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DON’T RETIRE, RETREAD!
By Shirley Boyd
That was the message Mary Lynn Staley gave the CCA members as she and Warren wrapped up their discussion of their involvement with Habitat for Humanity (H4H) since 1993. Warren and Mary Lynn certainly did not retire when Warren “retired” as CEO and Chair of Cargill’s Board in 2007.
Warren started by sharing one of his and Mary Lynn’s early philanthropic efforts – serving the poor in Cali, Colombia on a Ford Foundation Scholarship following Warren’s obtaining his MBA from Cornell. In Colombia, Warren worked at a development bank and Mary Lynn taught at an international school. It was in Cali that Warren and Mary Lynn got their first taste of real poverty – from the streets and Warren’s travels in country.
Warren explained that Habitat for Humanity works in local communities not just across the U.S. and but in more than seventy countries around the world. He reminded us that H4H was founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in Americus, GA (and not by President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn – H4H’s most famous volunteers).
Warren shared a little about the way H4H works to create decent, affordable housing:
- In addition to new construction, H4H renovates existing homes in many communities, particularly in urban areas.
- H4H helps people repair and improve their own homes and neighborhoods.
- H4H’s Disaster Response collaborates with local communities to address a variety of housing needs after natural disasters.
- H4H’s advocacy work raises awareness and support for decent and affordable housing around the world.
- Outside of North America, H4H works with partner organizations to serve even more families through innovative financing methods.
Mary Lynn then shared how she first got involved with Habitat for Humanity. She and Warren were flying with another couple to a Cargill executive meeting. Mary Lynn was chatting with the wife of the executive and learned they had a mutual interest in doing something in the housing area for others. A little while later, this woman called Mary Lynn with an opportunity to build for Habitat for Humanity in Durban, South Africa. That experience kicked off Mary Lynn and Warren’s journey with Habitat for Humanity. Since 1993, the Staleys have participated in H4H Jimmy Carter Work Projects in Thailand, South Africa, Mexico and across the United States. They have also participated in several Global Village builds around the world.
The Mexico build has an interesting back story. In 2004, Warren asked Mary Lynn what she wanted for her birthday. Mary Lynn wanted the family to spend a week building houses in Mexico. One problem: The build was scheduled for the same week as Cargill's biennial management meetings. Warren and Mary Lynn went to Mexico and built homes for a week with former President Jimmy Carter, volunteers, and working-class Mexicans.
H4H builds many different kinds of homes around the world. In South Africa, H4H built homes without bathrooms, but also built toilet blocks to serve families living in the homes. In Cambodia, houses are built on stilts, creating a family gathering place underneath.
In addition to all their volunteer work on H4H houses and their generous donations, Mary Lynn served on the Twin Cities H4H board from 2009-2014 and on the H4H International Board of Directors from 2012 – 2019. Mary Lynn shared that Twin Cities H4H has always been number 1 or 2 in the nation.
In 2019, the Staley’s joined the Carter Work Project in Nashville and had the opportunity to work beside Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.
Last fall, both Warren and Mary Lynn spent a week working on a house at the 2024 Carter Work Project in St. Paul. More than 4,000 volunteers, homeowners and other supporters worked to build 30 new homes in The Heights development in East St. Paul (and to celebrate President Carter’s 100th birthday) during that week.
Warren and Mary Lynn’s philanthropy is not limited to supporting H4H. Warren and Mary Lynn also shared their passion for providing educational opportunities to the disadvantaged, including Opportunity International (loans for school tuition for farmers, which are repaid when crops are sold) and the building and ongoing support of a boarding high school for more than 850 students in Ghana. I later learned that Warren and Mary Lynn were hosting two of those students at their home during the week of the CCA Annual meeting.
Mary Lynn wrapped up the discussion by saying how proud she was of CCA, its leadership, its organization and all of the volunteers who make such a difference in our community.
For more about the Staleys, click Staley Bios
Warren and Mary Lynn’s support of H4H, Staley’s Philanthropic Endeavors and 2024 Carter Work Project, click Staley Activities
How H4H housing differs around the world, visit Habitat houses around the world | Habitat for Humanity.
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When asked, he shared a bit of background. Brian grew up in Texas, the first in his family to attend college. After graduating, he started working for Cargill on the floor of the meat plant in Plainview, Texas. He and his wife thought it would be Plainview forever. Fourteen moves later, he now sits at the helm at Cargill headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota. 
