ROCKINGHAM — Volunteers are wanted this week to assist in building a home for a single mother with three children.
Habitat for Humanity of the N.C. Sandhills is seeking help on Thursday, Sept. 3 to lay decking at a build site on Westfield Drive in Rockingham, according to Marketing and Communications Manager Stacy Lebak.
This home, the 16th the organization has constructed in Richmond County since 2005, will be for Aurilla Shaw and her two sons and one daughter.
Shaw, like all Habitat recipients, won’t get the house for free.
She will be buying it “with a guaranteed affordable mortgage,” according to Lebak. Shaw will also have to put in 300 hours of “sweat equity” by spending time on Habitat worksites and in the ReStore.
There are still 12 slots available for volunteers on that day. Construction volunteers must be at least 16-years-old. Visit https://sandhillshabitat.volunteerhub.com/lp/richmondhabitatbuild/ to sign up.
Aurilla Shaw is the latest Richmond County resident to purchase an affordable home through Habitat for Humanity of the N.C. Sandills.
COMMUNITY EFFORT
Several local churches are helping to sponsor the latest build, Lebak said.
“We are honored to have the support of Freedom Baptist Church and Pastor Ronnie Mclean who hosted our June Faith Relations meeting,’ said Lebak. “In one day alone, they signed up volunteers to fill the build day on Friday, Sept. 11.
Lebak added that the church’s congregation also collected more than $9,000 in a special offering “to help fund the materials to “build an energy-efficient, quality home.”
First United Methodist Church of Rockingham is also a major contributor, providing $15,000 toward the construction.
“Our director, Amie Fraley, attended a service with the Shaw family in March and had the opportunity to speak with several members of the congregations and Pastor Allen Bingham,” Lebak said. “We were overwhelmed by the quick response and outpouring of support by the community.”
She added that Rockingham Church of God Prophecy has also donated more than $1,000 for building materials.
Lebak included the following diagram to show just how much it costs to construct a home:
The walls of the home are scheduled to go up on Sept. 10, the United Way Day of Caring, with volunteers from Burlington Industries, according to Lebak.
Other community volunteers include:
- Sept. 11 – Freedom Baptist Church
- Sept. 12 – Mount Carmel Church
- Sept. 18 – Duke Energy
- Sept. 19 – Kings Gate Church
- Sept. 25 – Duke Energy or another United Way group
- Sept. 26 – Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
- Oct. 2 – FirstHealth
- Oct. 3 – Mount Sinai Church
Fraley told the RO last year that it takes about 2,000 volunteer hours to complete a home.
Last year, Habitat built a home for the family of Marine veteran Fati Brown on Greenlake Road — next to a home the organization built for Nankeen Burch. 2018’s “Women’s Build” in Hamlet, was dedicated to the Pittman family in January 2019.
Lebak said Habitat was also awarded more than $4,000 for its repair program, which will begin soon.
“Several years of hard work building our reputation as a leader in affordable critical home repair has made it possible for us to take our repair program to the next level,” she said.
For more information on the organization or to volunteer, contact the office at 910-295-1934 or visit sandhillshabitat.org.
