12/23/07
By Holly Fesperman Lee, Salisbury Post
A Salisbury family won't get to put up Christmas decorations in their new home this year, but moving in shortly after the holidays is still an amazing gift.
Tonya Glenn tried on her own to get a home for herself and her two young daughters, 3-year-old Kari and 7-year-old Jinika. But she was turned down repeatedly because she didn't make enough money.
Glenn turned to Habitat for Humanity in February to try to get her family out of a small apartment in Clancy Hills and she soon found out her dream would come true.
The family's new house on Celebration Drive in Salisbury is finished and habitat officials dedicated the home Saturday.
Glenn's home makes the 69th built in Rowan County since the organization broke ground on the first home in 1991.
The Schneider Electric — Square D Corp. sponsored Glenn's home and provided some of the volunteers.
Coleman Emerson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County, expressed appreciation to Square D for helping a dream come true for Glenn and her family.
For every home built here, Rowan County Habitat tithes to Habitat for Humanity International. That money goes to build another home for a family overseas.
"It's not just one house you've done, it's two," he said.
Mark Seifel, general manager of Schneider Electric — Square D Corp. said company as a whole committed to building seven homes in North America earlier this year and the Rowan County plant was chosen to carry out one of the projects.
"It's been a real rewarding experience for us," he said.
"Tonya, we hope that you and your family enjoy living in it as much as we've enjoyed helping you build it," Seifel said.
Emerson told attendees that Habitat for Humanity is proudly a Christian organization and as a statement of what the organization is about, it always presents the homeowner with a new Bible to go in the home.
"We hope that this place will be a godly place for people to live," he said.
Glenn's apartment was near two apartments that burned in October.
She had to move into a motel for a week until she could get back in.
Glenn said even two months after the fire she still can't hook up a phone in her apartment because the lines were damaged.
One of the things Glenn said she's looking forward to most is peace.
"I don't get it over there," she said.
With neighbors above, below and on all sides, Glenn said, "When something happens, it affects everyone."
Glenn volunteered on two Habitat homes before she started on her own.
She said that work beforehand gave her an advantage because she knew more about what had to be done when it was time to start her home.
"I'm happy it's finished," she said.
John Pitel, special projects manager for Schneider Electric — Square D, said it's exciting to see the house finished.
"It was different not to get up and actually work on the house," he said.
Pitel said building the house was a great experience and the corporation plans to fund another home soon.
Habitat officials gave Glenn a digital picture frame that will allow her to look at all the photos taken during the build. She can scroll through the pictures like a slideshow and they appear in the frame one at a time.
The wrapping paper around that gift was also created from memorable picture moments taken while the house was under construction.
SOURCE: Salisbury Post
