 The home was turned over to Eric and Teresa Baker and their two
children, Connor and Paisley. The Bakers have worked quite some
time to reach this day. Before their own house was built, the family
dedicated hours to sweat equity, working on other Habitat
projects. After they were approved for a home, they also had to
invest 100 hours of labor in their own build.
Sunday afternoon, after five months, all their hopes and dreams
became reality when the home was blessed and the keys were turned
over to them.
According to their mentor, Larry Martincic, the family is now
taking on two mortgages. The first mortgage is for 70 percent of the
home value, is interest-free, and the Bakers will make monthly
payments just as any other homeowner would. The second mortgage is a
20-year note. Each year that the Bakers maintain their home and make
their payments, one-twentieth of that note will be forgiven.
Through the process the Bakers have been guided by their mentor
in the building process. Martincic said a portion of his role is to
answer the Bakers' questions and keep them informed about what is
going on in their build. The mentors for Habitat are all volunteers,
just as those who build the home.
Sunday afternoon during the opening statements, Habitat president
Mike Irwin opened by drawing comparisons between the story of Christ
feeding the masses with the lunch of a child to the masses who
contributed to the home being dedicated.
He recognized several people, including William R. and Dianna L.
Bishop, who donated the lot at 1419 N. McLean, and the Woods
Foundation, which financed the build.
In addition, scores of individuals and businesses contributed to
the home, Irwin said. He recounted businesses that donated materials
and labor, individuals who helped during the build, and folks who
came in with meals for the building crews.
Irwin also talked about putting a value on the home. The lot
where the new home is once housed a mobile home, and then it stood
empty. With the build, there is now a modest home with nice siding
and attractive porches.
But Irwin said the value of the home really couldn't be measured
in money. "How do you put a dollar value on Connor having his own
room? How do you put a dollar value on little Paisley having her own
room?" he asked. He said there was no way to put a dollar figure on
a young child having his own bedroom for the first time ever.
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As the group went through the blessing process, Mayor Keith
Snyder remembered the day the group broke ground for the home. It
was mid-May, cold and rainy. On this day the conditions were
similar, but no one seemed to mind.
"This is a special day that we want to celebrate with the Bakers
and everyone else. The fact that we have a new home in this
community is a blessing, and we want to thank everyone involved in
it," Snyder said.
Martincic led the litany of dedication and presented the family
with a copy of the Habitat book.
The Rev. Father Laible of Holy Family Church read Scripture and
delivered a blessing on the home. He also presented the Bakers with
a family Bible.
After receiving their keys, the family was asked if they would
make a comment. Teresa Baker said that during the build they spent
much time driving past the house to watch the progress. It was a
favorite thing to do of their son Connor. "He would say, 'Let's go
see the house, let's go see the house.' Now, I look forward to
hearing him say, 'Let's go home.'"
At the end of the service, Habitat volunteer John Sutton played
his guitar to accompany the singing of "Bless This House."
The afternoon ended with the Bakers inviting everyone to take a
tour of their new home and enjoy some refreshments.
The home is 1,200 square feet with an open floor plan, three
bedrooms and a sizable full bath.
During the time of fellowship, young Connor enjoyed helping
himself to a drink in his new kitchen. Connor said he is happy that
he now has his own bedroom (as does sister Paisley), and he hasn't
decided yet how it will be decorated, but it'll have a lot of
"stuff" in it.
[By NILA SMITH]
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