Cyndi Long and Lisa Wheeler, December 2009 Habitat Heroes

Cyndi Long shows off GE's Sponsor Plaque following the home
dedication ceremony in October 2008.

Lisa Wheeler (right) poses with her fellow partygoers at the 8th Annual
Tool Box Bash.

Q & A with Habitat Hero Cyndi Long

1. How long have you lived in Memphis? Total of 30 years.

2. How long have you volunteered with Habitat? Three years.

3. How did you get involved with Habitat? My sister was a greenhat volunteer and got me interested in the charity. When it came time for my company GE to look at charity organizations in the community to focus on for employee involvement it was a perfect fit!

4. What kind of activities have you participated in during your time as a volunteer? Several build projects and two years running as the GE representative for our corporate sponsorship of the Annual Tool Box Bash.

5. Why do you volunteer your time with Habitat? Habitat for Humanity is one of the most honorable and time worthy charities I have been blessed to work with. Their entire staff as well as the volunteers are always positive and eager to work to "get it done" for people who just need that hand up to get their family on their way to a stable home environment. Habitat recognizes the benefit of involving the entire community in their efforts to succeed, and I always go away from ANY involvement with Habitat with a feeling of just having done something that is VERY worthy of my time! Habitat is a shining example of success, and I am honored to be considered as a "hero" among so many heroes!

6. Do you have a favorite Habitat moment you would like to share? Because I am the company liason for Habitat I get to be the "organizer" at our build projects. LOTS of senior management participate so in a way it is nice to be their "boss" for the day!

7. Do you have any personal details you would like to add? I sell commercial aircraft parts for the Aviation Management Service's division of GE and am lucky to handle all international accounts which has given me the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Europe. I am the mother of a 16-year-old son who has now reached the age to join me in Habitat Builds and I can't wait to get him involved! I am the President of the Memphis Police Department Mt Moriah Station Ambassadors, as well as President of the Collierville Police Citizen's Alumni Association, both organizations working to bridge community and law enforcement efforts. I have a home full of "rescue" pets (three cats and two dogs) and in the little free time that I seem to find I enjoy reading, Tigers Basketball and landscaping.

Q & A with Habitat Hero Lisa Wheeler

1. How long have you lived in Memphis? Nearly all my life.

2. How long have you volunteered with Habitat? This is the fourth year.

3. How did you get involved with Habitat? We were acquired by Valero in 2005 and several of the other refineries were volunteering with Habitat.

4. What kind of activities have you participated in during your time as a volunteer? Up until this year, we have always helped with actually building homes.

5. Why do you volunteer your time with Habitat? I believe homeownership is part of the American Dream. I’m encouraged that Habitat is willing to partner with families that want to achieve that goal.

6. Do you have a favorite Habitat moment you would like to share? I work with several highly skilled employees that really can make a solid difference during a build. That’s not my area of expertise and I know it. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help out in my area of expertise, event planning. I’m grateful that the event raised more money this year, and I’m excited to see where the event can go from here. I enjoyed working with the Tool Box Bash’s fabulous committee. I also appreciate the Valero Volunteers that helped on the day of the event.

7. Do you have any personal details you would like to add? I’m the public affairs manager at the Valero Memphis Refinery. I’m responsible for media, government and community relations. I’m a member of Redeemed Ministries, and I like to spend my free time reading and traveling.