40 Stories from 40 Years: Alison’s Legacy

As a founder of Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity, Alison is one of the few people who can tell the full story of the affiliate’s 40-year history. 

After her church raised money to support Habitat for Humanity International, Alison and two other church members, Bill and Marge Colglazier, attended a speech by Millard Fuller (founder of Habitat for Humanity) in Seattle. 

“We kind of got excited about Habitat and what it might do here in Tacoma,” says Alison.  

Bill and Marge spent a summer in Americus, Georgia – the birthplace of Habitat for Humanity – and came back with plans to develop a Habitat affiliate in Tacoma. In 1985, a contingent from Tacoma travelled to New York to get their charter approved. Meanwhile, Alison went to graduate school in Maryland and soon returned to Tacoma to teach math at the University of Puget Sound. 

In the early days, Tacoma Habitat was run by a small group of volunteers, including Irene, who Alison says pulled her aside one day. 

“She looked at me and said, ‘You’re a mathematician. You’re not afraid of numbers. Why don’t you be the treasurer?’ So, I was treasurer for a couple of years.” 

The first Tacoma Habitat employees were hired in the early 1990s– Frank Lewis as Project Director and Barb Adams as Office Manager. Eventually, an accountant was hired, and Alison took over the PR and Fundraising team and became more involved with the construction side of Habitat. She volunteered her time on Building on Faith and Blitz Builds. In those early days, she was the main photographer and took a LOT of pictures that Tacoma Habitat now has in its archives. 

In 2001, Alison became an integral part of the Women Build program started in Tacoma by Frank Lewis’ wife, Marilyn. 

Frank and Marilyn learned about Women Build during a Global Village trip to New Zealand and Marilyn was inspired to bring the program to Tacoma.  

“She described it as kind of as a summer camp for women,” Alison explains. 

Alison is still heavily involved with Women Build and volunteers many of her weekends leading the University of Puget Sound’s Campus Chapter on Tacoma Habitat’s construction sites. When asked why she stays so involved, Alison says it’s because of the families. 

She recalls building a deep connection with one family – Lavonne, James, and their daughter Quinn. Lavonne became the family’s breadwinner when James got sick, and the family was bogged down with medical bills on top of living expenses.  

Alison recalls the family having a birthday celebration for Quinn once their Habitat home was built – something they’d never been able to do before. 

“We were building on a house next door. I remember being on the roof while Quinn was having her birthday party,” says Alison. 

Though James has since passed away, Lavonne and Quinn still live in the home 22 years later. 

Alison also recalls a family who moved eight times in one year due to housing costs.  

“How do kids have stability? They can’t make friends because they are constantly changing schools. I love watching the kids when they realize that they have their own bedroom.” 

When asked about her legacy and the legacy she hopes Tacoma Habitat leaves, Alison says, “I mean, it’s life-changing on so many different levels. As a volunteer, to know you’re a small part of someone’s dream. You’ve helped change their lives. It’s amazing to be part of that.” 

Alison is proud to be part of something that has served the community for so long. 

“I’m excited that we’re still here after 40 years, and that we have a really strong affiliate,” she says. “I’m excited to see more and more Habitat neighborhoods popping up with cute houses!”