| Savage's first Habitat for Humanity home built (Thisweek Newspapers) |
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BY JESSICA ALLEN August 7, 2006
The sound of hammers pounding nails and scrappers scraping plaster
echoes throughout the partially built twin home on the 4000 block of
124th Street in Savage as volunteers from Habitat for Humanity and
local organizations and businesses finish the interior of the home. About 1,000 volunteers have worked on Savage’s first Habitat for Humanity home since construction began in May of this year. Groups of about 15 to 20 volunteers have worked every weekday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. so far, and every day is booked until August, said Leslie Kaup, construction assistant at Habitat for Humanity. Most of the local volunteer groups work on the home for one day, while other groups, like the Dakota Crew, help on varying days, depending upon when they are needed. Several volunteers said they came to help build the Savage home to give back to the community. “It’s important to build morale for homeowners which will help them give back to the community in the future,” said Jason Whaley, an agent from AUCTUS Group, a real estate brokerage firm in Savage. Tuesday, Aug. 1, was the only day Whaley and others from AUCTUS were signed up to work on the home. Whaley said his goal for the day was to get as much work done as possible to move the project forward. Burnsville resident Richard Cullen, 50, heard about volunteering for the Habitat for Humanity home from his AUCTUS agent. Cullen said he decided to volunteer to “help someone with housing, because it helps them with the rest of their life.” Savage Girl Scout Brownie Troop 1268 served the volunteers lunch and snacks that day to earn a service badge. In addition to volunteers, the two families purchasing each home interest free will dedicate about 300 to 500 hours to work on the home in lieu of a down-payment. “The sweat equity hours make the experience more meaningful,” said Sharon Rolenc, a public relations specialist at Habitat for Humanity. The project is expected to be finished next fall. The Savage homes are two of seven to be built in the Twin Cities this year with grants from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, in its partnership with Habitat for Humanity called ThriventBuilds. In addition to ThriventBuilds, the following local businesses and organizations funded the Savage home: Hosanna! Lutheran Church, the Dakota Crew, ADC Telecommunications, Ziegler Inc., Mary Mother of the Church, and Larkin Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren. Donations for the Savage Habitat for Humanity home, can be dropped off at or mailed to First Community Bank on 14141 Glendale Road, Savage. Checks can be made to “Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity” and “Dan Patch Coalition” should be written on the memo line, so the Savage project receives credit. Jessica Allen is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
