When Tifni Welch-Neidhardt’s son spent his 2024 spring break at a volunteer center working with Habitat for Humanity, he wasn’t just donating his time to a nonprofit, he was sparking a third generation of service in his community.
His “bonus” grandmother, Mary Welch, led Habitat for Humanity of Seminole County as Executive Director before moving on to Habitat for Humanity International. His grandfather, Mike Welch, worked as Construction Manager with Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter before transitioning to U.S. Director of Long-Term Disaster Recovery at Habitat International. His mother, Tifni, discovered her own passion for Habitat’s mission through volunteer work both on the build site and in fundraising.
Organizations like Habitat for Humanity don’t just build homes, they build community and a passion for service that lasts generations. The Welch family experienced this firsthand as their entire family works to uplift their communities, and each family member continues to engage with local nonprofits.
Service in Different Shapes and Sizes
Through their careers, Mike and Mary Welch impacted Central Florida communities in two completely different ways. Mary built through strategy and leadership, guiding Habitat for Humanity of Seminole County as Executive Director from 1996 to 1999. Mary’s work led her through multiple positions of leadership from head of a county-wide affiliate to overseeing and advising all affiliates in the Southeastern United States.
Mike built with his hands, making sure every volunteer understood safety and had fun on the job site. Tifni described him, saying, “My father, he was very patient and kind and funny. He was always smiling and laughing about something, but he was very serious when it came to safety. He could guide you strongly, but without you ever feeling pressure, showing volunteers, even the young ones, how to do things.” Mike’s work led him to several high-profile builds, from meeting former President Jimmy Carter, to building a Habitat for Humanity house in the middle of Times Square.
“They are such completely different dynamics, but both were so important to the cause,” Tifni said, “which was perseverance, getting through the tough parts of the beginning stages, whether you’re on the construction stie or putting it all together in the office.”
This balance became a physical partnership in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy when Habitat for Humanity International recruited Mary to help with relief efforts, then asked if Mike could help as well, telling her, “We need all the help we can get.” The two worked side by side on the recovery effort, hands-on construction and strategic coordination united under the same goal.
Mary believes that these daily examples of consistent service shaped their children into the people they are today. “I think all four of our daughters are very empathetic, and I don’t know that they would have been had it not been for seeing their dad getting up before it was even light out to get to a jobsite,” she said. “It’s important to have that value as a family, and to make sure service is in their lives.”
“All four of the daughters have worked on numerous Habitat sites, two of them have been crew chiefs on Habitat sites before … they all know that philanthropic giving is a critical part of being a successful adult.”
Mary Welch
Like mother, Like son
For Tifni, the pull towards Habitat didn’t come from a job title, it started with lunch. Tifni began stopping by her dad’s build sites to bring him food or say hello, and the visits evolved into her volunteering. “I love seeing things come together,” she said. “I love the smell of wood when it’s freshly sawed, and I always liked being able to be outdoors.”
In 2016, Tifni participated in Habitat’s Women Build, helping to make the work she was doing feel like hers. “That was when I really got to meet a lot of people on my own terms, without my family members being a part of it,” she recalled. “I just really got to see how people came together, especially women. That felt very empowering.” She even folded in her own career in the travel industry, pulling contacts from her professional network into fundraising efforts, blending the lessons she’d learned from Mary’s work in fundraising with the lessons she’d learned from Mike on the build site.
Today, Tifni’s son is feeling that same pull towards community service. In 2024, Lake-Sumter held a Legacy Build in Mike’s honor, and for the first time, Tifni’s son was old enough to participate on the job site. He stayed on-site the entire week, meeting people who remembered his grandfather and shared a similar drive for giving back to their community. “It’s so heartwarming, because this whole thing has such purpose,” Tifni said. “I know how proud his Papa Welch would be of him.” Now he is working with his high school to organize groups of students to volunteer on a Habitat Seminole-Apopka’s new 19-single-family home neighborhood, Plaza del Legado, continuing to grow the legacy his grandparents began decades prior.
A Nonprofit’s Impact
“I was looking at the two houses, and it was like The Wizard of Oz, going from black and white into color, and I will never forget that moment of just saying, ‘Oh my gosh, look at the impact that has been made by Habitat for Humanity on this family.”
Mary Welch
After being asked about her time with Habitat for Humanity, Mary reflected on memories that stuck with her from when she was Executive Director of Habitat Seminole. One of those memorable moments occurred at a local home dedication.
While her team prepared for the key ceremony, Mary realized the homebuyer’s young daughter, Maria, was not outside with her family. Walking through the newly built home, Mary found Maria sitting on the floor of what would be her new bedroom, crying. Mary assumed she was upset about the paint color she’d picked out, but Maria told her, “No, Ms. Mary, I have a friend spending the night tonight, and I am so excited, because I was never allowed to have children spend the night.” Maria’s mother was concerned about the conditions of their previous living situation, and Mary still remembers how stunned she was to hear that. “Every weekend our house had tons of little kids sleeping over,” she said. “For [Maria], it was the first time ever, because she was in a safe and healthy environment.”
“This work has a purpose that builds security within humanity, and in this world that we live in that is so full of chaos at this time, that brings a lot of peace to a situation. That’s not something that you can buy… it’s an everlasting type of peace.”
Tifni Welch-Neidhardt
Nonprofits don’t just help build communities, they impact entire generations of people, and as Tifni says, “they build brighter futures.” If you are interested in becoming involved with your hometown Central Florida Habitat this National Nonprofit Day, click to learn more about our initiative and volunteer opportunities.
Click HERE to watch parts of the interviews with Tifni and Mary and see what they have to say about the impact of Habitat for Humanity.