Springing into Action
Beisser Lumber teams with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity.
As the construction season starts kicking into high gear each spring, Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity projects also ramp up. Unfortunately, the volunteer numbers don’t typically rise as quickly. That’s why Habitat began its Spring into Action program, and this year Beisser Lumber partnered with the nonprofit to increase the benefit.
“We’ve been doing the Spring into Action program a couple of years now,” says Habitat’s Danny Akright. “And this year Beisser Lumber showed their generosity to make that volunteer drive even more effective.”
Beisser committed to a $10,000 donation if 200 volunteers signed up during the April promotion. “We’ve had a longtime relationship with Habitat,” Beisser’s Dave Ling says. “We’ve supported them as a company for years, but this April was the first time we led a team project as a company and the first time we sponsored a volunteer drive like this.”
As part of the program, Ling recorded some promotional videos for Habitat that were posted on the group’s website and social media accounts. Beisser also put together two shifts of volunteers to work on a Habitat project early in the month.
Ling says, “We had about 20 employees on two teams. One team built an accessibility ramp, and the other renovated a deck at the same home.”
Beisser employees frequently volunteer with Habitat, and the company promotes those service opportunities on a regular basis. In addition to promotional builds, Beisser helps with behind-the-scenes needs as well. “We’ve gotten to know the folks at Habitat over the years. And they know we’re available whenever they call, whether it’s moving wall panels or donating materials or getting out there swinging hammers,” says Ling.
This year’s efforts supporting the Spring into Action promotion are a testament to Beisser’s enthusiasm for the Habitat mission. “With Beisser’s help, we actually surpassed the goal,” Akright says. “We finished the month with more than 200 volunteers recruited, and Beisser matched that with their generous $10,000 donation.”
“Philanthropy is a part of who we are at Beisser,” Ling says. “The family has always emphasized that and made it part of our corporate vision: ‘providing building solutions that allow our customers to develop great communities.’ Building communities includes making sure there’s affordable housing for everyone, and that’s what Habitat is all about.”
Beisser supports volunteerism in a variety of ways, from encouraging employees to serve on nonprofit boards to partnering with other organizations through the company’s Giving Committee.
“Affordable housing has always been a big deal,” Ling says, “but that’s especially challenging right now with pricing being what it is. Habitat is working hard to address that, and we wanted to support that in an even bigger way this year. So the Spring into Action matching donation gave us the opportunity to do a hands-on project and support them financially, too.”
Akright says the 200-plus volunteers recruited during April signed up for projects throughout the summer, but more are always needed. “We hosted a Rock the Block event in April, completing aging-in-place projects at nearly a dozen homes across the metro,” he says. “But those big projects are just one example of what we do. We have teams out building every day, doing new construction, renovations, repairs, and accessibility projects. So we need volunteers year-round, whether they have construction expertise or not.”
Habitat also benefits from in-kind donations—from those in the trades as well as individuals—to supply Habitat projects and to benefit the ReStore, which helps fund Habitat projects.
“We have a number of volunteer opportunities over the summer,” Akright adds. “Our goal for the year is 30 new affordable homes, and we’ve closed on six already.”
In addition to those new homes, Habitat also hopes to complete 250 repair or renovation projects by year’s end, bringing the total served since its inception in the late 1980s to more than 2,500 families.
Habitat was founded “on the conviction that every person should have a decent, safe, and affordable place to live” and seeks “to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope.”
As a family business celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, Beisser Lumber Company has always operated from a similar philosophy. “Giving back and supporting organizations like Habitat, that we can really stand behind, is part of who we are as a family and as a business,” Ling says.
That’s why Beisser Lumber is always happy to spring into action when Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity has a need. And now 200 more people are doing the same.