Left Hand Laurel-Lori and Russ Lindemann

Lori and Russ Lindemann moved to the Gunbarrel Estates neighborhood in 1994 with their two children and niece in tow. For the past two and a half decades, they have called Boulder County home and have done a huge part in making it a terrific place to live for its variety of residents.

The Lindemanns are no strangers to hard work and have spent much of their free time volunteering throughout the community. Lori has volunteered with the St. Vrain Valley School District, the VA in Denver, the DA's office in Boulder as a victim advocate, and CASA.

Lori and Russ were first introduced to Habitat for Humanity through their daughter, Kristen, who previously volunteered with the organization through Flatirons Church. At the time, Lori was donating her time and talents to the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center off Highway 52 and Russ was working full time.

When Russ retired in 2018 from a long career in the medical device industry, the duo began volunteering with the St. Vrain Valley Habitat for Humanity chapter. They worked in Lyons, building duplexes for people displaced by the September 2013 floods. The Lindemanns moved Russ's parents to Dacono in August 2018 and learned of a neighborhood revitalization grant, recently awarded to The Glens neighborhood, in Dacono. Lori and Russ now had even more of a reason to dedicate their time to Habitat and shifted their efforts to assisting the nonprofit with work in Dacono.

The work that Lori and Russ performed throughout The Glens consisted of many types of "critical repair" including plumbing, roof repair, paving, window replacement, and more. Through this work, Lori and Russ became even more involved with the St. Vrain Valley chapter's Habitat International, which supports water and sanitation projects around the world. The Lindemanns currently sit on the group's international committee and help vet potential affiliate countries for future projects. They also assist with fundraising activities and hold scholarship interviews for candidates who want to volunteer overseas but lack appropriate funds.

Once or twice a year, Lori and Russ travel to an affiliate country to assist with builds and community projects. They returned from Lesotho, South Africa, in February with even more dedication to the cause and inspiration for the work.

Lori said, "Both Russ and I agree that the best part of working in Lesotho was working side by side with not only our nine-person group of volunteers from USA and Paraguay, but the 25 or so men and women from the community that came out to help every day."

In addition to building alongside one another, the Lindemanns were able to share their culture and learn more about South African language and life. "We did our best to learn words to communicate," she said. "Good morning, please, thank you, and goodbye go a long way to get through a day."

Lori noted the dedication and attitudes of Lesotho community members. "The community members had very strong work ethics, were always smiling, and the women sang when energy needed to increase." Both Lori and Russ were sad to leave this engaging, inspirational project.

When they aren't busy volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, the Lindemanns enjoy 4-wheeling in their Jeep Rubicon. They love getting outside and embracing Colorado's fantastic outdoor culture by hiking, dispersed camping, and snowshoeing. You can also find them sampling craft beers at new breweries, spending time with friends and family, or working on a home renovation project.

While we often take for granted our warm, safe homes with a stable, secure roof over our heads, the Lindemanns have reached out to help those who don't have stable housing.

Now, more than ever, it's important to give back and provide for others who have less. Everyone is spending more time indoors, being frustrated with the "shelter-in-place" order and yearning for a break in the monotony. However, many people don't have a place to shelter or even have access to clean running water to wash their hands.. Through Habitat for Humanity, the Lindemanns are working to provide the neediest of our community and abroad with something so simple yet so profound – a safe place to land at the end of each day.

To learn more about Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley or to donate, visit their website, https://www.stvrainhabitat.org/.