Brenda Wells, Volunteer Profile

Hello all, I am a late addition to the team and am very excited about this opportunity. I am currently living in Okinawa, Japan with my husband and our 3 rock-star kids, aged 14, 12, and 10. We arrived here this summer after finishing an incredible two-year tour in Stuttgart, Germany.

My husband is in the Marine Corps and his job does its share to help satisfy my wanderlust, as I love traveling, learning new cultures, art and architecture, and being outside. My education and work experience are in art history, art consulting, and teaching, but my practical experience includes reinventing our lives through 13 moves over the last 17 years; flexibility and adaptability are essential skills. My other loves include skiing, running, reading, and constantly learning.

I am truly looking forward to participating in this project and doing my part to contribute to such an important and worthy undertaking. No matter how many times we have moved, we have always had a place to call home, and having shelter is a luxury that we often take for granted. HFH-GV is providing me the chance to give back and I am sure this will be both an unforgettable and humbling experience.

Volunteer Profile, Peter

Hello All. My name is Peter Diguls from Willoughby(suburb of Cleveland), Ohio.For the past 12 years I have been a store manager for CVS/pharmacy. Previously I worked for a local home improvement chain as an assistant manager where I gained knowledge in home improvement. My interests include improving my 1930's home, gardening, cooking, restaurants. I am a very adventurous eater and will try practically anything. I have traveled to the usual tourist areas of Mexico, cruised to Central America, Caribbean, and the Bahamas but something as adventurous as Vietnam will be a first. Why Vietnam? I've always had an interest in Asian cultures and this opportunity will enable me to experience first hand while giving back to the local community in a hands on way. I am excited and looking forward to the project and meeting everyone.

Hey ya'll, my name is Regan Norman. I'm the one on the left, and Di(pronounced Yee) was what I'd call moral support from a build I participated on in Kien Giang province earlier this year and one of the best reasons for anyone to come to Vietnam. I am from Ridgeland, Mississippi, I'm involved in the family business of retailing nutritional supplements and I'm very active in my church particularly in the areas of personal evangelism and english language studies with the international community in Jackson. This will be my fourth time to Vietnam, the second as part of a Habitat group. Actually I married a girl from My Tho, pronounced Mee Taw, and from here on out my foray into the Vietnamese language begins to get sketchy. Unlike most of you as I can tell by reading your bios, I don't get out much it seems, but I do have an affinity for Vietnam and I do wish to thank you now for your interest in helping the country and the people I love very much. Please let me know if you have any travel plans within Vietnam, I might have a few suggestions or if you have any questions about My Tho, if I don't know the answer, I'm related to someone who does.

Volunteer profile, Jim

Team Members: I am Jim Bartroff, recently retired as a mechanical engineer working for an international industrial company where I did both design and management work. I’ve carried some of that experience into my retired life where I have “re-engineered” much of my home. I’m currently having fun rebuilding the kitchen, not an easy job as those of you do-it-yourselfers may already know.

I traveled extensively during my professional life, including Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands -- and Japan where I lived for 6 months during a company merger. My wife, Marci, and I have spent time in many other countries including Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, China, Mexico and Canada. Our prior GV work has been both rewarding and life changing.

I’m looking forward to working with everyone and the Vietnam experience.

Volunteer profile, Marci

Hello Vietnam team mates. My name is Marci Clark, and I am a native Oregonian currently residing as an active retiree in Portland. My prior life was in the health care field, giving me a 30-year inside look at the current health care debate. Today I do a weekly audio news broadcast with an on-line nonprofit organization sponsored by the Oregon Commission for the Blind, work with elementary students on reading skills, and serve as President of the large retiree organization associated with my former employer. My husband, Jim (Bartroff), and I have 3 daughters and 4 grandchildren who keep us on the move, as well as a daily walking regimen to help keep us in shape.

