The Joe F. Castagno Construction Leadership Award was created to recognize and honor one of the most important elements in our building program—our Construction Leaders. Habitat Construction Leaders are the house and crew leaders that lead unskilled volunteers each build day. It is through the selfless giving of these individuals’ time and talents and their endless dedication to the Habitat program that we are able to continue to provide families a hand up, not a handout, in achieving the American dream of homeownership.

One of our Habitat House Leaders developed this award in 2009 to honor his beloved father, Joe F. Castagno. Joe was a man who believed that through hard work and pulling together, we can improve lives and communities. As a farmer, he was good with his hands, knew how to use tools, and enjoyed the satisfaction of building something tangible. He wanted things built right and attention to detail he instilled in his children. He greatly enjoyed the camaraderie of working with a group of people. In short, he had much in common with our outstanding construction leaders.

Past Joe F. Castagno Construction Leadership Award recipients include:
2009 – Robert “Uncle Bob” Porter
2010 – Marv Noelken
2011 – Henry Dayringer
2012 – Michael Basco
2013 – Teri Finan
2014 – Mike Giger, John Behl, & Jim Kennedy
2015 – Dave Craig
2016 – Bob Frank
2017 – Kathy Ryan
2018 – Bob Miller
2019 – Mike Miller

Nominations for this year’s award are now open. Please use the form below to nominate someone. The award will be presented at the annual Construction Leadership Dinner on a date TBD. If you have any questions, please contact Joe Fetter at joseph@habitatstl.org.