Neither rain, nor hail nor frigid winds could dampen the spirits of those who gathered in Barrhead on Saturday for the dedication of the Habitat of Humanity homes.
The weather held out for the most part, as the local project team after 30 months of hard work and dedication handed over the keys to the duplex to two local families. Those two families, the Lavignes and the Alexanders, can now call the duplex home and move in their belongings. Project lead Steve Lyster said his team is very proud of this accomplishment, and he hopes both families will cherish and forever remember the day they became members of the Habitat for Humanity family.
“Every 10 minutes, someone in the world received keys to a Habitat home, and this is our 20 minutes,” Lyster told those who gathered at 4401 59th Ave. “Both families continue to participate in their sweat equity down payment program and will reach their 500-hour requirement within the coming year.”
The Habitat project has been a huge community involvement since Day 1, Lyster said, with more than 600 contributions from individuals, businesses, community organizations, government agencies, building tradespeople, construction companies and building material suppliers making the home a reality. Furthermore, a number of fundraising events were held throughout the 30-plus months to help offset the cost of the project, and those events raised thousands upon thousands of dollars.
“Anything is possible when we all work together on a common goal for the common good,” Lyster said. “This will be a great assistance in allowing families to break the poverty chain. There will be a next build. We don’t know when, and it might be a few years from now, but there will be a next build.”
Bernie Nikkel served as site supervisor for the project, and spent countless hours at the build site. He said it was a great privilege to work with so many volunteers, many of whom he had never met before.
“There were 14 different house builders who worked on this project,” Nikkel said. “They came and each put in two days with a full crew. One company came in and did the floors, the next one came in and did the walls, the next one came in, and so on it went. There was very little down time between one contractor and the next.”
Three contractors also worked on the electrical, while another worked on the plumbing and heating, he added. There were many other jobs added in between that work, but none of it was a problem for Barrhead businesses, and the families came to help out whenever they could, he said.
Dorothy Lavigne said she was excited about moving into her new home.
“This home means the world to us,” she said. “It’s a place where we can grow and enjoy our family without having to worry about anything. The one thing we’ve been trying to figure out is, how do we thank all the people who have helped us? Thank you is not quite the right word, but it’s really the only word we can use right now. We want to thank everyone for giving us the chance to live in a nice clean, safe home.”
Habitat for Humanity Edmonton president and CEO Alfred Nikolai said his organization is proud of what has been accomplished in Barrhead.
“The commitment of the local committee and the support of the citizens of Barrhead are overwhelming,” he said. “The families receiving these homes are truly blessed to have such incredible community support.”
Likewise, Habitat for Humanity Edmonton chair Susan Green had nothing but praise for the Barrhead project. She said this year, Habitat Edmonton is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and the organization has seen many successes over those years.
Between 1991 and 2009, Habitat Edmonton built 100 homes in and around Edmonton, and this year, it will put 80 families into homes. Furthermore, the organization will be building 100 homes each and every year.
“For every home we build here, we also provide monies to homes in a developing country,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for us to reach across the world to share in helping in areas where these homes are certainly in need.”
One of the biggest successes for Habitat Edmonton is its Friends of Habitat program, which has empowered many communities to bring these projects to their community, Green said.
“We’re so excited Barrhead was able to build this beautiful complex, but it would not have been possible without the many volunteers and donors working together with a very dedicated committee. Your commitment to Habitat for Humanity is not only giving families in your area safe and affordable houses, but you’re also building the infrastructure that ensures together we can build many more houses for many more families.”
Rev. David Pype was responsible for bringing Habitat for Humanity to Barrhead. Being in the ministry, he said he always wanted to keep himself clear and not get into anything specific. But, when he retired, he decided to get into Habitat for Humanity.
“I looked around the community, and I came to the conclusion this was something that needed to be done,” he said, and added he may have laid the groundwork to bring together this committee, but then he stepped back and let that committee do its job.
“It’s amazing to watch things like that happen – you plant a seed and watch it grow,” he said.
Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Ken Kowalski said in 2007, Premiere Ed Stelmach called a special caucus meeting to discuss the downturn in the economy and the fact he couldn’t slow down Alberta. The premiere discussed the need for Alberta to get involved with affordable housing, so the government made a commitment to build in Alberta 11,000 homes by the year 2012.
“We’re at 10,700, and Habitat for Humanity was an important factor in this commitment,” Kowalski said. “Over the last several years, $27 million was funnelled through Habitat for Humanity, and $100,000 of (Barrhead taxpayers’) money has gone into this project in Barrhead, but the incredible thing is you haven’t needed all of it. That speaks volumes for the level of volunteerism here in this community. The committee raised well beyond what was required to go over the top, and the committee is now able to keep the remainder to perhaps purchase another lot for the third Habitat facility. This is a community that really cares, it really shares and when everybody gives a little, it’s amazing what can happen.”
