Patti Wang
Patti has contributed over 200 hours on our Crocket, Fruitvale, and West Oakland homes, and she is a joy to work with on site. Thank you, Patti, for your limitless enthusiasm, hard work, and dedication!
How long have you been with East Bay Habitat?
I've been volunteering on site for almost two years now, having started in Crockett in late summer of 2002. In recent months, I have also begun volunteering with the Family Resource Committee.
What brought you to Habitat?
Following my graduation from UC Berkeley last spring, I found myself with something resembling free time for the first time in years, which afforded me my start on the Midweek Crew in Crockett. I was looking for a way to give to the community, and Habitat struck me immediately as a wonderful organization with great goals and a solid plan of action.
What motivates you to continue to volunteer with Habitat?
I'm able to see definite results from every way in which I give to Habitat, able to know that at the end of the day, I've given something real, and something is happening as an outcome. I came to Habitat during a somewhat difficult time in my life. Knowing that I am helping to make a real, positive difference in someone's life has immeasurably renewed me, grounded me and reminded me of my capacity and my good fortune. Through Habitat, I've been constantly surrounded by big hearted, incredible, passionate people. It seems that no matter how much I give, Habitat keeps giving me so much more than I could possibly hope to contribute.
What have been your most memorable experiences on the job site?
Even some of my most mundane interactions with staff, fellow volunteers, and homeowner families are memorable, simply because they're unforgettable people. Also, the most grueling days tend to be the most memorable for me, such as the Day of Forty-Six Postholes in Crockett or the torrential downpour at Fruitvale that Dave Sylvester fondly referred to as "a heavy fog."
If you could be any tool on the construction site what tool would you be?
The RotoZip. Little, energetic, determined, enthusiastic. Though the one on site may not always win the battle against drywall, it sure does try hard.
What is your favorite job on site?
Outside of painting and insulation, pretty much anything that gets the house up.
