Laine Himmelmann
Young Professionals 2022 by Robin Douglas
Growing up , Laine Himmelmann ’ s mother told her if she was kind , worked hard and didn ’ t give up hope , good things could happen . “ That always really resonated with me ,” she says . “ It ’ s something that I ’ ve tried to be personally and professionally — kind but driven .”
As chief development officer for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento , Himmelmann has put that advice to work , helping to raise a staggering $ 20 million and finishing 2021 in the nonprofit ’ s strongest financial position to date . “ All of that is from being able to connect people to the impact that we have and the pride of being a part of that . Everybody wants to be a part of something that makes a difference , you know ?”
Himmelman , 34 , manages fundraising and the organization ’ s volunteer program — which oversees about 2,000 volunteers a year — on top of public relations , communication , marketing and media relations . It has generated over 1,000 earned media pieces in the past decade . “ I think that storytelling is really what I ’ ve built my career on ,” says the Gonzaga University graduate , who majored in English .
Starting out at Habitat for Humanity as a development assistant in 2010 , she was inspired by seeing companies , professionals , advocates and low-income families come together to help underserved communities — and wanted to tell everyone about it . “ I became very passionate ,” says Himmelmann . “ I would tell people in my day-to-day life all about the work that I was doing and how excited I was to be a really small part of it .”
She quickly educated herself on how to write press releases and connect with the media , developing a system for documenting the inspiring stories of the families the organization helps . Each qualified
“ Habitat partner family ” must put in 500 hours of “ sweat equity ,” working alongside volunteers to build their home and the homes of their future neighbors , often overcoming serious challenges and conditions to get there .
“ They ’ re living in garages , overcrowded , moldy apartments , and sometimes working two or three minimum wage jobs ,” she explains . “ On top of that , they ’ re coming out and literally digging the trenches and raising the walls of their home .” The homes are a springboard toward bigger dreams than just surviving , she says .
As home prices , rent and homelessness continue to skyrocket , Himmelmann is proud Habitat has come back stronger since the start of the pandemic . It is now preparing to break ground on The Cornerstone , a new project in partnership with Mutual Housing and the Sacramento Housing Redevelopment Agency designed to provide affordable housing for over 400 low-income individuals . It will be the organization ’ s biggest project in 36 years .
At Habitat ’ s recent “ Rock the Block ” event in Sacramento ’ s Oak Park neighborhood , a team of over 500 volunteers turned out to complete 22 home repairs , five community projects and a community cleanup — all in two days . Residents told Himmelman how much it meant to them . “ There ’ s so much going on in the world today . I kept hearing how wonderful it is to be reminded that there are good people out there and lots of things to be hopeful for ,” she says . “ I think that ’ s another thing that ’ s very important about our work , is the hope .”
July 2022 | comstocksmag . com 47