Larsons celebrate Habitat home
Mary Larson showed off her new counters, cabinets and floors with great pride as she remembered that only one year earlier her new home was just a vacant lot and a distant dream.
"I don't even know what to say," she said. "This just feels so humbling. This process has renewed our faith and brought us hope."
Mary received the keys to her handsome new house at Joseph Halley Estates in Farmington during a dedication ceremony on Sunday, July 29th. Volunteer builders and donated materials made the Habitat for Humanity home more affordable for the Larson family.
"This is just so overwhelming," said Rick Larson. "The power of the Spirit was definitely with us today."
Mary Larson, a school teacher, will live in the home with her husband Rick, who cannot work due to physical challenges. They will be joined by two of their sons; Tim, 23, and Jeffrey, who is 27 and has Downs Syndrome. They have a third son named Rob, 28, who will not be living with them.
The home, at around 1,200 square feet, features four bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms and a combined living room/dining room/kitchen area. At any given point during the day, you could find Jeffrey sitting on the floor in his new room relishing his new space.
Though the Larson's helped build their new home with over 250 hours of "sweat equity" for Habitat's no-interest financing, they said the job wouldn't have been possible without the help of all the dedicated volunteers.
"All these volunteers worked so hard week after week. I truly believed I saw halos over each of their heads. 'Thank you' just does not seem like enough, but I don't know what else to say. They will be forever in our prayers," said Mary.
Southeast New Hampshire Habitat for Humanity presented the Larsons with their keys, a Bible and a homeowner's manual during the Sunday dedication.
Cheryl Van Allen, Executive Director of the local Habitat affiliate, reminds us that the mortgage, which will be paid back interest-free, will be for significantly less than the assessed value of the home. This is thanks to volunteer labor and donated materials. Whirlpool donated the refrigerator and stove, and numerous subcontractors offered their goods and services at deep discounts. There were also many companies and other organizations, such as Best Buy, Wells Fargo and UNH, who had work crews come to volunteer their time.
"It's a very important house to us as well, for so many reasons," Van Allen said. "This home has a unique history because it was actually kick started by a $90,000 bequest from the Joseph Halley Estate. Without that initial boost of cash-flow, I'm certain we wouldn't be anywhere near as far along as we are on the construction of these 4 homes. Once that money got us going, fundraising and volunteer efforts just pushed us over the top. It created a wonderful forward momentum for us, which we hope to keep going to complete Joseph Halley's Dream."
An affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, Southeast New Hampshire Habitat provides affordable housing to income-eligible families in Portsmouth, Newington, Newcastle and Strafford County.