Joan Reinthaler — DC Habitat Volunteer Crew Leader

Joan has lived in the DC Metro area since 1963. She is a retired math teacher and received her undergraduate degree from Brown University and did her Graduate work at Harvard.

When asked what it is that she gets out of DC Habitat that keeps her coming back each week Joan says that she has learned a lot about construction from working with Site Supervisors like A.J. Mannarino and AmeriCorps Crew Leaders. She also mentions that it makes for a great workout and she’s always on her toes because every day is something different. In addition, she enjoys that the construction crew will let her branch out into tasks she hasn’t tried before and give her the support to improve her own abilities.

When asked what she feels she gives back to Habitat Joan says she’s glad that she can give her time and enthusiasm back to Habitat and thus the community. Also, she is able to use her teaching experience to lead volunteers through the tasks necessary to build a home.

Joan thought about working with Habitat while still working as a math teacher and once she had more time on her hands she put her thoughts into action. In fact she says that she has learned some measuring techniques while building that she wishes she had known and been able to use while she was teaching.

Joan would like the DC Habitat volunteers to know how “impressed I am with how well the AmeriCorps volunteers step into their roles as teachers on the construction site and in Habitat as a whole.”