Justine went back to school in 2016 to obtain a 2-year Industrial Power Generation degree with a diploma in Pulp and Paper from Itasca Community College. In 2018 Justine started working in her current position in the distribution center for ASV.  “ASV is a great family friendly place to work.  They’re always willing to work with you if you need time off”  says Justine. For the last few years she has helped with the highway clean-up project for ASV and says it made her realize how much she enjoys giving back.

Some of Justine’s hobbies include cooking, gardening, hunting, and fishing.  She just loves anything outdoors!  With her boys getting older, the prospect of having a house in town is exciting.  They can then be more social and get involved in extracurricular activities.  Justine states, “I have been working toward my own home for a long time.  This will be our first actual home and I am so thankful to get this opportunity.”  Justine has already been putting in volunteer hours and has attended financial classes offered through Habitat even before becoming a partner family.  She is excited to learn more about building and maintaining houses.

The Jensens will be on schedule to purchase and move into their home in early summer 2020.  This will be the 44th house that Itasca County Habitat for Humanity has built.
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Donate to Habitat to help more families like the Jensens realize their dreams of homeownership. If you’d like to assist with the construction of the Jensen’s home, volunteer with us!

​It was great to get to know the Care-a-Vanners while they were in town! Most of them spend about 6 or 7 weeks on the road a year, visiting different Habitat build sites across the country. Sometimes they visit sites close to home in Minnesota, but they’ve also gone as far away as Texas and New Mexico to help out at build sites there. We interviewed a few of the volunteers about their experiences and relationship to Habitat.

Lowell
​Lowell, from the small Wisconsin town of Milton, was the only non-Minnesotan Care-a-Vanner who traveled to Grand Rapids this year. He and his wife, Linda, have been traveling around to different build sites for almost ten years! Lowell’s favorite part of Care-a-Vanning is the people he meets. Some of his favorite Care-a-Vanning memories include sitting around the fire at night with other Care-a-Vanners, relaxing and getting to know each other. Lowell and Linda have stayed in touch with some of the Care-a-Vanners they’ve met. They call Care-a-Vanning “a worthwhile way to spend retirement!”

Diane
Diane worked in social work and education for years, and saw up close a need for affordable housing. After retiring she sold her home, and before moving into a new home she saw an opportunity to help. She just started Care-a-Vanning in the past year, beginning with a long stint in Florida, visiting Myrtle Beach and Panama City.

​Diane describes her time in Panama City as ”eye-opening” – she saw a lot of inequality and met a lot of people living in transition. However, she also saw that a lot of people were there to help, and she was able to meet people from all over the country. She’s grateful that her only Care-a-Vanning mishap so far has been a flat tire in Panama City, and she immediately found someone to help her out.