Habitat for Humanity of Logan County celebrates 25 years

[September 25, 2017] 

LINCOLN

On Sunday afternoon, Habitat for Humanity of Logan County celebrated 25 years of dedicated service to worthy families in Logan County. The organization, which was formed in 1992, has over its history built a total of 22 homes in Logan County, with home build number 23 well underway.

An open house was held at the Habitat Center and Warehouse on Woodlawn Road with several members and volunteers of HFH on hand to help with the celebration. Refreshments were served in both the Habitat Center and the Habitat Warehouse.

Current HFH President Cince Bown was on hand greeting guests as they arrived, moving from one building to the other, and drawing attention to specific items inside each building. In the HFH Center, the former Regions Bank drive-thru, Bowns and others enjoyed looking at the photos of the homes that have been built to date. Some folks were involved in various builds and enjoyed remembering the build and the people they worked with to provide a new home to a family in need.

In the warehouse area, story boards were set up reflecting some of the accomplishments of the local chapter. Tickets were being sold for a half-hog raffle, and the “Buy a stud” was set up, encouraging folks to purchase a studding board for a future home, and sign their names on their purchase. The boards with signatures are then preserved inside the walls of the home.

Guests enjoyed looking at the displays and also “shopping” throughout the warehouse, where items that have been donated to the HFH are offered for sale.

Leonard Krusemark, Cince Bowns, and Bill Sahs

The afternoon had begun at 2 p.m. and at 2:30 p.m., Bowns asked for everyone’s attention for a special presentation. The HFH maintains a Wall of Fame plaque in the center. In honor of the 25 year anniversary two names were officially added to the plaque, that of Bill Sahs, founder of the local chapter, and Leonard Krusemark, one of the original member/volunteers, both men having served the organization for the past 25 years.

The local organization, known by Habitat International as an Affiliate, was chartered on November 19, 1992, by Sahs, who explained he had been motivated by a television show he had seen on PBS about another Habitat Affiliate. With only a desire and a heart for helping others, Sahs got the ball rolling with the help of George and Wally Dahmm, who owned the construction company where Sahs worked.

Sahs speaks about those very early years in a letter that was included in a special booklet published for the anniversary event.

My memory of how HFH Logan County started

It all began on a Sunday in the fall of 1992. After church, I tried to watch PBS Channel 12 to get Ag information. On that Sunday, a news report about a Habitat Affiliation in Minnesota was showing a Blitz Build. They built several houses in a row together in one week. The next Sunday at church during coffee, I said something to Chuck Wilson. That really got the ball rolling.

At that time, in addition to farming, I worked part­time for Dahmm Bros. Construction. That next day I talked with George & Wally Dahmm about us trying to get something started. They came to work the following day and told me if we could get it going, they would donate a lot they owned on Kickapoo Street.

Over the next week, we put together an informational meeting and had the Regional Director of HFH come to our church and talk to us about how to start a new chapter.

There were 15 to 20 people at the meeting. We got all the information for starting the chapter and mountains of paperwork that we had to deal with was handled rather quickly.

We put a board together and had information out into the community by Thanksgiving. We were up and running.

Our first board meeting didn't happen until January, 1993. We selected the first family and got started with fundraising to start our first home. Construction began in October of 1993. We went through some rough financial times, but as they say, the rest is history. The first home was dedicated December 19, 1993. Now with a lot of good people, we are on our 23rd home in Logan County.

- Bill Sahs, Affiliate Founder 1st President

Krusemark remembers quite well how he became involved with the HFH. He was driving through town one day when he spied two fells he knew, Bill Sahs and Geroge Dahmm were standing on a corner selling lengths of 2 inch-by-4 foot lumber. Krtuzemark said that curiosity got the best of him and he had to stop and see why the two were selling lumber on the street. Sahs and Dahmm explained to him about Habitat for Humanity and said they intended to build homes for those who would otherwise not be able to own a home. Krusemark said, “Well that sounded like fun.” From that day on, he became one of HFH’s most dedicated volunteer/members.

The first years were a struggle for the young organization, and past president Phil Dehner shared what the HFH was going through when he joined the group in 2000 in the booklet prepared for the anniversary.

Early HFHLC – its struggle and success

I joined the Habitat Board the winter of 2000. The board at that time was comprised of six very dedicated gentlemen led by Bill Sahs. They had built three houses up to that point. It was apparent that the organization, while very dedicated to its goal of building, was financially a wreck. The books were kept in a shoebox, the bill paying wasn't organized, and no one was in control of the finances. There was a sizeable debt at that point and no escrow account for the homeowners for repairs. It became my immediate goal to see that the escrow was built and fundraising established to build again and pay down the debt - both of which were critical.

The last three years on the board I became president with two goals - pay off all the debt and expand the board to somewhere between 12 and 20 members, with the addition of some women in the mix. I wrote two grant requests to a local trust and Habitat was awarded both.

