Williamson Habitat to Dedicate Home Built by Local Teens
March 24, 2013
| Date Start March 24, 2013 |
On Sunday, March 24, Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County (HFHWC) will dedicate its 133rd home to Franklin native, Pamela Pointer. Built and sponsored by local high schools through the Habitat High Build program, this new, energy-efficient residence on 9th Street in downtown Franklin sits just feet from the home in which Pamela was raised. “My family built our home in the 1940s. It has a lot of good memories, but I worry about its safety. Now I have a place where the whole family can come together. I feel truly blessed to be able to purchase a Habitat home.”
Over the last five weekends, Pamela has worked alongside students from Brentwood, Centennial, Currey Ingram, Independence, Franklin, Ravenwood, and Summit High Schools. This is the 15th Habitat High home for HFHWC and is funded through money raised by the students in the Habitat for Humanity clubs at each school and through the generous donations of corporate sponsorship. Ed McAssey, Chief Operating Officer of the Lasko Products, Inc. calls his company’s commitment to the program a no-brainer. “We wanted to do something for those who work for us and for the next generation of our workforce. Habitat High provides important life experience for the high schoolers, while helping deserving individuals in our community achieve their goal of home ownership. We are excited to be part of sponsoring Habitat High for the next five years.”
That excitement was palpable every day on the build site. Habitat Crew Leader Bill Harris worked on the project each weekend and saw firsthand the energy the students and families brought to the project. “The volunteers were here early each day and ready to work – even the snow didn’t keep them away! We stayed ahead of schedule all during the process, and the students did an excellent job of paying attention to all the detail work that needed to be done. It was a great build.” When asked why she came out to help with the build, Kaitlyn Bean, a freshman at Currey Ingram Academy, explained, “I helped because it makes a big difference to help build a home, and with everyone’s help the house will get done quicker.” Matthew Roland, a freshman at Currey Ingram Academy, also added, “I enjoyed helping someone who needs a new home, it means a lot. Also, my parents have done this before, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps.” In addition to swinging hammers, a group of students and teachers from Currey Ingram Academy developed a video from their volunteer day that could be used to share the process with others looking to support Habitat.
Pamela has four children. Her daughter, Irish, and her son, Adrian, are grown and have families of their own. Her son, Blair, 24, works at Kroger and attends Columbia State part-time. Her youngest son, Stanley, is 22 and a senior at UT – Knoxville, earning a BA in Business Management. Stanley helped to organize a week of service for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. The fraternity earned over 400 hours of service and donated 200 hours to Pamela’s goal of 420 “sweat equity” hours. He also made a special trip home from Knoxville and spent the third weekend of the build working alongside his mother.
When asked what this process has meant to her, Pamela beams with pride. “I have dreamed of this day for years and from the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you enough. There are a lot of hard-working people out there and Habitat is their only chance at homeownership.”
