UC/Habitat for Humanity Dedication Is Just The Beginning Of A New Partnership

Cheers, laughter and tears erupted at the May 8 dedication of the first home built in partnership with volunteers across the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity (CHFH). New homeowner Sylvia Smith, overcome by emotion, thanked the UC volunteers for making her home possible, and thanked UC for an undertaking that means Sylvia’s sister, Janie Cunningham, will become a nearby neighbor on Winkler Street in Mt. Auburn.

“Thank you, each and every one of you, especially the Saturday night coordinators,” Sylvia said through tears. “I am so glad my mother could make it to today’s dedication. I’m so happy that my sister is moving up the street.”

“We always wanted to stay close to each other, and here I’m moving just up the street,” Janie said.

Mitchel D. Livingston, UC Vice President for Student Affairs and Services, announced an ongoing partnership with Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity that will make one family a year new homeowners instead of renters, and that Janie Cunningham’s future home will be the next UC project to begin building in September.

“I cannot think of a better way for UC to reach into this community than to build homes for families,” Livingston said. “It is consistent with UC’s values of accepting responsibility and building community, one house and one family at a time.

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“The dedication of this house is not the conclusion, but the beginning of a commitment to build other houses that will require fund-raising,” Livingston continued. “Our approach to fund-raising will be to ask everyone in the university family – and for them to ask their friends – to make small contributions that will add up to great fulfillment in the months ahead. We are reaching out to different UC organizations and individuals to begin fund-raising for the second house. We want to make a special appeal to UC student organizations, the construction community for materials, and others who provide funds for a worthy cause.”

Elaine and Albert Wernersbach, the couple who have now financially supported building two Habitat for Humanity homes – including the home of Sylvia Smith – have a personal connection to just how worthy that cause is. At the dedication, Elaine Wernersbach, who formerly lived on Winkler Street, recalled how her parents had struggled and saved to buy their first home. “In 1933, the banks closed, and the savings that was going to be the down payment on my parents’ home was lost. All though the Depression, my parents would talk about owning their home. The Depression lasted until WWII and after WWII, things got better, and I remember their joy when they got their home.”

CHFH board member Christopher Eaton said that 50 percent of Cincinnati’s population are renters. Susan Schiller, CHFH’s executive director, said one-third of Cincinnati’s population lives in substandard housing.

UC student Anne Fitzgerald, committee co-chair for the partnership, said roughly 175 University of Cincinnati volunteers spent over 2,000 hours to work on making Sylvia’s home a reality. She put together a scrapbook for the Smith family that held pictures of the volunteers and the progress of the home over the past seven months.

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Co-chair Annmarie Thurnquist, director of renovations for UC Construction Management, thanked the Saturday site coordinators and thanked Sylvia, who had spent every Saturday at the site since construction began in September, for being “such a gracious and hard-working homeowner.”

“Not any person can say that they built their own house from the ground up,” added Lee Armstrong, assistant director of international programs for the College of Business and UC/CHFH family advocate for the Smith family. Mary Stagaman, UC assistant vice president, Community Relations and Marketing, presented the Smith family with a framed copy of the UC print ad that featured the UC/Habitat project with the Smith family.

But the stories of the UC volunteers and their experiences are building the excitement about what’s to come as UC builds homes and community with CHFH. “This was probably the best volunteer experience I have ever had, because with volunteer work, you don’t always get to see how it affects the family,” said UC student and volunteer Julie Rosing. “Sylvia and her family were out there every weekend. You’re so amazing, and I’m so happy for you.”

UC student and volunteer Kerry Lech added that even during the cold of winter, the attitudes of the volunteers were warming hearts. “I just want to thank everyone for making this a great experience.”

UC’s Campus Services is participating in the UC fund-raising effort for the next UC/CHFH project. Donations will be collected at 25 MainStreet campus locations from May 10-May 21.

Center for Community Engagement Web site

 

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