My final year on the board a house was built and when I departed the board the organization was solvent with a full escrow account for the homeowners and no debt. My financial background played well for HFHLC in their time of need, but make no mistake, it was that band of very dedicated people who began this and stayed throughout raising money and building to give people a hand up that made it all work. I am extremely proud of the small part I may have played in their ultimate success turning the local Habitat organization into a strong, ongoing force for good.

- Phil Dehner, President (2005-2008)

There were several other board members on hand Sunday afternoon including Tonita Reifsteck.

Reifsteck has served the local chapter for quite some time, and is also a past president. On Sunday she noted that in her lifetime she has been involved with Habitat for Humanity for more than 40 years. She went on to explain how that could be. Tonita’s late husband Wallace Reifsteck was a pastor. When he and Tonita were serving a church in Indiana, they became involved with a local HFH, and felt moved to continue their dedication to the worthwhile program when they later moved to Decatur to pastor a church in that community.

When the Reifstecks came to Lincoln, finding the local HFH was a priority.

Cince Bowns has been a volunteer/ member of the HFH for more than a decade and has served on the board of directors for about half that time. She is the current president. Bown's also wrote a personal letter for the anniversary booklet.

A word from the current president, Cince Bowns

Houses are built by contractors. Habitat for Humanity builds homes - one at a time. Farmers, business people, social workers, factory personnel, and many others volunteer their time and talents to improve living conditions - one family at a time. The home changes the life of the recipient family but also has an impact on the extended family, friends, and the community at large. The home improves neighborhoods and increases the city's tax base.

Families complete a short application. This short application is evaluated by the Family Selection Committee to ensure the family meets the income guidelines as well as the need for housing. A full application is then mailed to the family and they have 30 days to return the completed application to HFH. If the family fails to return the initial full application within the 30-day time frame another full application is mailed with the same guidelines. lf the prospective homeowner fails to return the second full application they will be required to start all over again.

Once the full application is received and the initial home visit is scheduled to meet with the family, we discuss how the Habitat process works, the importance of partnering with Habitat, and ensure that all required signatures are affixed on the application. Then Habitat seeks information from previous landlords, police background checks and credit reports.

Habitat volunteers work with the family, if necessary, to clean up their credit report. This is a major part of the vetting process because Habitat holds the mortgage for each and every home that it has built or remodeled.

Once a family is selected they have to be approved by the Habitat Board. It should be noted the members of the Habitat for Humanity of Logan County board are all unpaid volunteers. The board then works with the family to select a date for the ground breaking of their new home.

We encourage the family to invite their new neighbors, extended family, friends and the community.

Habitat for Humanity of Logan County is celebrating its 25th anniversary. There have been 22 homes either built or renovated in Logan County and we are building home #23 in Emden. Habitat volunteers build a close relationship with each family through the vetting process, the build, and the handing over of the keys. A lot of training also takes place with each of our homeowners. Through the building process they learn how to do simple plumbing, siding repair, replacing a door knob, painting, staining, etc. They are also afforded information and training on budgeting and home maintenance. Each of our families becomes a huge part of Habitat International, building homes and bettering lives throughout the world as our annual tithe is sent to Habitat International designated to build homes in both the Dominican Republic and the Philippines. Building Homes - Building Lives worldwide.

Cince Bowns, President (2017)

Habitat for Humanity is currently working hard to complete home build #23 for the Sutton family in Emden. The Suttons lost their home [in a fire] on Christmas Eve 2016. It was a dismal holiday season for the family, but the community immediately pulled together, collecting clothing and gifts for the children to help the family recover. The community also came together quickly to assist the family in qualifying for a Habitat for Humanity home. The process included raising funds to acquire a lot for a new home, and getting the family enrolled in the application process and getting them approved for a building project as soon as possible.

Many of the volunteers on that project are from the Emden area, and are working as quickly as possible to get the family in a new home. Sunday Bowns told the group that being a rural community, many of those working on the build are farmers and harvest is coming quickly. Bowns noted, “We’ve been told we have until Thursday, then harvest is going to start, and we’re going to lose a lot of those volunteers.” Bowns said Habitat needs people to step up and help fill those gaps that will be left by the departing farmers.

There are several volunteer opportunities within a home project. People are needed for each project to serve in a number of capacities including furnishing snacks or meals for workers, working on the home, or serving as a family mentor.

Bowns said the HFH needs more volunteers and more board members. The HFH is always looking for new people to become involved. She added that young people are encouraged to be a part of the organization. It is the youth, she explained, that will carry HFH through the next 25 years.

She told the group in attendance on Sunday that she encouraged them all to be involved in some way, “It will change your life,” she said with conviction.

To learn more about Habitat for Humanity of Logan County visit the website

Habitat for Humanity of Logan County

[Nila Smith]