The Herald Bulletin - 10:14 p.m.: Habitat for Humanity dedicates 38th home

Thu, Nov 26 2009

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Madison County Habitat for Humanity board member Jerry Pettit presents the keys to the teary-eyed home owner Terri Smith during the dedication. Her son Phillip and daughter Tahler flank her and her sister Samantha Fulton stands to the right of Taylor.
Richard Sitler / The Herald Bulletin

Odell Wilkerson who also lives in a Habitat for Humanity Home in Anderson compares kitchens with Terri Smith.
Richard Sitler / The Herald Bulletin

Standing in her new living room Terri Smith holds her granddaughter Kaitence as her niece Ashley Fletcher looks on.
Richard Sitler / The Herald Bulletin

Shirley Weatherly reads scripture during the dedication ceremony.
Richard Sitler / The Herald Bulletin

Participants in the dedication ceremony all touch part of the house during the Consecration of the Home.
Richard Sitler / The Herald Bulletin

Published October 06, 2008 10:13 pm - ANDERSON — Terri Smith got the key to her future Monday.
Smith, 39, is the latest Madison County resident to benefit from Habitat for Humanity’s home ownership program. On Monday, during a dedication ceremony, she cried while receiving the key to her house along with a variety of housewarming gifts, including a candle, plant and Bible.

10:14 p.m.: Habitat for Humanity dedicates 38th home

By Barrett Newkirk, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer

ANDERSON — Terri Smith got the key to her future Monday.

Smith, 39, is the latest Madison County resident to benefit from Habitat for Humanity’s home ownership program. On Monday, during a dedication ceremony, she cried while receiving the key to her house along with a variety of housewarming gifts, including a candle, plant and Bible.

Her three-bedroom home at 518 W. Fifth St. is the 38th house built by Habitat’s local chapter since 1988.

While giving tours of the home to her family and friends, Smith said the finished product was better than she had imagined.

“On paper things look OK, but you don’t actually know until you see the completed project,” she said.

Smith and two of her three children plan to move into the house this month. Her daughter Tahler Smith, 17, said she was excited about moving from the family’s rental home in Middletown to a brand new house and a bedroom with a decor she chose on her own: blue, green and purple polka dots.

“Overall, I do like it a lot better,” Tahler said.

Terri Smith, who works as an assistant manager at Shouts bar in Anderson, applied for the Habitat program last June. The 1,000-square-foot house was built with volunteer labor, including Smith who had to put in at least 200 hours of what the organization calls “sweat equity.”

Habitat homeowners must meet certain income and credit requirements to qualify for the program’s interest-free mortgage.

“A lot of people are under the impression that we give the homes away,” said Paul Muething, who chairs Habitat’s selection committee. “We don’t. We sell the home.”

Muething said the program stresses the long-term commitment and responsibility that comes with being a homeowner and that it is sometimes difficult to find applicants who are ready.

Habitat for Humanity of Madison County builds two to three homes each year. Its next project, on Andover Road, is scheduled to be completed next summer.

Want to know more?

To learn about volunteer and home-ownership opportunities through Habitat for Humanity of Madison County, call (765) 649-4260.