WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS (WVVA)- Throughout the state of West Virginia, shovels dig in and the sound of hammers echoes through the mountains. Those are the sounds of Habitat for Humanity building homes and building hope with families throughout the State as they celebrate their 25th anniversary year in WV. Habitat affiliates are building 25 special anniversary homes in 2012 in honor of this celebration
The ground breaking for the first of the 25 Anniversary Homes was held in October 2011 in Huntington. The 25th Anniversary House-the Silver Lining home has a planned dedication for early spring.
This week, the second anniversary home got underway. Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity, along with a big crowd of friends and supporters from the community and around the State, broke ground on The Earth Day build in White Sulphur Springs.
The Earth Day Build will be the new home of Colette Godfrey and her family. Colette Godfrey was born and raised in Greenbrier County and works at a convenience store as a cashier. She is the mother of three children: two grown children and an 8-year-old son Deshaunte. A few years ago, they had to move out of their home due to circumstances beyond their control. She couldn't afford to rent a new place, so they had to move in with her sister in a small 2-bedroom apartment in which Colette and Deshaunte share a bedroom. "You hear, see and read about people being homeless, and during those times you never ever think you would be in that position. This was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through and to see how it affected my son is even worse," confessed Colette. "Now I have true hope for a brighter future for me and my family. It is wonderful to break ground on my new home!"
The event kicked off the Earth Day Build, with construction of the home scheduled to be completed in time for a dedication the week of April 23rd, in celebration of Earth Day. A major sponsor of the house is Nissan, who provided grant funding towards the construction of the new home. This past fall, Nissan Americas announced a significant expansion of its longstanding partnership with Habitat for Humanity International with a $2.5 million donation. Nissan's vision is to invite all its stakeholders to participate in the partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Point-of-sale materials in dealerships and communications to consumers will convey information about Habitat activities. Consumers who visit the Nissanusa.com web site can click through to Habitat's site to make a donation or find volunteer opportunities across the country.
Donna DeHart, Director of Development for Habitat for Humanity of West Virginia attended the ground-breaking ceremony. "I am so thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful ‘people helping people' organization such as Habitat for Humanity," DeHart said. "Meeting the families who work so hard to achieve their dream of home ownership is a blessing. As the State Support Organization in WV, we are truly honored to partner and support the work of affiliates to help build the most important place in WV – home", said DeHart.
For more information on the 25th anniversary in WV and to find a build going on near you, please visit Habitat for Humanity of West Virginia's web site at ww.habitatwv.org
