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Staff Spotlight - Joe Wilson
January 16th, 2025  |  by

At the end of the 2024 season, Joe Wilson hung up his utility belt for the last time after eight years with CrossRoads. Starting in Louisville building and repairing homes, he naturally transitioned to leading wall building events across the country with Help Build Hope. 

Joe instructing a group on wall plans
In Louisville

Joe joined CrossRoads in 2016 and worked in our Louisville field for several years. His goal was to get back into construction as a ministry after spending a decade developing facilities for Team Expansion in Louisville. “Team Expansion and CrossRoads were in the same office building so I got to know all of the CR staff at that time,” remembered Joe. 

Serving in the Louisville field remains on the forefront of Joe’s mind, “My favorite CrossRoads memories were always working with the men in Serve Louisville. Nathan Ott and I trained a lot of the volunteers to the point that we could walk into a house and give them a list and supplies and they would do the work, from installing windows and doors to complete kitchens.”

Back in 2016, the field was building new homes in West Louisville, as well as renovations and other ministry opportunities. Help Build Hope and Louisville were working together at the time to build those homes – focusing not only on construction, but also prayer, building community, and supporting partner ministries around the city.

Joe working on floors for a Louisville home renovation
On The Road

Our Help Build Hope staff logs thousands of miles every year, traveling across the country to lead builds at churches, schools, and companies. “Help Build Hope has made an impact nationwide, from Michigan to Florida , Philadelphia to Seattle,” explained Joe Wilson who recently retired from our Help Build Hope ministry after five years on the road. 

Joe is an easily recognizable figure at a build event with his iconic highlighter yellow shirt paired with a kilt and utility belt. His unique style isn’t the only thing that grabs attention, but also his leadership skills as he helps organize the build sites. As said by another staff member after a build in 2019: “It was fun watching Joe Wilson run his first solo Help Build Hope today.  He did a great job working with the college students. He is patient and does a good job of teaching those he is around while also having fun!”

Since that first solo build, Joe has traveled all over the country spending many birthdays and anniversaries on the road and giving up much family time in order to lead others in builds for families in need. Joe shared, “It was challenging, arriving at a church and not knowing how organized the groups are. Flexibility was the key to all events. But, when you are all done, you could see everyone had a great experience – never knowing the utter chaos that was going on right in front of them, and also knowing that they personally were affecting someone’s life.”

Over his five years of service, Joe had some unique experiences with Help Build Hope – from blitz builds to ministry building projects to standing homes with the homeowners. One unique build was in Victoria, TX at the end of 2020. Joe shared his excitement on facebook, “The cut day is done, tomorrow we build the walls and will stand them on the slab as they are done. This doesn’t happen very often and is really cool. It’s going to be a good day tomorrow. The family will be there and we will have a dedication for this house. This is why I do what I do!”

Join the Mission!

Help Build Hope is getting ready for a busy year, and there are multiple ways you can join us in our mission:

SCHEDULE A BUILD – We will bring the mission trip to you!

DONATE – Support our staff and help us update our vehicles so they can travel safely

PRAYER – Join us in praying for the recipients, volunteers, and staff

JOIN OUR STAFF – Go on the road with HBH to lead build events!

We are also looking for CAD programmers to help draw floorplans

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