Church volunteers finish two weeks of Habitat work in Gifford

GIFFORD Volunteers from Paxton and Loda churches have completed two weeks of volunteering on a blitz build of three houses under the auspices of Champaign County Habitat for Humanity.

The Paxton Area Ministerial Association raised nearly $50,000 and provided volunteers for the home for Christy and Benjamin Calhoun being built on Gifford's east side.

Though that home and the one next door for Randy and Tracy Westmoreland, where volunteers from American Baptist Home Mission Societies and the Great Rivers Region of American Baptist Churches USA are working, aren't complete, much was accomplished.

Ron Dudley, a member of the Loda United Methodist Church and Loda's mayor, spent all two weeks on site. He's never built a house before, but said he learned a lot of construction techniques. He worked part of the time with fellow church member Jay Ross, an experienced carpenter who has traveled even to Europe to volunteer his services.

Dudley had worked in the fall in Gifford on post-tornado clean-up and earlier this spring he and Ross completed demolition of a house there. Dudley said he'd be happy to volunteer at a Habitat site again.

Chuck Werner, 74, a member of the Paxton Church of Christ, knows his way around a construction site, having made his living earlier in life as a contractor. He noted the construction business has changed a lot since then. Another first-time Habitat volunteer he said he learned new things and was pleased with the willingness of the volunteers to pitch in, and of the Habitat construction staff to lead.

Werner's wife, Mary, delivered meals in town one day and worked three days on the building site. She said she noticed that lots of older people were working and figured she could as well. She learned and participated in siding the house, cleaned up the drywall mess before interior painting could start and even sorted nails.

She likes the premise of Habitat in which the new owners put their own sweat equity in their home.

Norris Skonberg is another member of the Church of Christ. He spent six days at the site. His wife, Susan, helped deliver meals along with other church members.

It is Tom Anders, pastor of the church, who initiated the effort and moved the process along. Norris Skonberg, retired from the plumbing business, spent his time working on siding, soffits and framing.

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Church volunteers finish two weeks of Habitat work in Gifford