Myers Family Chosen to Receive the First Home of the Chillicothe Area Habitat for Humanity

Lot for first home donated by Bill and Beth Mast (click on photo to enlarge) (19651 bytes)

Lot for the first home located at 1908 West 3rd Street
Donated by Bill and Beth Mast
72x152 Square Feet

Myers are told they're the first family (click photo for a closer view) (11919 bytes)

The Myers Family of 1115 Hogan Street
First Habitat Family in Chillicothe

OUR FIRST HOME
Information and photos about our homes come from articles published by the Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune.

Tuesday evening, April 21, 1998, was just another day in the life of the Roy "Junior" and Priscilla Myers family. The evening was nothing out of the ordinary until Junior spied a caravan of cars pulling up outside their home on Hogan Street. Soon, nearly a dozen people huddled in the front yard to announce that the Myerses had been chosen as Chillicothe's first Habitat for Humanity family. With a down payment of approximately $100, the family was able to take out an interest-free 20-year loan of about $40,000 financed by Habitat. Because all materials and labor would be provided either at cost or through donations, the expense of building the house would be kept at minimum.

Melanie Odom-Groh, chairperson of Habitat's Family Selection Committee said the Myerses were chosen from several families who applied for the program. The selection was based on need. With a blended family consisting of three children who lived at the home year-round, two who spent every other weekend there, and one who visited in the summer, their small, two-bedroom house was inadequate. The home was old with a leaky roof, inadequate wiring, cracked foundation, and windows that might fall out when a traffic passed by. The family was also selected based upon their ability to pay for home ownership.

The lot for the first home, located at 1908 West Third Street, was donated by Bill and Beth Mast. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Saturday, May 23, 1998, with work scheduled to begin in June.

You may click on our photos to see a closer view...

Family Notified April 21, 1998
Home Dedicated October 25, 1998

BUILDING THE HOME

A call went out for approximately 20 volunteers for each work day from June 20 - September 5. Volunteers worked each Saturday of the 12-week period, and the family put in more than the required 200 hours working on the construction of the house.

Crew Leader Qualifications

Must be willing to lead crew of three to six people
Will be directed and must be able to take direction from daily construction supervisor
Should have a strong background in accomplishing tasks and anticipate problems and stay one step ahead of crew
Will basically be nonworking teacher for crew
Must be patient and flexible as traditional construction procedures and practices are inappropriate
Should have fun at tasks as production is less important than a meaningful involvement and Christian stewardship
Must attend a safety meeting and will be given a written script with which to refer as the training progresses
Will be communications person for his whole crew (only crew leaders should ask questions of daily supervisor)
Need to develop partnership and respect within their crews
Possibly will recruit their own crews as existing relationships extend beyond Habitat (clubs, church groups, homebuilders, and private companies)
Could have appointed volunteers as crew members (examples: homebuilders, painters, plumbers, electricians, building trade teachers, construction foremen)

The following is taken from the August, 1998, Habitat Newsletter:

"Thanks to the giving hearts and spirits of the construction companies in Chillicothe and their donations of their expensive equipment, the foundation and dirt work and the floor slab are completed. Fred Hinnen excavated for the foundation while Dave Lauhoff backfilled and graded the lot. Bud Constant with his backhoe dug the water and sewer lines. R. Wayne Cunningham used his conveyer to place sand into the foundation as wet conditions stalled our progress. Concrete was placed and finished by several members of Irvinbilt Company, as they also donated use of a Bobcat. How encouraging it is to see so many people.e involved in Christian giving. Twenty-eight people were present on the 25th, and 30 people on August 1 to help Roy and Priscilla. On Saturday, July 25, we cheered when the first wall of the house went up. Hats off to our great group of "lunch ladies" headed by Lucy Murphy and assisted by Evelyn Griffith and Margaret Adams. They have supplied us with morning doughnuts, water, and lemonade and great lunches that have been prepared by Hedrick Medical Center, McDonald's, Liberty United Methodist Church, Hy-Vee, and Piggly Wiggly. We even had a Pizza Hut delivery. Our list of volunteers is growing, and we are so thankful for them. At last report, we had more than 160 volunteers working. We still have room for more, so please call soon and schedule a Saturday."

A dedication and open house was held October 25, 1998 - one day after all the work was finished.

Dedication of first home... click for a closer view (9086 bytes)

You may click on our photos to see a closer view...

From the October, 1998, CAHH newsletter:

"My husband, Jr. (Roy), and I would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to all the people who have volunteered their time to help make this dream a reality. Words cannot express how much we appreciate you. Special thanks to Brent Anderson, Pat McCoy, and Mike McClure for all the EXTRA hours they put in. Building this home has been a learning experience, but also a lot of fun. We've created some very special memories. Thank you all!"