Greene County Habitat for Humanity held a ground breaking ceremony for houses 37 and 38 Sunday, Aug. 26. More than 60 people gathered on Crawfordville Road in Union Point to celebrate the start of the new homes for Paula Wynn and her son Hermandez and Angela Callaway and her children: Tushon, Deja, Akeelah, and Fredrick. Among those attending the ceremony were:  Lanier Rhodes (Union Point Mayor); Yvonne Heidbrider (Mayor Pro Tem); Bert Mathews (council member); Dennis Mitchell (council member); and Jill Rhodes (council member). The simultaneous construction of the houses will take place in five phases with completion dates to be in December so that the families can enjoy the 2012 Christmas in their new homes.  

The total project is an efficient operation utilizing skilled and non-skilled volunteers. The completed houses are sold to the partner families with no-profit and no-interest mortgages. Additionally, the families will participate in the building of their houses to fulfill their obligation of performing a minimum of 250 hours of “sweat equity” prior to moving in.

Paula Wynn and her son Hermandez will move into the house located at 405 Crawfordville Road. She is disabled and stated that “The home will be the answer to my prayers.  It is a result of my faith in God being manifested and I believe that in God all things are possible (Matthew 6:33 and Proverbs 3: 5-6)”. She thanks Greene County Habitat for Humanity for helping her realize her dream. Her son Hermandez, is a star student at Greene County High school and was commended during the ceremony by the Rev. Ricky Cosby for being a leader in the Regional Leadership Program.

Angela Callaway and her family will move into the house at 501 Crawfordville Road. She expressed gratitude to God, Greene County Habitat for Humanity and her mentors for helping her obtain a better environment for raising her children. She is employed by Quail International Inc. Home of Plantation Quail. Tushon is a senior at Greene County High School and is an active member of the ROTC.  She is planning on attending college through the ROTC program. Deja is an 8th grader at Carson Middle School.

The families have mentors to guide them in preparation for home ownership. Gary and Peggy Van Hemert are the mentors for the Callaway family and Linda Martin is the mentor for the Wynn family. These mentors are dedicated citizens in the community, who become very close friends of the mentored. They prepare the families to become responsible homeowners.

Habitat for Humanity believes that not only is family strength supported and improved by the quality of living conditions, but the community benefits as well. Modeled on biblical principles, Habitat for Humanity’s self-help solution to the blight of substandard housing is popular with people from many political, professional, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. This is the essence of the ‘theology of the hammer’ which invites diverse individuals to find common ground in using the hammer and sharing a goal. The Greene County Habitat for Humanity work site is a place of good fellowship and friendly humor. If you wish to become a part of this volunteer work force of using the hammer and sharing the goal of completing these two houses in Union Point, call Elaine Mathews at (706) 453-1718 or email volunteer@gchabitat.com.