My passion is understanding world dynamics, including cultures, economics and political systems…..all in an effort to understand and interact with people from different environments. Habitat for Humanity GV has given me a great way to experience different cultures while giving back to families in need. Jim and I have participated in 3 GV builds including Romania, Botswana and Armenia. All were positive learning and working experiences.

I’m looking forward to hearing more about the Vietnamese family we will be working with and meeting all of you team members.

Volunteer Profile, Donna Maples

Hello Team Members! My name is Donna Maples. My husband Mike and I reside in Oakdale, Tennessee. We have three grown children and nine grandchildren. I currently work as a Logistics Manager for a nuclear services company in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I enjoy my job and plan to continue working as long as I’m having fun.

During my spare time I enjoy camping in our RV, reading, cooking, and spending time with my grandchildren. I am an avid sports fan with a particular passion for the University of Tennessee football and basketball. I try and keep in shape by working out, yoga, hiking, bicycling and staying active. I love to travel and am enthusiastic about being part of the Vietnam Habitat for Humanity team.

Volunteer Profile, Mike Maples

Hello Team! My name is Mike Maples. My wife and I live in Oakdale, TN, a small rural community in East Tennessee approximately 40 miles west of Knoxville. I joined the US Army after high school and spent six years on active duty with two tours in Vietnam, one tour in Germany, and one tour in the Panama Canal Zone. After leaving the Army I trained as a steam generating plant operator with the Tennessee Valley Authority and worked as an operator in their fossil plants, retiring after 30 years of service. I also remained in the Army National Guard and retired with 23 years of service.

I am presently a stay at home house husband, where I enjoy working with my hands doing woodworking, crafts, carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, cooking and just about anything that needs to be done. I also enjoy the outdoors and camping with my wife.

I am truly looking forward to my return trip to Vietnam. Having spent two years in country, one as an advisor to the South Vietnamese Army, I enjoyed working with the Vietnamese people and left many friends behind. I hope that I can make a small contribution to their country by participating in this project. Looking forward to meeting and working with you all.

Volunteer Profile, Mary Ann Loeffler

I grew up in the military, traveling with my three brothers and parents. Moving frequently, I experienced new cultures and adventures at an early age. My husband, Richard and I have continued our adventures over the past 35 years.

Whether it be sailing to remote islands, cruising on a ship to the Baltic, Mediterranean, around South America or to the Amazon and Antarctica, hiking Kilimanjaro or Popocatepetl in Mexico, or the peaks of Colorado and the Colorado Trail, diving in Fiji or Cozumel or just laying on a beach in Florida, paddling the Grand Canyon with our children or jeeping in Utah or Colorado or skiing the slopes of Colorado, I find continuous excitement and adventure with those that I am with.

After 35 years as a recreational therapist and an assistant professor at Metro State College of Denver, I retired four years ago. I continue with the passions that have always been a part of my life… I have taught skiing to the disabled at Winter Park for the past 34 seasons, have served as an official for wheelchair sports for over 25 years and have volunteered for many organizations for individuals with disabilities. I continue to work part time as a challenge course facilitator in Colorado helping teenagers or corporate managers to work more effectively together.

I am excited about working with a team in Vietnam. It is rewarding to experience a new culture, meet new people and leave a part of your hard work behind hopefully to enhance the life of a family and promote good will.

Volunteer Profile, Richard Loeffler, M.D.

My wife, Mary Ann and live in Colorado. We have a son and daughter. I am a former emergency physician now working part-time providing end-of-life care. My practice allows me to balance the routine of work with the excitement of travel to far-away places and exploration of different climates and cultures.

We enjoy physically challenging activites which include climbing many peaks in Colorado, hiking the Colorado Trail and skiing to 10th Mountain System huts in Colorado. I have had the same jeep for 45 years, and explored historic tracks in remote areas throughout the west and Alaska. I have traveled to every continent and many countries. I have trekked in Nepal, New Zealand, Italy and Tanzania. I have climbed Rainier, Kilimanjaro, and Mauna Loa. We have sailed in the Bay of Islands, in the British Virgin Islands and Society Islands. We have cruised along the Antarctic Penisula around South America and up the Amazon.

