A life of volunteerism and helping business leads to Habitat job.

Jamie Healy is the new Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Mason County. Her office is located in the ReStore at 3408 W US 10.

The Millennials. 

Editor’s Note: Sustaining a community and keeping it vibrant requires diversity on many levels, especially among age groups. An unintended movement the last few years has been the increased number of millennials who have taken a role in community and business leadership in Mason County. A millennial, also known as Generation Y, is defined as a person who was born in the early ‘80s and sooner. This generation grew up in the digital age and often offers a unique and fresh perspective to leadership.

This is the second story in our weekly series on the area’s millennials who are making an impact in our community. From time to time, this series may include some exceptions by featuring a member of Generation X, a person who is currently in their mid-30s to late-40s.

By Kate Krieger. Senior Correspondent.

SCOTTVILLE – Amber Township resident Jamie Healy, 34, should have “Volunteer” as her middle name. Jamie is no stranger to helping out wherever she can, whenever she can throughout Mason County.

Graduating from Ludington High School in 1999 and then from Grand Valley State University in 2006, Jamie received a degree in public administration, which opened a lot of doors for her.

In 2008, Jamie was hired as the Rec Director for the City of Scottville and a business consultant for the Mason County Growth Alliance, where she worked assisting different business people in their business endeavors.

“I worked with small businesses and start ups,” she said. “I also did a lot of different trainings, too.”

Staying with the City of Scottville and Growth Alliance until 2012, the funding for the Alliance finally ran out, which was disappointing because of how many people she saw benefit from the help.

“The position really ended due to a funding issue,” she says. “I loved that job. It was one of the most rewarding positions I ever had. I made a lot of connections and I got to watch a lot of businesses grow. It was a great feeling to be a part of.”

The next couple of years, Jamie spent some time between different jobs, trying to locate where she really felt she belonged. She says she really enjoyed volunteering and non-profit work, but she also really enjoyed what she had done for the City of Scottville. She turned to her volunteer work as a way to fulfill the void she was feeling at the moment.

As a volunteer, Jamie has helped out with a wide range of different organizations and boards. Besides her yearly commitment of ringing the Salvation Army bell around the holidays with her two children, Mason, 8, and Reegan, 6, she spent two years on the Scottville Planning Commission, two years on the Scottville Main Street Board, she serves on the Scottville Clown Band Shell Committee, served on the Sandcastles Children’s Museum Board, helped run the Scottville Harvest Festival Queen Contest for three years, worked for the Gus Macker and the Community Auction, as well as serving on the United Way of Mason County Community Investment Council and serving as a SCORE counselor for three years.

All her volunteering and commitments have really helped mold her into the person she is today and they also helped guide her in the direction she eventually decided to take.

“My time as a SCORE counselor came in handy with my current job,” she says. “I made a lot of connections doing that.”

Taking her time volunteering and working in the business world for a while made Jamie realize that she really needed to return to the non-profit world because she knew she still had a lot to offer.

“I had really stepped away from non-profit,” she says. “When I went into the private sector, I had to drop a lot of my volunteering commitments. I’m really glad it came back full circle. It’s where I want to be. I’m hoping to get back to where I was three years ago.”

Walking back into the non-profit world, Jamie was recently hired as the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Mason County.

“I’m excited to be in this role,” she says. “My volunteering and previous work will hopefully benefit my role in this organization to help out so many people.”

Working for Habitat really is providing her a great experience to get to meet even more people of the community, she says. And, it offers ways to help those out who really need that extra support in more ways than just helping provide them with a new home.

“Non-profits help so much,” she says. “They really benefit a lot of people and give back to the community so much. Even the Habitat ReStore has so many things people can come in and purchase for their current homes.”

When Jamie isn’t spending her time volunteering or working, she spends what extra time she has with her children and husband, Dan.

“I have helped coach Mason’s soccer teams and I volunteer at their school events when I can,” she says. “It has all been great, but in my new job you get to see the support to the families and I get to do something I love at the same time.”