By CRYSTAL HERBER, Herald Staff Writer

A light blue house with a tree in front and a well-manicured lawn sit in the 600 block of north Hickory Street in Ottawa.

Photo by Matt Bristow/The Ottawa Herald

Freshly laid concrete connects the new porch to the street. A pot of colorful flowers sits on the porch. The faint sound of children’s laughter can be heard floating through the air.

The picturesque scene was painted through many hours of volunteer work from Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County and the partner family — Kristen Riley and her three small children — that now lives in the house.

More than 50 people gathered Sunday to witness the dedication of the home so many had worked to prepare. Riley was all smiles as she gave tours of the two-story, three-bedroom house. Family photos and decorative art adorned the freshly-painted, light brown walls. The Riley family officially moved into the house Saturday and she said they were thrilled to have a place of their own.

“[This day means] a lot, probably more than words can say,” Riley, 30, said after the dedication ceremony.

After looking at a list of more than four dozen volunteers who helped at the work site, Riley said she was shocked by the generosity of people in the area.

“There were always people here working, and you don’t realize how many people in the community have donated their time, a lot of time, so that we could have a house,” Riley, who continuously expressed gratitude throughout the ceremony, said.

Riley now is a first-time homeowner. She and her three children — Joelie, 9, Zia, 7, and Kale, 5, — previously all lived in the attic of a friend’s house. Their new home provides them more than just a roof over their heads, she said.

“Freedom, privacy … For the last 10 or 11 months, we were sharing one room,” Riley said.

Joelie is the most excited about having her own room, Riley said.

This project was different than a traditional Habitat home, organizers said, because the organization didn’t have to build a new structure. Instead, the group, along with the partner family, remodled the home, including painting, flooring and carpentry work, as well as extensive cleaning. Work began in the fall. Riley learned her application was accepted in January.

The house was the right fit for the Riley family, Amy McFadden, Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County board of directors chair, said.

“We decided to put Kristen in this one because we thought this was the best fit for her family, and she was the one in the most need,” McFadden said.

But, make no mistake, Riley was not simply handed the keys and deed to the house. She provided “sweat equity,” McFadden said, meaning she worked right alongside volunteers in the house. Part of the application process for a Habitat house involves an applicant’s willingness to help with the build.

Riley now has taken over mortgage payments through a zero-interest loan provided by Habitat.

“She needed a hand-up, not a handout, and that’s what we did,” McFadden said.

The other requirements to be selected for housing, besides a willingness to partner with Habitat through sweat equity, are the ability to pay and a demonstrated need for the aid.

The Rileys were one of three families, including the David Bethae and Bret Oshel families, who applied for the Habitat housing project. All three families were chosen by a Habitat committee. A project at 7th and Elm streets in Ottawa is expected to begin in August.

Habitat for Humanity has a big advocate in Kristen Riley, she said. She said she already has gotten her family involved in the organization and hopes to continue the trend. She also plans to volunteer at the next two coming builds, she said.

“I love and adore every single one of the Habitat committee members and volunteers, all of them are just a wonderful, wonderful group of people,” she said, “I’m glad to definitely be a part of that. I think it’s a lifelong relationship now.”

Original story from the Ottawa Herald 

We invite you to join us as we celebrate this new start, involvement, and support of Kristen and her kids.

Oh, yes, refreshments will be served.

April brings National Volunteer Week (April 15-21, 2012) in the USA.  National Volunteer Week celebrates the value of volunteers to the entire community and the nation.  Franklin County has many organizations that utilize volunteers.  As a community,  we need to take a moment and thank those people (friends, family, neighbors, strangers) who are willing to volunteer their time without wanting any recognition in return.  These wonderful people volunteer because they understand the impact  it makes on those individuals they help, the people around them and themselves.

All volunteers in Franklin County are invited to a “Thank You” luncheon on Friday, April 20^th from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Washburn Towers, Ottawa, KS.  This event is sponsored by the ECKAN Volunteer Center.

Volunteers…Helping Hands, Helping Others!

You give of your time

And do what is asked

Tasks you don’t mind

For glory, you don’t bask

You’ll go to any place

Since volunteering you love

A difference you will make

When you go beyond and above

You have a giving heart

Doing all that you can

Wanting to do your part

You provide a helping hand

In you, people can depend

As you can do it all

Dedication—you won’t bend

For volunteering is your call

~anonymous

About the Author:

Jody Lancaster is the Director of Volunteer Services at Ransom Memorial Hospital in Ottawa, Kansas.  She volunteers on the Habitat board of directors, is the Rambling Ranchers 4-H club community leader, and serves on committees in her church and the community.

