It has been said that it takes a special kind of individual to have the unconditional love and dedication in helping others. For Rebuilding Together Duneland President Jocelyn Hibshman, the desire to give back is just one of many things that make her an incredible individual.
Hibshman is currently finishing her last year as president of RTD. While this presents the end of one chapter in her life, the memories of her time and those who worked alongside her are still fresh in her mind.
"I have loved my time here working at RTD," says Hibshman. "I have been fortunate to work with some tremendous people. As I leave, I am looking forward to seeing new people come in and bring new things to the organization."
Hibshman began her journey with RTD through the recommendation of a close friend who encouraged her to join the non-profit organization, feeling it would be a good fit for her personality.
"My friend told me that I should join RTD, but I was a little hesitant at first," says Hibshman. "I asked myself 'why would they want me?' and 'what would I offer them?'" I had never been involved with a non-profit before and it was a little scary at first."
However, Hibshman was someone who was always willing to take the plunge on new experiences and after spending only one day with RTD, she knew that it was the right decision to join.
"It only took one work day for me to realize that this was the right decision for me," says Hibshman. "When you're working together with everyone, everything is accomplished in one day. People come in ready to work. At the end of the day, you know that you didn't do it for yourself, but for someone else. It's a wonderful feeling."
Seeing people gather from the Duneland community and work together to improve homes for those in need became a part of Hibshman's life. It presented a new opportunity and a new way for her to work with others and extend her love to those within the community.
"It was always the team building that brought me back," says Hibshman. "We worked well together and always accomplished something great and at the end of the day, I was eager to do it again."
In 2010, RTD needed a new president and she accepted the position as a means to continue her love for helping out the Duneland community.
"I've learned during my time as president to ultimately love what you do," says Hibshman. "Love what you do and find ways to incorporate your love into it to make it better."
During Hibshman's time as president, she also gave her time to two other full-time roles, her job at Lakeside Wealth Management as Chief Compliance Officer and Long-Term Care Planning Specialist and her job as a mother. Despite the high demands of a career and motherhood, Hibshman manages to give her full attention to both in addition to her time with RTD.
"For the past seven years, Jocelyn has done an amazing job as Board Chair of Rebuilding Together Duneland. She has given tirelessly of her time to lead a great organization that has been doing incredible things for our community for a very long time," says Lakeside Wealth Management President Timothy Rice. "People don't always understand the work involved when one is a board chair. Yes, it's a lot of work, but to be an excellent board chair is even harder. Jocelyn balances being a single mother of two, caring for two aging relatives, and putting in over 50 hours a week as our firm's Chief Compliance Officer. To also find time to give back to our community is inspiring!"
"Jocelyn works tirelessly to help our selected homeowners stay in their homes," says Rebuilding Together Duneland member Nancy Veselica. "She has gone above and beyond to assure them a safe and warm home and has been a critical part of the continuing success of our organization."
While this may be Hibshman's closing chapter of her time with RTD, the amount of work she and her group have done for the community of Duneland cannot be ignored. However, Hibshman is quick to point out that it is more of a team effort than anything else.
"I can't take credit for all of this, it's really a team effort more than anything else," says Hibshman. "Everyone who volunteers here has children and works full time. We are all very similar in the way we think and we always have a good time working together."
To volunteer for Rebuilding Together Duneland please sign up through their website. Registration ends on April 13th!