat and how have your responsibilities changed through the years?

Jennifer: For the first 15-20 years, the West Ga Habitat was completely run by volunteers. In 2005, I was hired through a capacity building grant to serve as development director responsible for fundraising. When the grant ended, I became the executive director and maintained the development director responsibilities as well. I really enjoy that the job has many facets. My role as executive director has allowed me the opportunity to work with so many diverse populations, such as raising money with corporations, churches, foundations, civic organizations and individuals. In addition, there is the construction side where I get to work directly with contractors, sub-contractors and laborers both skilled and unskilled which includes all of our wonderful Habitat volunteers. I also serve as a lender and maintain the mortgages for every West Georgia Habitat for Humanity home. Lastly, we have an educational component to the ministry where we work to educate the community about homelessness and about low-income housing through our financial education classes and community awareness. Basically every day is something different in my work.

RKR: What is the most rewarding part of what you do at Habitat?

Jennifer: The most rewarding part of my job is seeing lives change. It's hearing stories from homeowner children how it’s impacted their lives. They might share that it’s the first time they’ve ever been able to have a sleepover, because they couldn't where they lived before. Or it's seeing those kids who moved into a Habitat Home when they were 5 years old now in high school excelling academically or in extracurricular activities. Having a safe, decent place to live changes lives. It builds a foundation for a family and their future. Through Habitat for Humanity’s ministry, we build strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter. One of the most special moments is when we surprise the selected family by asking them one final question, “Would you like to be a Habitat Homebuyer?” When you see tears being shed of joy and hearing people thank God for these blessings, that is the most rewarding part.

RKR: What’s your long-term vision for Habitat?

Jennifer: In the 13 years that I been in the ministry, we have been able to construct 13 new homes and rehabilitated three additional homes. We have just launched a program that is called a home preservation program, which is where we work with families to do critical home repair, weatherization and a ‘brush with kindness’. This new program will hopefully serve at least an additional 6-8 families per year. We are currently raising money to build our first home in the city of Tallapoosa in fall 2019. We are hoping to partner with Auburn's Rural Studio to redesign our current Habitat home plan, which might reduce our overall construction costs, so we could serve more families. Of course West Georgia Habitat for Humanity will always have something else to accomplish because until everyone in Carroll and Haralson Counties has a decent place to live our mission continues.

RKR: Who inspired you to live a life where you are so excited to give back to others?

Jennifer: I was raised in a household that had a very open door policy. My parents would always encourage us to invite other people into our home if they needed a place to stay or just needed a meal. I don't think there were very many times when there was just my immediate family at the dinner table. My parents’ taught us that through faith we are called to use whatever gifts we receive to serve others and to be faithful stewards of God’s grace. I hope I am honoring their memory by sharing that same compassion and love for others that they displayed.

RKR: What are your interests outside of work?

Jennifer: Since my husband, Kevin, and I are both from Wyoming, we love the outdoors and like to get away to go hiking and camping. We enjoy spending time with our family, which has grown in the past year as both of our daughters got married. If I am by myself, I love to read and also like to research new things.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Laura Richards | Founder & Chair of the Friends of Carrollton GreenBelt, LLC

Share with us your background that led to you founding Carrollton GreenBelt. I am from Carrollton, but left in 1990 to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Then I moved back in 2009. While I was away, I biked across the United States and then led as a European guide for Vermont Bicycle Touring. That’s when it clicked for me regarding trails. I first rode with guests on trails separated from roads in the Netherlands. There I saw people holding hands while they biked and carrying pets and their groceries to the extent that it became more than a trail, but a really busy public space. Our Greenbelt serves that role as one of Carrollton's newest parks and showcases local natural wonders. It’s a great way to enjoy the great outdoors. What’s the most rewarding part of what you do/have done at GreenBelt? To see the city of Carrollton submit its application to be a bike friendly community was the most rewarding part to me. That designation is through the League of

Laura Boalch, Technical College System of Georgia Q&A

Q: Please share with us your background and how you came to work at TCSG. A: In the mid 1990’s, I began working in the Legislative Budget Office (LBO). In this role, we were charged with the development of the state budget for TCSG (then Department of Technical and Adult Education - DTAE) and various other agencies for the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia State Senate. At that time, admittedly, I knew very little about the Technical College System of Georgia as I had taken the more traditional route of attending the University of West Georgia to earn my BBA in Accounting. During my time at LBO, I had the opportunity to travel around the state visiting TCSG campuses. After talking with students, faculty, and staff at the colleges, I soon learned the purpose of what we do at TCSG and why we do it—to supply local business and industry with a skilled workforce. I was fascinated with the mission of the system and the passion of the faculty and staff. I quickly realized th

RKR Planning Services

North Paulding School Cluster How can public school systems make informed decisions regarding the best use of their facilities? At RKR, our Planning Services team has been working to successfully answer this question by taking into account multiple factors such as census data, surrounding school districts, county birth data, home sales, etc, to create custom-designed solutions that meet the specific needs of each school district. For example, with the Polk School District we evaluated individual school enrollment history with anticipated area changes so that a correlation was developed that placed students in their zoned school. The final documents contained easy to read graphs so the data could be interpreted. For the Paulding County School District, our Planning Services team provided projection data to support the staff allocation process, which also helped to develop long range planning opportunities. In addition, a facilities study that we produced for Decatur Ci

R. K. Redding Construction’s Casey Pollard Selected to Join the Associated General Contractors of America's Construction Leadership Council

BREMEN, Ga. (March 18, 2014) – R. K. Redding Construction (RKR) Project Manager Casey Pollard has been selected by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America to serve on its national Leadership Council Steering Committee for a three-year term from 2014-17. Casey also serves on the Board of Directors for AGC Georgia Chapter and as the Chairman of the AGC Georgia Young Leadership Program. “I am honored that my colleagues at AGC have recognized my contributions to the organization by naming me to this committee,” said Pollard. “I’m looking forward to serving in this leadership position during the next three years and helping lead AGC to a successful future.” Pollard has served as Project Manager or Assistant Project Manager for RKR on dozens of projects, including 12 school projects in Paulding County. He oversaw the Burnt Hickory Elementary School, which was awarded First Place in the 2009 AGC Build Georgia Awards. A graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Pollard

A Conversation with Daniel Jackson & Eric McDonald of the Greater West Georgia Joint Development Authority

Beginning with only four member counties in the late 1990s, the Greater West Georgia Joint Development Authority (GWGJDA) has grown to represent seven area counties, including: Polk, Haralson, Paulding, Carroll, Heard, Coweta, and Troup. We spoke to Eric McDonald, President & CEO of Greater Haralson Chamber of Commerce, and Daniel Jackson, President & CEO of Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, about the collaborative nature of the Development Authority that allows members to work together on multi-county projects to benefit West Georgia residents. What are your current role and responsibilities as part of the GWGJDA? Eric: I am a supporting staff member for the Greater West Georgia Joint Development Authority. We are an economic development and business growth entity responsible for growing the region’s retail and industrial base. The Board of Directors of the GWGJDA is appointed by the respective county commissions. Supporting staff from each of the economic deve