Jody graduated from Kansas State University where she majored in Business Administration/Marketing.  She is a 1995 graduate of the Ottawa Leadership program.

Jody is married to Trent, a local veterinarian, and they are raising two teenagers, Maddy and Cooper.  In her free time, Jody enjoys spending time with family and friends, being a Mom, reading and watching the antics of the families’ three cats.

Upcoming Events:
May 20, 1PM- 613 N Hickory Dedication
July 14- Habitat Golf Tournament

That young woman is me. I’m DeEtta.

In October of 2009 I moved from Iowa to Kansas to jump start my career in the communications and public relations field. Being a community-oriented individual, I knew I had to get involved with a few organizations in my new hometown in order to meet some new people. During the first week of my move, I lived out of a hotel room. Each evening, I would pull out my laptop and search for organizations and clubs to get involved with. After numerous e-mails to leaders about my interests, I found myself doing some graphic design work for Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County.

After a few months went by, I was asked if I would like to come to a Habitat board meeting and see if I would be interested in joining the board.

Today, I find myself surrounded by Habitat friends. I’m now a part of the board of directors and chair of the outreach committee. I couldn’t think of a better organization to serve in this capacity. I’m able to mesh my passion for public relations, social media, photography and graphic design- all while improving/providing decent and affordable housing for Franklin County.

Habitat in Franklin County is a not for profit that is solely run by volunteers. I think this speaks volumes. This group couldn’t possibly be successful without a great deal of passion and commitment. HfH has been improving homes and families in Franklin County for nearly 20 years! In fact, over 18 homes have been built or revitalized in Ottawa alone.

I’m privileged to be a part of the movement to improve housing in Franklin County and to serve with the other Habitat board members. It is because of their friendships that I finally feel comfort in calling Ottawa my home. For that, I thank of each of you.

If there is a missing link in your life or you want to join our cause, please click on the contact page at the top of this site. We have volunteer opportunities to match your interests. Perhaps you’ll find your place by providing lunch at a work site, helping with construction, answering our telephone messages or assisting with one of our special events. We have one time service opportunities along with those that require more commitment.

I hope I can give Habitat half of what it has given me. You know when you’re volunteering for the right organization when you can say that! Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Announcements:

We are holding a work day this Saturday, March 31st starting at 8:30 am at 613 N. Hickory St., Ottawa, KS. Lunch will be provided at 11:30. Please e-mail Cindy Dengel (cnden7@gmail.com) if you plan to attend!

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About the Author:
DeEtta Bohling is the communications specialist for the Kansas Corn Growers Association in Garnett, KS where she manages new media alongside traditional media. She also manages social media platforms as a part of her volunteer roles serving on the board of directors and as the outreach chair of Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County.

Prior to moving to Kansas, Bohling worked for the Iowa 4-H Foundation as the social media and special events intern and the special events intern for the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation. She is a graduate of Wartburg College, (Waverly, IA) where she majored in Communication Arts with an emphasis in Public Relations and a minor in Business Administration. Bohling also received her Leadership Certificate while at Wartburg College.

In her free time, Bohling enjoys spending time with friends and family, training for her first half marathon, trying new recipes, shopping, checking out crafts on Pinterest.com and watching her boyfriend compete in roping events.

“Kristen had the greatest need and a strong financial situation,” Lisa Rivers, a member of the Habitat Board, said.

Riley applied for a Habitat project in September and was chosen by the Family Selection and Support Committee out of eight applicants. Riley and her children have lived in Ottawa for the past six months. Moving from El Dorado, Riley and three children moved in with a friend and currently all share a room.

Riley is employed with New Century Air Service in Garner as an office manager. She previously hadn’t considered home ownership due to financial burdens but the Habitat for Humanity agreement has made that possible. Riley reports that her children are excited to pick the color of their room and that their family dog, which had been living with an aunt since the move, will be reunited with the family.

Next volunteers will begin refurbishing a home at 613 N. Hickory St and as a part of the agreement; Riley will put in 200 hours of “sweat equity”, where she, too, will work on the house. New flooring, landscaping, deck work and adding an additional room to the basement, are all listed among the remodeling “to-do” list.

Amy McFadden, present of the Habitat board, said she was excited about this partnership and, “She just felt like the right person for this house.”

Habitat will be hosting their first official workday of 2012 on January 28 to begin the remodeling process. If you are interested in volunteering or providing lunch for volunteers, please e-mail us at hfhofc@sbcglobal.net or call us at 785-242-2600.

