Eight North Collin families to get Habitat homes

About 100 people gathered Saturday morning at 313 Carver Street in McKinney for a wall-raising ceremony to celebrate the beginning of construction for eight new Habitat for Humanity homes to be built in coming months in McKinney and Frisco.

Eight families, including seven in McKinney and one in Frisco, have been approved by the North Collin County Habitat for Humanity (NCCHFH) Board of Directors to be the proud owners of the new homes.

Dennis Heydanek, NCCHFH president, welcomed the crowd to "a momentous occasion as we raise the walls for eight families in McKinney and Frisco in partnership with Homebuilders and local subcontractors, churches and businesses."

The seven McKinney families and addresses of their new homes include: the Armstrong family, 113 Jennie Street; Rosie Congrove, 512 Wolfe Street; the Dodd family, 407 Wilson Street; the Gonzales family, 313 Carver Street; the Guzman family, 705 Pride Court; the Perkins family, at 403 Lincoln Street; and the Edwards family, 410 Carver Street. The Gonzalez family's new home is located at 5640 Shell Lane in Frisco.

Each of those families, dressed in red shirts, was introduced to the crowd by family support mentors who will work with them during their "sweat-equity hours" and for a year after they are in their homes. The mentors are Nancy Adams, Dawn Serr (two families), Laura Cooper, Marianne Couture, Roxana Handal, Teri Leuders and Peggy Snyder.

At the ceremony, each of the announced homeowners, with their builder and sponsor, hammered a nail into a wall to symbolically mark the beginning of the construction of their home.

To be eligible for a Habitat home, an applicant must be living in substandard housing, be willing to partner with Habitat through sweat-equity hours and must qualify financially.

Habitat builds the home with volunteer labor and donated materials, provides budgeting classes each month and serves as the mortgage company with zero percent interest for 20 years.

"The payments they make help build more Habitat homes," said Celeste Cox, NCCHFH executive director.

McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller also addressed the crowd to praise those who have volunteered labor and materials to make the new Habitat homes possible, and to kick off a Cities of Service initiative.

Calling the new program Together We Serve McKinney, Loughmiller said, "Cities of Service is a coalition of mayors who have committed to work together to engage citizens to address pressing city needs through impact volunteerism."

McKinney joined the national Cities of Service initiative in 2010. "Since then, a dedicated group of volunteers has worked diligently to get this program planned and off the ground," Loughmiller said.

He thanked NCCHFH, Volunteer McKinney Center, 3e McKinney, OneStar Foundation, the city's Community Development Department and a long list of individuals for helping get the Cities of Service program under way.

"One of the most enduring qualities that we have as a community is the willingness of our citizens to step up to volunteer their time and talents to worthy causes in McKinney," he said.

Scott Johnson, Frisco deputy mayor pro tem, told the crowd, "This is what it is all about, neighbors helping neighbors."

Heydanek said, "This event would not have been possible without the support from our local home builders Darling Homes, K. Hovnanian, Noble Classic Homes, Rod Wede, Signature Homes, Knight Custom Homes, Veranda Designer Homes and Construction and Remodel of North Texas, who all gathered subcontractors and suppliers to obtain materials and professional labor for this build."

Local sponsors of the week include an anonymous donor, whom Heydanek said was not to be taken lightly, and several other area churches, clubs and corporations. More than 90 local suppliers helped with material donations, he said.

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