Interfaith crew breaks ground on Habitat house in Struthers

July 10, 2011 at 12:05a.m.

STRUTHERS

The empty parcel in the 20 block of Wetmore Drive has few distinguishable characteristics.

Nevertheless, the property that offers little more than yellowish-brown drying grass and a smattering of weeds is Marina Crespo’s future.

“By Christmas, we should be in our first house,” Crespo said before the Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning County’s ground-breaking and ground-blessing ceremony at the site, 28 Wetmore.

The 45-minute event Saturday was the first step toward building a two-bedroom, 912-square-foot interfaith home for Crespo and her 5-month-old son, Alex.

Main sponsors are Chase Bank and a Mahoning County Neighborhood Stabilization Program grant.

Perfect weather greeted the several dozen attendees at the gathering, which brought together representatives from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Baha’i faiths.

Throughout the summer and fall, Habitat volunteers and others are to work on the home from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Crespo should be moved in by December, organizers said.

“I’m really excited,” said Crespo of Struthers, who works full time at Central Optical in Boardman and is a single mother. “It was a long process, but worth it.”

Also in attendance were her mother, Carol Crespo, and sister Christine Chic-lowe, both of Struthers, and both of whom expressed gratitude toward Habitat.

The building project is titled “The House of Abraham,” designed to show that the common humanity that unites people supersedes their religious, racial and ethnic differences, explained Scott Craven, interim director.

The new, energy-efficient home also will be sponsored by the local Baha’i, Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities.

When construction gets under way later this month, Crespo, who was accepted into the program last March and has met mandatory income and credit guidelines, will be on site to complete 250 required hours of “sweat equity.” That means she will have to fulfill a certain number of hours working on her home as well as other Habitat projects, Craven noted, adding that she also will attend trainings, meetings and other events.

In addition, the requirement gives homeowners a chance to make contributions in lieu of a down payment, noted Monica Craven, executive director and Scott Craven’s wife.

The experience will allow Crespo to learn valuable skills such as participating in construction, making certain home repairs and knowing how to handle potential problems with the home, he said. When the project wraps up, she will buy the home from Habitat for no profit and with a no-interest loan, Craven explained, adding that this is the second new Habitat construction project for 2011.

Also making remarks at the ceremony were the Rev. Dan Yargo, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Hubbard; the Rev. Joseph E. Walker Jr., pastor of Restoration Christian Fellowship Family; Jim Aeppli of JP Morgan Chase Bank; and John Burgan, Habitat’s board president.

People interested in volunteering for the local Habitat chapter must complete at least one monthly orientation session, noted Shawna Dory, volunteer coordinator. The next one is set for 6 p.m. July 18 at Marion Heights United Methodist Church, 144 Woodland Ave., Campbell. Those interested are asked to RSVP by Friday.

For more information, call Dory at 330-743-7244 or go to www.habitatmahoningcounty.org.