Margaret Maxwell, known to many as “Max,” has been generously contributing her time, energy, and resources to Habitat Tucson since 1986. Her involvement began when a fellow church member, Mary Kelly, introduced her to the Quincy Douglas neighborhood project.
Over the past 30 years, she has served on the board of directors during Habitat Tucson’s early days and continued as Past President in the late ‘90s.
Max shared that growing up in a stable home and having access to education without significant financial burdens inspired her to give back. She focuses on housing, food security, and education to help others access similar opportunities, which is why she supports Habitat.
She highlights the importance of helping women achieve homeownership, especially single mothers who are primary caregivers. Reflecting on her experience of buying a home in 1975 while working as a legal aid lawyer, she emphasized how transformative that opportunity was and her dedication to helping other women have similar chances.
“I think that home ownership really gives a person so many more opportunities. You are building equity, and you are supporting neighborhoods."
Max’s hope to keep progress moving forward has been a driving force in her volunteer work, along with inspiration from Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, whom she sees as the ultimate examples of service regardless of one’s station in life.
She also emphasizes the many ways to support Habitat for Humanity and the families we serve, noting, “There are many ways to volunteer, not only just physical building, but participating by donating things and helping at the HabiStore, working at the office, fundraising, and service on committees.”
Now retired from her court employment, Max has shifted from construction work to less physical forms of support. “The tool that I use best to support Habitat is my pen and a checkbook,” she says. She remains optimistic about the future, as more people recognize the value of homeownership in transforming lives and communities.