Bill Roser serves as Executive Director of La Porte County Habitat for Humanity. Now 28 years old, Roser started in the role immediately following college graduation, and his age is novel for his position.
Roser is certainly passionate about his work at La Porte County Habitat for Humanity. With the non-profit’s focus on building and remodeling homes for those in need, Roser’s work is filled with rewarding opportunities to also give back to the local community.
“I think the most rewarding part of my work is seeing people's efforts that go into it without expecting anything in return,” Roser said. “Especially in our current times, I feel like it might be harder for a lot of people to see kindness and good hearts. There's a lot that goes into our organization, but I think that generosity is the most refreshing and also the most rewarding part of my job.”
La Porte County Habitat for Humanity has built 57 homes across La Porte County. Most of these homes are in Michigan City and La Porte. Currently, La Porte County Habitat for Humanity is working on a project in La Porte that includes five homes.
“Our current build site is based in La Porte,” Roser said. “It's a five lot project where five homes will go. We're just finishing up home number two out of five there.”
While La Porte County Habitat for Humanity continues to accomplish a lot, it is still confronted with challenges.
“I think the biggest hurdle is that we are a small affiliate,” Roser said. “We’ve historically built about a home a year.”
Given the organization’s size, Roser must wear a lot of hats, which is a challenge in itself.
“I think the amount of roles that I have to complete on a given day is definitely challenging,” he said.
Roser, who spent time remodeling homes independently prior to his role, plans to tackle this hurdle by continuing to grow La Porte County Habitat for Humanity.
“Coming into this role, my goal is to grow the organization and being a small affiliate with limited resources, I do have to wear a lot of hats,” he said.
Roser has several hobbies that keep him busy outside of his work with Habitat for Humanity. For example, he is also an artist.
“I’m a lifelong artist of many mediums,” he said. “Previously, I had a photography company. I did a lot of personal photography, such as landscapes and city photography in Chicago as well as some real estate.”
Additionally, Roser enjoys participating in outdoor recreational activities.
“I like to spend time outside, whether that be biking or hiking,” he said. “I also like spending time with the people I love and care about – close family and friends – and I like to cook.”
La Porte County Habitat for Humanity receives regular requests from local community members to volunteer to help build and remodel homes.
“We have about eight-10 people that show up every Wednesday and Saturday,” Roser said.
As Roser continues to grow the La Porte County Habitat for Humanity presence, he encourages community members who are interested in volunteering or becoming involved with the affiliate to visit laportehabitat.org.