Fund Purpose:
The purpose of this fund is to support the programs and projects of Grant County Habitat for Humanity.
Fund Story:
“Service to humanity is the greatest work of life.” Dan Porfilio doesn’t remember where or when he first heard this phrase, but he has adopted it as his motto.
In 1997, Dan and his wife, Jenita, started an endowment fund to support scholarships for family members of Habitat for Humanity homeowners. They hoped that the scholarships would encourage Habitat for Humanity families to finish high school and continue their educations.
Dan was an Allstate Insurance Agent at Porfilio/Rees Agency for 36 years and Jenita was a homemaker. Dan was involved in his family, his church group, the Rotary Club, the Toastmasters Club, the startup of the Crime Stopper’s Program, and square dancing. The Porfilio’s were also instrumental in the founding of the Habitat for Humanity Program in Grant County. They were involved in family nurture and selection and the building of the homes. Their passion for this program led them to create the fund.
Dan Porfilio first became involved with the Habitat for Humanity Program years ago when his son was a college student heading to Peru to work with the program. He initially heard about the program when the founder, Millard Fuller, came to speak to his son’s group, and later when he learned that friend Ed Pearl was beginning the program in Grant County. When Porfilio left Grant County in 2002, he had been involved in the building of four to five houses per year for a total of 35 houses. The program in Florida, where he currently resides, has built over 1,800 homes and Porfilio has been involved in the building of 300 of them.
Porfilio said that he learned generosity from his life experiences. He was inspired by seeing what a little effort could do for families involved in the Habitat for Humanity Program.
Fund Impact:
Habitat for Humanity of Grant County, Inc.