I find satisfaction in working with my hands. At various times I have projects constructing and demolishing that involved carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work. I look forward to improving my less than skillful techniques on this global village project.

I look forward to working with the other volunteers and hearing their stories. I look forward to living in a foreign country and sampling foods and customs unfamiliar to me. I am excited about the challenge of working in an environment unfamiliar to me. Hopefully the result will be to make the world, at least some small way, and in some small village, a little better for someone I do not know.

Volunteer Profile, Terry Boulton

My name is Terry Boulton. I was raised in Taiwan, attended school and university, and immigrated to the USA in 1980. Lived first in California, then moved to Monmouth Illinois where I had a Chinese Restaurant for five years. Have lived in Waikiki for twenty years, where I do Tai Chi each morning.

Volunteer Profile, George

Hello Team, my name is George Boulton. I was raised on a farm in Iowa, joined the Navy out of high school, and stayed for twenty years. The Navy, in its infinite wisdom, thought fixing John Deere tractors somehow equated to an Avionics Technician, so I worked on airplanes and flew, mostly as a Radioman. Upon retiring from the Navy, I was hired by North Central Airlines, which became Republic, which became Northwest, which is now Delta. I retired from the airlines in 2000 and live in Waikiki where the weather is beautiful every day. I have traveled extensively, however there are many more places to visit.

Volunteer Molly Rhyan

Hello team! My name is Molly Rhyan and I currently reside in Spring, TX which is a suburb of Houston. I relocated here for work a few years ago and the humidity was good training for my trip to Vietnam last March! I am 34 years old and I have traveled extensively. Last March I attended my first Global Village trip in Vietnam (Rach Gia) with 30 other volunteers. We completed three builds from the foundation up. The conditions can be harsh at times but it was the best experience of my life. The Vietnamese people are gracious, hardworking and extremely resourceful. I look forward to returning and working on my “pit” skills! Some of my hobbies include hiking, tennis, soccer and of course…traveling! I look forward to meeting everyone and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions about the work conditions or packing recommendations.

Volunteer Monica Heliniski

My name is Monica Helinski…I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and reside in the city neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. Squirrel Hill was very creatively named in that it has lots of squirrels and lots of hills. I work as a nurse anesthetist in a large teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh. I enjoy my job very much, as well as, teaching. I help as needed with various workshops at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing and precept students in the operating room.

I am an active person who enjoys working out and anything to do with the outdoors. I routinely run, hike, lift weights, and enjoy the occasional yoga class…and I always enjoy a walk with my dog Molly…who walks me most of the time.

I am very close with my family and friends and they are an intricate part of my spare time…I love a cozy dinner with good company and good convo. I seek to learn and strive to spark my curiosity through experiences and the people intertwined with those experiences…whether during any average day or through travel. One of my personal goals is to expand my vantage point from every angle possible through travel and hopefully being able to give to others while doing so. I feel I have been afforded much opportunity in my life, often made possible by wonderful mentors, teachers, and just plain generous people. I wish to give back and pay it forward.

Volunteer Profile, Kim Hogan

My name is Kim Hogan. I was born in Liverpool England, number two of seven children. I emigrated to Australia in 1988 and now live with my partner, Mike, and have a grown up daughter, Emma.

I work for Choice, Australia’s consumer organisation as Digital Director, heading up the online side of the organisation. I also have my own business as a marriage celebrant.

In my spare time I like to go on food and wine tours. I love live theatre, reading and movies and try to keep fit by training in the mornings, but it is bit hard to get out of the bed in the winter! I love trekking and favorite hikes to date are the 6 day Overland Track in Tasmania and the Inca Trail in Peru. Like many other women, my other great love is shoe shopping.

