Newsom Family Selected as Fifth Recipients for a Home from the Chillicothe Area Habitat for Humanity

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Jim and Angela Newsom and their children became the fifth family selected for a Chillicothe Area Habitat for Humanity Home

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The family was notified on
Tuesday, March 12, 2002.

OUR FIFTH HOME
Information and photos about our homes come from articles published by the Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune. The following excerpt was published in the C-T Thursday, March 14, 2002. Article and photos by Catherine Stortz Ripley.

Wood is the traditional gift for couples who will have been married five years; silverware is the modern gift. But, neither Jim nor Angela Newsom, who celebrated five years of marriage in March, 2002, received the best gift that could be given when they were notified on March 12 that they were chosen as the recipients of the next Habitat for Humanity home in Chillicothe.

At about 8:20 p.m., 15 people showed up on the front steps of the Newsom home at 74 Cherry Street. Neighbors across the street and next door watched as the crowd assembled on the porch. Inside, Jim and Angela were getting their three children ready for bed. It wasn't until the Rev. Don Hoffman, Habitat board member and representative of the Family Selection Committee, spoke up that they realized what was going on.

The Newsoms had prepared themselves for the possibility that another family would be chosen. Even after the Habitat crowd arrived on their doorstep Tuesday night, the Newsoms were doubtful that they had been selected. The Newsoms learned about the program from a flyer their daughter brought home from school. They chose not to apply for the first three houses thinking they didn't have a chance for such an opportunity. But, when Angela's friend and co-worker, Sarah Midgyett, was announced as the recipient of the third home, they decided to apply.

They were passed up for the fourth home, but didn't give up. When the application meeting for the fifth home was held, they attended. Their three-bedroom house is an older structure with poor insulation and uneven flooring. The walls have also separated from the floor, and heating bills are high. The only place for the children to play is in the small front yard next to the road.

A ground-breaking ceremony was held February 28, 2002, at 417 Herriman, the location of the new home.

Family Notified Tuesday, March 12, 2002
Home Dedicated Sunday, December 22, 2002

BUILDING OUR FOURTH HOME

Fifth home dedicated December 22, 2002 (22971 bytes) Home at 417 Herriman Dedicated December 22
The following story and photo were published in the December 24, 2002, Constitution-Tribune. C-T Photo and article by Laura Schuler, City Editor

Jim and Angela Newsom received the keys to their new home, at 417 Herriman
Street, from Rev. Phil Neimeyer (second from left), district supervisor for
the Pony Express District of the United Methodist Church Sunday afternoon
during a Habitat dedication. The District provided prayer, labor and funds
to construct the Newsom's home this year. Also pictured is the Rev. Asher
McDaniel, of the Chillicothe United Methodist Church.

A crowd of between 70 and 80 people attended the ceremony which officially dedicated the home of the Jim and Angela Newsom family; and the home of the Christi Baldwin family. Both homes are located in the 400 block of Herriman Street, and bring the total number of completed Habitat homes in Chillicothe to five.

The Rev. Asher McDaniel, of the Chillicothe United Methodist Church, and the Rev. Phil Niemeyer, district superintendent of the Pony Express District of the United Methodist Church, blessed the Newsom home, with Jim and Angela Newsom, and their three children, Anna, Addelyn and Rigdon. After a welcome by Jim Johnson, Chillicothe Area Habitat for Humanity president, the Rev. Don Hoffman provided the opening prayer. Then, Johnson made a few remarks to the crowd, noting the significance of the local Habitat chapter's accomplishments over the past year.

"Normally, we (the Chillicothe Area Habitat for Humanity chapter) builds one house a year. This year, we have two homes, thanks Herriman Street project (13260 bytes) to the Pony Express District of the United Methodist Church," Johnson said. The Pony Express District of the United Methodist Church provided prayer, labor and funds to fully construct a house this year. The district's sponsorship included providing 20 construction crews (comprised of between 10 and 20 people) for 20 Saturdays and paying for the costs involved in building the Newsom home, approximately $40,000.

The commitment from the Pony Express District of the United Methodist Church, an organization comprised of 109 churches, is not its first partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Last year, the district sponsored the construction of a home through the Habitat for Humanity affiliate in St. Joseph.

McDaniel, along with the Rev. Neimeyer presented the Newsom family with keys to their home. Then, McDaniel spoke to those gathered, and expressed his thanks to the volunteers who worked on both houses. "It took a lot of work and volunteer hours to do this," McDaniel said. He added, "This was a good event for our people to come and share this labor of love with the Baldwin and Newsom families and also with the volunteers." McDaniel also talked about the 17 "Care-A-Vanners," from the Pony Express District of the United Methodist Church who worked on the homes for two weeks during the summer. Care-A-Vanners are a special group created by Habitat for Humanity International, dedicated to volunteering their spare time in two-week increments to help on selected Habitat for Humanity "builds" all over the United States.

Following McDaniel's remarks, Penny Denton provided special music, and the presentation of keys and Bibles were held. The Chillicothe Area Habitat for Humanity board members were acknowledged during the ceremony and include: the Rev. Charles Epps, Elaine Knittle, Lois Turner, Elizabeth Cunningham, Mike McClure, Paul Murphy, the Rev. Don Hoffman, Bernita Mammen (retired), Ron Urton, the Rev. Bill Bellias, Denise Williams, Debbie Ware, Chuck Haney and Josh Harlow.