Pictured above is a group of college students from Juniata College in Pennsylvania that came to work with Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County on their Spring Break 2016. They helped put the finishing touches on the Core house in Andersonville. (Submitted photo)
Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County has a lot to celebrate in the month of April. A family will be moving into their new home, and another family paid off their mortgage. Two local churches will be hosting celebrations for both of these momentous occasions.
The Core family has a new home in Andersonville. After months of hard work, they are excited to be moving in later this month. Usually, HFHAC holds a dedication service for a new home at the home itself. This time, however, the dedication will take place at Faith Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge. Choosing this church was easy because it’s the home church of the Mr. and Mrs. Cal Knoke. The Knokes donated a very large sum of money toward this particular build.
As wonderful as it is to have the opportunity to show off the finished product to the community, it was decided that in this case, it wouldn’t be the best idea. The yard cannot be seeded and strawed just yet, it’s been too rainy this spring. Rather than invite people to tromp through mud, HFHAC would like for everyone interested to come to the 11 a.m. service on Sunday, April 17, at Faith Lutheran Church, which is at 1300 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.
“There will be pictures of the house during construction, a chance to meet the Core family, and best of all, cake!” a press release said.
On Wednesday, April 27, at 6 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, HFHAC will be celebrating with the Hunter family. They have paid off their mortgage. Their home was built in 1997. The location for this event was chosen because First Presbyterian was the primary sponsor for this home. The Hunter family will be burning their mortgage papers to celebrate the pay off. Again, there will be cake!
Habitat for Humanity would like to invite the community to come celebrate with these families, the press release said.
“They have worked hard, and the Hunters have now seen it through to the end,” it said. “A new beginning and a stellar accomplishment, what a great way to celebrate spring!”
Habitat for Humanity is “A Hand Up, Not A Hand Out,” the press release said. Partner families work 400 hours of sweat equity, make a down payment, and pay a monthly mortgage for up to 30 years. Income eligible families that qualify for Habitat’s Homeownership program can realize the dream of owning their home because their mortgage has 0 percent interest. For a lot of families in Anderson County, this is the only way they can afford to own their own home. For more information on homeownership, home repairs, volunteering, or donating, please call the HFHAC office at (865) 482-7713 or visit www.hfhac.org.
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