homeownership
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Latest News
Habitat Elects New Board Members & Officers
Habitat for Humanity of Douglas County President Steve Hellermann reports the election of two new board members: Irene Vagle and Marie Anderson. The board also elected officers: Steve Hellermann, President; Jan Finazzo, Vice President; Chris Worley, Treasurer; Janna Lindoo, Secretary; and John Beem, Past President. Other board members include: Joyce Hansen, John Loken, Terry Quist, Gordon Vander Helm and Pete Wood. Vern Anderson, Co-Founder and CEO of Douglas Machine, Inc. installed the new directors and officers at their organizational meeting held on July 20, 2010.
Homeowner Story: Full Circle
Sue Wadsworth’s involvement with Douglas County Habitat for Humanity has come full circle.
The single mom, who moved into her Habitat home in 2000, recently mentored another family who was moving into theirs.
“That was really cool to be on the other side,” she said, adding that she’s active with the organization – one she’s passionate about – as much as possible.
From speaking on behalf of Habitat to working on its family support committee, both are ways she gives back.
“Not only do people see that it really matters 10 years down the road, but that I’m giving back what I was given,” Wadsworth said. “Everybody I’ve worked with in Habitat has been open, kind, loving.”
After the stay-at-home mom went through a divorce, she started searching for a home where she could raise her three children, then 15, 11 and 10.
“I just couldn’t afford it at that point in my life,” she recalled.
A realtor friend then suggested she look into Habitat for Humanity. So she did, taking the first of many steps in the right direction.
Not only has owning her own house given Wadsworth a financial start, it also has created a “home” for her children.
“A secure home makes all the difference in the world,” she said. “It created a real atmosphere of family.”
Three years ago Wadsworth took another step forward when she added a garage and space for her business, a hair salon, to her home.
Throughout her home’s entire construction process, Wadsworth put in more than 1,000 “sweat equity” hours (each adult in the household is required to do 200).
“I was here night and day; I was so excited,” she said, adding that she finished every piece of wood trim throughout her home. “It was mine, so I felt the obligation to spend my time here.”
Over the years, she’s also finished off the basement, decorated rooms in her style and gardened in the yard – all ways she’s made her Habitat house her family’s home.
That hard work and passionate involvement with Habitat have paid off.
“It really renewed my faith because people who are involved with Habitat for Humanity care about walking the walk,” she said of the process. “It was just an unbelievably awesome experience for me to go through. I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that I don’t wake up and I don’t feel gratitude.”