Member Profile - Robyn Allin and Pat Elfer - Our Team Leaders!

Patricia Elfer (the Canadian looking one on the RHS)

The year before I retired as a teacher in 2001, I met my first Habitat family. The children were students at my elementary school. It was out of my desire to do “something” for the children and their parents that my involvement with Habitat for Humanity grew.

Since then I’ve spent many productive and happy hours working on builds in the Greater Toronto Area. In 2003, I joined with a group of G.T.A educators to raise $70,000 to finance a house at one of our Scarborough builds. It was a challenge but we did it! Next, came opportunities to speak to community and school groups about the joys of volunteering with Habitat. I have also had the opportunity to take part in 2 Global Village builds to Honduras and Zambia.

I was born in Toronto and have spent my entire life in the Big Smoke. Most of my career life has been in teaching, with time off for a 5 year stint in sales and advertising. My son, Ron, his wife, Karen and my extended French/Irish family live in Toronto as well. I’m an active person who enjoys dragon boating, camping, canoeing, hiking and golf. Travel, theatre, movies and gardening are other passions.
I’m looking forward to meeting and working with you.



Robyn Allin

Born in Australia, I have lived the majority of my adult life in Toronto. I retired as a teacher and school administrator in 2002 and now I am very happily pursuing my passions and loving it. I began volunteering with Habitat Toronto by helping to raise the funds for a Habitat home (where I met Pat), and have continued to volunteer in a variety of ways until in 2006 I became a part- time Habitat Toronto employee as Faith Ambassador.

My first Global Village trip in 2004 was to Santa Rosa de Copan in Honduras, and there I developed international Habititis. Like so many, I had a life-changing experience and now I participate in overseas builds as often as I am able. A second GV trip to Zambia in 2007 was my first to Africa, and fulfilled another lifelong dream. In 2009 I lead the first Australian/Canadian team to Nepal, and built bamboo mud homes in the Terai area. I was awestruck by the grandeur of the Himalayas and fell in love with the Nepali people. And now I am eagerly anticipating returning to Nepal for the Everest Build in October 2010.

I live in Toronto in the Beach overlooking Lake Ontario, love golf, Aussie Reds, movies at the Fox and fair trade coffee at the Bean.

I look forward to meeting you all and to sharing more life-changing experiences as we build homes and hope together.