On Sunday, Habitat for Humanity Owensboro-Daviess County had a house dedication ceremony on West 10 St. for new homeowner Ms. Tonya Sowders. Several community members attended the event to celebrate with and support Sowders on her special day.
“This house build was a very special project as it was indicative of why Habitat works in our
community,” said Jeremy Stephens, executive director for Habitat. “I often say, we run on volunteers, and on this project alone, Habitat had over 500 community volunteers putting in time to serve others.”
Stephens said Sowders epitomized the nonprofit’s vision and was truly deserving of the home, assisting builders and volunteers every step of the way. Slightly overran with emotions and excitement on Sunday, Sowders expressed her gratitude to everyone who played a role in the construction.
“This means so much to my family and myself – it’s truly life-changing,” Sowders said. “It’s such a blessing that will positively impact my kid’s future. It opens up a whole new chapter for us.”
The house marked 155 homes built by the organization, which has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon.
This particular construction also broke down barriers while in the process of building walls, as many volunteers from The Opportunity Center played a pivotal role in the process. In fact, Opportunity Center clients attended a training class to learn construction safety and basics and erected two walls from the floor plan.
“We were honored to be part of this wonderful project,” said Opportunity Center executive director Rosemary Conder. “We encourage our participants to be involved in our community to highlight their abilities and learn skills many of us take for granted. We are grateful to Habitat for all they do to improve the lives of the families they serve.”
Another local nonprofit – Serve the Boro – also lent a hand at the construction site in April. Serve the Boro is a growing collection of faith-based communities in Owensboro and Daviess County desiring to serve others.
They brought over 50 individuals from the community to help, framing walls for the entire house in under four hours.
“When they showed up on site, they were motivated and ready to work,” Stephens said. “It was such an awesome experience to see their desire to demonstrate love for others through service.”
