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Habitat for Humanity dedicates 66th house
Carla Griffin wipes tears from her eyes as she gives thanks to those attending the dedication of her home, Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity's 66th house located at 1902 Artisan Avenue on Sunday, Sept., 7, 2008, in Huntington.
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HUNTINGTON -- Carla Griffin looked out the kitchen window of her new home Sunday afternoon, toward a crowd gathering on the street outside.
"Look at all those people," she said with a smile. "I thank God for Habitat -- it brings people together to show love."
Just a short time later, her little granddaughter, Ahleeyah Jackson, helped cut the ribbon on the home, which is the 66th house built by Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity. It's located at 1902 Artisan Ave., and is the third of five Habitat houses to be built on the street as part of a revitalization project.
Griffin, a single mother of two adult children, will live there with her son, KaiRon White, her daughter, Marcelena White, and Ahleeyah, who is Marcelena's daughter. The family put 450 hours of sweat equity into the construction of the house, along with the help of eight area churches in the Downtown Churches Association and other supporters.
The churches association includes Central Christian, Fifth Avenue Baptist, First Methodist, First Presbyterian, Johnson Memorial United Methodist, St. Joseph Catholic, St. Paul Lutheran and Trinity Episcopal Church. The churches provided a financial contribution, volunteer labor and prepared lunches for the workers.
Over the past 10 years, the association has worked on three houses and donated a total of $120,000 to Habitat, said Teddy Kluemper III, director of development and communications for the organization.
It was amazing to see all the hearts and hands working together for the project, said the Rev. Paul Russell of First United Methodist Church.
"Many days that I worked, there were some out there who knew what they were doing and others, like me, didn't have any idea," he said.
The house has four bedrooms and is the first house that Huntington Habitat has built that has two full bathrooms, said Huntington Habitat Director David Michael.
Griffin, who works as a behavior rehabilitation specialist at Prestera and said she never imagined herself constructing a house, helped with the roofing and the insulation under the house. She hammered, she painted, she stayed busy with the power drill.
And on Sunday, she thanked Habitat, the churches and contractors, as well as her family, friends and church family for working in the heat this summer to make a lifelong dream of hers a reality.
"We laughed and had a good time," she said. "This house was truly built with love."
Along with a set of keys, Michael presented Griffin and her family with a Bible.
She described the house as a blessing from God.
"I always wanted to own my own home and never thought I'd be able to because I don't make a lot of money," she said. "Habitat has fulfilled my dream."
The next Habitat house will begin across 19th Street on Artisan Avenue later this month, Michael said.
