Saranne Peacock is a representative in the Partner Service Center, which responds to inquiries from more than 4,000 partners a month.

Behind the Scenes:
Building Houses with Information

Responding to letters, phone calls and e-mails, Habitat for Humanity International’s Partner Service Center staff members share knowledge, opportunity and good will.

by Saranne Peacock

My primary task in Habitat's Partner Service Center is to answer communications calling for individually written responses. I became a PSC representative three years ago after I had already worked at HFHI for six years and had been a Habitat supporter and occasional volunteer since the early days of the organization. My nine years on staff with HFHI have given me the most rewarding work of my life (beyond my roles as wife and mother), and the PSC position may well be the work God has long been preparing me for. It draws on all the skills and knowledge gained in my previous work at HFHI and in business, journalism and education. It also calls on my faith and whatever wisdom 60 years of life have brought me.

Interacting with HFH partners and potential partners is one of the joys of working in partner service. Whether I am giving general information, helping someone explore volunteer opportunities, explaining how to apply to become a Habitat homeowner, discussing ways to donate funds or other resources, clearing up misunderstandings of the Habitat program, sharing information about our financial stewardship or answering an angry complaint, I have found that a clear, honest and respectful answer is always in order. It's a special thrill when I am able to answer someone's concerns so thoroughly that they move from being a critic to being ready to grab a hammer and start building Habitat houses. Advancing rheumatoid arthritis keeps me off the construction site, and I am delighted that I can help build simple, decent Habitat houses by providing simple, decent Habitat answers.

When we hear from people desperately in need of adequate housing, we try to give hope along with information. I feel good about working for an organization that can offer a real hand up to many people, but also saddened by my awareness that the needs are still so great that we will not be able to help all who need it. Like most people involved with Habitat, I feel a real sense of urgency about the needs we are addressing, the needs of people without adequate housing.

Getting to know individual HFH donors has been one of the things I've most enjoyed while working as a PSC representative, and I have noticed some common characteristics in many of our donors:

• They are generous, whether giving from abundance or from very modest means.
  
• They are also frugal, trusting us to use funds wisely to do the most possible good.
  
• They appreciate our efforts. We hear words like "Thank you for all that you do!" frequently, and that thanks is not meant only for the one handling a particular request, but for all who carry out the work of Habitat for Humanity.

Being in communication with Habitat partners stirs us to appreciate the good work we have to do, to try to do it well and to live up to the vision of our partners. That vision is captured clearly in a recent e-mail from one of our donors: "I believe your work helps bring peace to this world--one household at a time."