Vance Family Selected as Eighth Recipients from the Chillicothe Area Habitat for Humanity

The Ben and Angela Vance family gathered on the porch of their new four-bedroom home at 407 Cherry Street on Sunday afternoon for a dedication ceremony by Chillicothe Area Habitat for Humanity. The Vances were chosen early this year for the eighth Habitat home and since their notification the family has worked hand in hand with volunteers to get the home built. The family plans to move in this week.

The Care-A-Vanners arrived in May, 2005,
to help build the home.

Click here to see a
photo gallery of their visit.

OUR EIGHTH 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 Monday, August 8, 2005. Article and photos by Catherine Stortz Ripley.

A day of celebration came Sunday for a Chillicothe couple and their four children who were given the key to a brand new home built through the efforts of the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate.

An estimated 50 people were present for a dedication ceremony at the new home located at 407 Cherry Street. Habitat President Lois Turner welcomed the guests and had the honor of handing the key over to Ben and Angela Vance, whose family was chosen for the eighth Habitat-built home less than seven months ago. "This is a very special day," Turner said.

What this means to the Vance's is that for about the same amount of money as what they spend monthly on rent payments, they can move into a brand new home built especially for them. With a minimal down payment, the family has taken out an interest-free 20-year loan financed by Habitat. Because materials and labor were provided either at cost or through donations, the expense of building the house was kept at a minimum.

Ben and Angela and their children: DeTrii, 10, Tehya, 7, Caleb, 3, and Makayla, 16 months, have spent much of the last several months working on their home, fulfilling the condition that Habitat families provide "sweat equity" for their homes.

Ben, by trade, is employed in construction with Pat McCoy Construction and usually helps build other people's homes. However, after being chosen a Habitat family in January, Ben and his family have had the opportunity to help build their own home. Throughout the building project, the Vances regularly visited their home. They helped prepare the site, set cabinets, hung sheetrock, painted, swept and mopped floors and did whatever they could.

A big thanks to the Care-A-Vanners pictured at left and below. See also their photo gallery from this visit!

Care-A-Vanners were a huge help on this project! Click these photos to see a closer view.

Family Notified:
Home Dedicated: Sunday, August 7,2005