Habitat Volunteer Holds Service Agency “Triple Crown”

It’s not very often you get meet —and work with — someone who has served in all three government service agencies in the U.S. That’s why having Don Dirnberger and his experience in the Peace Corp, AmeriCorps, and Crisis Corps (now Peace Corps Response) has been such an amazing addition to Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. 

This past year, Don was assigned through AmeriCorps to work as a New Construction Project Leader for Habitat and will come back next year as a Construction Leader in our warehouse. His knowledge, skills, and talents have been invaluable in our efforts to build sustainable, affordable housing across the metro area. Habitat seems to have made a positive impression on him, too.  

“As an AmeriCorps member with Habitat Metro Denver you will never be without friends. I have most enjoyed meeting new people almost daily,” Don said.  

Before joining our team, Don traveled across the United States and the world volunteering his time and expertise to help others. His first service opportunity was with the Peace Corps in 1977 as a Curriculum Development Specialist in Antigua and Barbuda, West Indies. There, he wrote social science resource guides for primary and secondary teachers to use in seminars at the island college. He also established library resource centers in several of the schools on the islands. 

Years later in 1998, when Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America, Don felt the urge to return to service. His mother was born in Honduras, one of the areas affected by the hurricane. Don joined the Crisis Corps and served as a disaster relief volunteer, helping with the construction of simple housing, water, and sewer lines. 

Then in 2021, Don came out of retirement to enlist with AmeriCorps, and was assigned to work with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. Since joining our team, he has not only worked as a project leader, but also has participated in an AmeriCorps Blitz Build in Greeley and did a week of building with the Redwood River Habitat affiliate in Marshall, Minnesota. 

His lifelong dedication to service for his community, his country, and his fellow members of society, has put Don in an elite group—earning him the service volunteer “triple crown.”  

“Each person brings their own skills to the table and we must find a way to tap into those skills,” Don said.  

We look forward to working with Don, and to continuing to tap into his lifetime’s worth of skills, for another year!