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Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County has been in operation since 1993 and has been responsible for building and rehabilitating over twenty homes in the Ottawa area. Habitat homes are not free. Recipients repay a zero-interest loan for the cost of living in the home. Partner families are also required to contribute to Habitat through “sweat-equity”. To learn more about Habitat of Franklin County, please visit habitatfranklincounty.org.

Habitat plans to use the grant money in its newest initiative called “A Brush with Kindness” (ABWK). ABWK serves low- and fixed-income homeowners who struggle to maintain the exterior of their homes. ABWK provides assistance with repairs to porches, decks, guttering, and sidewalks, as well as painting, caulking, and landscaping needed to correct water runoff issues that when left unaddressed cause structural damage.

Habitat’s first recipient of ABWK is Delorah Barber. Barber is proud to own her own modular home, but it is plagued with multiple structural issues making it difficult and sometimes dangerous to live there. Volunteers will partner with Barber on Saturday, November 12, to replace the dilapidated front porch and back steps which have caused her injuries as she attempted to enter or exit her home.

 
“Being selected for Habitat’s A Brush with Kindness program is like having my own Extreme Makeover,” stated Barber.

Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, and has been serving the people of Franklin County since 1993. Volunteers provide most of the labor, and individual and corporate donors provide money and materials to build and renovate homes. ABWK recipients, as with all families with whom Habitat partners, will repay a zero-interest loan that covers the cost of the materials needed to make the repairs. Partner families also invest in the Habitat mission by contributing their own “sweat equity” hours toward Habitat projects, either on their own homes, on the homes of others, or through various Habitat activities.

“We are extremely grateful to Bank of the West and to United Way for helping us establish our new A Brush with Kindness project through this funding. These monies will allow us to develop a deep inventory of tools and supplies that will allow us to send out teams of volunteers to complete ABWK projects all over the county. The need is so great. We anticipate being able to serve many more families through ABWK than we have heretofore been able to serve by building new homes. We are thrilled that our first-ever ABWK project is currently underway. We thank Bank of the West and United Way for recognizing Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County as an organization worthy funding,” says Carine Ullom, chair of the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County.

Habitat for Humanity invites the community to assist with A Brush with Kindness at its November 12 workday. The group plans to get started Saturday morning at 9 A.M. and will provide lunch for those who RSVP by calling 785-242-2600. If you’re interested in becoming involved with Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County or learning more about their efforts, contact them at 785-242-2600.

HfH of Franklin County is among the more than 2,300 Habitat affiliates worldwide that have made this milestone possible, having built and fixed up over 20 houses since its founding in 1993.

The milestone houses represent the steady increase in Habitat for Humanity’s scale and scope to help more families in need of decent, affordable housing. In 2005, Habitat celebrated its 200,000th house. Six years later, Habitat for Humanity has more than doubled that number through new, rehabilitated, repaired and improved homes.

“It is a testament to the power of what God can do when people come together to build homes, communities and hope,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “I am so grateful to all of the volunteers, donors and advocates who share our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.”

In Kenya, Habitat for Humanity will complete the 500,000th house on Oct. 3 in partnership with families who were displaced after post-election violence erupted in the country in late 2007.  That same day, volunteers will raise the walls on Habitat’s 500,001st house in Paterson, N.J. The house will be built in one of the inner-city neighborhoods where Paterson Habitat for Humanity has been continuously building since 1984.

Habitat for Humanity is a worldwide organization that operates in nearly 80 countries, including all 50 states in the United States, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. Thanks to Habitat for Humanity’s help, a family somewhere in the world improves its housing situation every 7 minutes of every hour of every day of the year. In 2010, Habitat for Humanity served a record 74,960 families in need.

The Jones Family at Habitat's Golf Classic Fundraiser

Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County invites the community to celebrate with us as we dedicate the home at 610 S. Walnut and celebrate with the homeowners, the John and Alice Jones Family’ on Sunday, September 25th from 1 to 2pm.  The Jones’ are the 15th family with which Habitat for Humanity has partnered with in Franklin County to become homeowners.  When they applied to be a Habitat partner family in May of 2011, the Jones’ lived in a cramped apartment with mold issues and were unable to offer a yard for their children, Zachary, Zander, and Zoe, to play in.  That will change on Sept. 25th as they move into this 4 bedroom home adjacent to the Prairie Spirit Rail Trail.  The dedication celebration will celebrate the contributions of all donors and volunteers toward making this dream a reality for the Jones Family.  Everyone is welcome and refreshments will be served!

To find out more or to get involved, call Lisa Rivers at 785-893-2676.  Applications are currently being accepted for the upcoming house project.  Visit www.habitatfranklincounty.org to download an application which is due Sept. 30th.