I really enjoy traveling with Asia being a much loved destination. Australia’s amazing too, as you can go hiking, surfing and snowboarding all in the same day if you want to.

I’m really looking forward to the trip, particularly meeting the family, learning about the local culture and doing something practical to help the community

St. Clair Theodore, Volunteer Profile

I am a native Californian, from Los Angeles (finding a "native" there is rare nowadays) I am an attorney for the Department of Justice and have just moved back to the CONUS (DC area) in January 2010 after having lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands for the past 10 years. I have performed some volunteer work twice before with an international organization where I taught English in Bankok, Thailand in 2005 and in Salvador, Brazil in 2009. Both assignments were for 30 days each and it was a great way to get to see the countries, get involved with the people and experience the culture.
Traveling is one of the better ways for me to get away from the daily grind of work, meet new people and enjoy life. I have been to Cuba, Singapore, Turkey, France, Spain and Italy, just to name a few places. I just recently began cycling and am pretty active with quite a few hobbies and interests such as rafting, skeet shooting, sailing and photography.

Lora Livingston, Volunteer Profile

I’ve been to all fifty states in the USA and I’ve been to all but two continents (still pining for Australia and Antarctica). I’ve served on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations and professionally, I’m most interested in issues related to access to justice (primarily for the poor). I’m a judge in Austin, Texas. I teach and speak on a regular basis and I’m active in my church. I’ve been a member of several civic organizations and I vote! I have a strong work ethic and I have a strong interest in all things fun. I’m a bowler, an avid reader and I like to cook. I live in a very cool but very dated house that I’m updating so I spend a lot of time at home improvement stores. Backpacking and camping satisfy my need for outdoor adventure and hiking keeps me fit. You will have to experience my sense of humor when we meet because I’m not clever enough to describe it in 200 words or less.

Volunteer Profile, Lynn Brown

Lynn joined SIRVA Relocation in 1993 and is Vice President of Business Development. She received the Outstanding Sales Team of the Year Award from 2004-2007. Prior to joining SIRVA, Lynn was a multi-million dollar producer for Van Schaack Real Estate, Denver Colorado. She was awarded Outstanding Achievement of the Year in 1992. Before Lynn's real estate career, she was responsible for successfully taking Tofruzen Inc. public. Lynn enjoyed a five year entrepreneurial and business ownership experience for Tofruzen Inc. a specialty frozen foods company located in Denver Colorado.

Lynn served on the board of directors for Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greated Denver, a national non profit organization. IHN is a shelter and a self-sufficiency program for homeless families in Denver, Colorado.

Lyn attends Greenwood Village Community Church and sponsors a child in Indonesia through Compassion International. Lynn resides in Denver with her husband Jeff and their two Wheaten Terrier pets, Bentley an Brewster. They have 7 grand children ranging in ages from 17 years to 18 months.

Lynn enjoys running working out, yoga, reading, photography, snoorkelleing, scuba diving and spending time in Placencia, Belize.

Lynn was a Global Village Volunteer in Pokhara, Nepal in April 2010 and is looking forward to Vietnam 2011.

Team Leader, Roger Krapfl, Married, Two Children

I have been both an active volunteer and an employee with Habtiat of Metro Denver since 1991. My volunteer service with Habitat includes Treasurer, Board Member, President and Founder & Director of two Habitat Home Improvement Outlet stores generating over $5 million in net profits for Habitat in just 6 years. Prior to that I served as President of three Fortune 100 subsidiaries with operations in Japan, United States and France. I've lived and worked in England, Russia and Bolivia. My education includes an MBA from the Darden school at the University of Virginia and an Engineering degree from Iowa State University.

I enjoy skiing, mountain and road biking, tennis, kayaking ( Alaska, Colorado and Belize) and sailing (two ocean crossings). Former Peace Corps Volunteer, Bolivia. Extensive travel through South America, Central America, Europe, Russia, China and Japan. Jack of all trades, master of none.