Smith County Habitat Holds 100th Wall Raising Ceremony

TYLER � Community members joined representatives from Habitat for Humanity of Smith County, Tyler Mayor Pro Tem Martin Heines, and other community leaders for the Wall Raising Ceremony of Habitat�s 100th home built in Smith County. The event took place at 1702 North Spring Avenue in Tyler on Monday morning. �The citizens of Smith County have supported our work for nearly 25 years, so we want the 100th home to be a community-wide event,� said Jack Wilson, Habitat�s Chief Executive Officer. �We have come to this milestone because of the generous people of our community.�

Habitat officials say the 100th home is definitely a community-wide event. The home is being sponsored by 9 churches and religious organizations, 25 businesses, 2 private foundations, a middle school, a civic organization, 2 nonprofit organizations and over 100 individuals. “Our diverse group of sponsors represents our commitment to partnerships founded on the common ground of love in action,” said Deanna Harrison, Director of Development. “Habitat is a Christian organization that believes everyone can use a hammer as an instrument to manifest God’s love.”

Walls for the 100th home were pre-built in Habitat’s shop by a group of retired men who volunteer their time and construction skills. Bob Beckley heads up the group, affectionately known by Habitat staff as Bob and the Boys. The 100th home is the 41st home that Beckley has helped build. “Each wall is labeled with a code and corresponding codes are written on the concrete slab at the construction site,” explained Wilson. “It’s a very precise process that allows us to use volunteer labor to build the house, which keeps our costs down.” Officials say the construction process is closely supervised by Habitat’s Senior Construction Manager, Steve Pepenella, who has over 22 years of construction management experience.

For the 100th home, Pepenella is working closely with Randy and Marcia Garrett of Garrett & Associates General Contractors. Employees of Garrett & Associates and volunteers will be working 40-hour weeks in order to build the 100th home in 100 working hours. Garrett & Associates also enlisted 14 subcontractors to participate in the project.

Cheresa Monmouth, mother of two, will purchase the 100th home with a 30-year, no-interest mortgage held by Smith County Habitat. Monmouth has invested 225 “sweat equity” hours helping build Habitat’s 98th and 99th homes. She will help build her own home and by the time it is completed, she will have invested more than 300 hours which count as her down payment. The goal is to have the Monmouth family in their new home by Thanksgiving. You can visit http://www.100campaign.com for more information and to follow the 100th build, .