Posted: 09.30.2010
Employees of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection are volunteering and raising funds to help Habitat for Humanity in memory of Secretary Rod Nilsestuen, who gave at least a week to the charity every year. Nilsestuen was in Upper Michigan volunteering with Habitat in July when he drowned in Lake Superior.
“All the things that were said about Rod in eulogies and news stories were true,” said Dr. Beth Patton, who is leading the effort along with Michelle Zelle. “He set a great example of living a life of service, and we wanted to do at least this one small thing to follow his example and honor his life and his memory.”
The employees are raising funds to provide building supplies for one day’s work on a Habitat for Humanity of Dane County building site, and will volunteer their time on Saturday, Oct. 9. They will be working on homes in an eight-home development, Northport Commons, on the north side of Madison. The primary fundraising methods have been luncheon fundraisers and free will offerings.
“Rod was a wonderful person, who was committed to service in both his personal and professional lives,” said Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Randy Romanski, who previously served as Nilsestuen’s Deputy Secretary at the department. “Even though Rod is no longer with us, he continues to inspire others to make a difference.”
Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 to provide “simple, decent, affordable” housing. Recipients undergo a stringent application process, contribute 300-400 hours of time on their own home or other Habitat projects, and take out an interest-free mortgage, held by Habitat. The homeowners’ “sweat equity,” use of volunteer labor, and Habitat’s non-profit home sales make the homes affordable to lower-income buyers.
According to Peggy Halloran, development director of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, the local organization has built homes for 172 families, including 500 children, since its inception in 1987. Of those families, 161 are still in the homes they helped build, and Habitat has foreclosed on only one mortgage.
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