by Dennis Dalman
Chad Bouley has been appointed as the new executive director of Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity.
Bouley lives in Zimmerman, a city of about 6,000 residents in northeast Sherburne County.
Bouley will fill the position of Chad Johnson of St. Joseph, who served from September 2021 until just recently.
Bouley is the former chief real-estate officer of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) Habitat for Humanity. He started that job in 2003.
“I’m so excited to get started and have ideas for growth short-term and long-term,” Bouley said. “Just as important, however, is to meet people we have served – community leaders, faith leaders, donors and educators for their advice and feedback. This will be a team effort.”
Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity is a branch of Habitat for Humanity International. It serves a four-county area: Stearns, Benton, Sherburne and Wright.
Headquartered in St. Cloud, its mission is to bring people together to create, preserve and promote affordable homeownership. Since its inception 30 years ago, more than 100 families in the central Minnesota area have partnered with Habitat so they can own a home. The families work with volunteers either to build a new home or to restore older homes. Once in their homes, they pay very affordable mortgages, well within their income range.
Bouley has a long history of volunteerism and as a community advocate. He and his wife, Lynda, are raising their seven children in Zimmerman where they are all involved in youth sports and church activities.
“With seven kids, I’ve spent a lot of years coaching youth sports,” Bouley said. “Football alone since 2011, including three years coaching on the Zimmerman High School varsity team. With very active children, the answer is yes, my wife and I get tired, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Bouley said he has short-term and long-term strategies for the Habitat program. Short-term, he intends to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones to foster enthusiasm for volunteerism and financial support. Feedback from those people, he said, will help sharpen the organization’s focus so longer-range strategies can be developed.
Bouley said he plans to work to strengthen the following: home preservation, restoration of aging homes, mortgage financing and structure, fundraising, expansion of government financial support, outreach to communities currently underserved, retail outlets and global work.
Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity is the largest nonprofit affordable homeownership developer in the central Minnesota area, serving people in the 30 percent to 60 percent range of average median income. Those who wish to support Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity during this transformational time should visit online https://www.cmhfh.org/make-a-gift.
Habitat for Humanity started in 1976, a grassroots Christian housing organization in an interracial community farm in southern Georgia. Former President Jimmy Carter, raised in Georgia, has famously long been an active volunteer in Habitat, along with his wife, Rosalynn.
The organization is active in all 50 states and in more than 70 countries.
Habitat has shown through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. To learn more or to donate, visit cmhfh.org.
