MIller helps Habitat for Humanity without lifting a hammer
(Talk of the Town photo provided) Proudly displaying her talents, Ethel Miller has been working on a project for more than a year that will benefit the Whitley County Habitat for Humanity Women Build project.
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A local woman has dedicated many hours for the local Women Build project, and she hasn’t lifted a hammer! She has however, pulled a lot of strings.
Ethel Miller has used her skills of quilting to help the local Habitat for Humanity of Whitley County. She has been working for months on a quilt that will be raffled off to raise funds for the local Habitat Women Build project.
Miller knows that she cannot actually build with the women on the job-site of the house build, so she did the next best thing. She used her skills of quilting to help benefit others. This quilt has scraps of fabric donated by Miller and Phyllis Schaffer, and has taken nearly a year for Miller to assemble. This quilt has pieces as small as 1 ½” square that were assembled to create a beautiful work of art. Soon, it will be quilted by Kathy Slater, bonded by Lois Jean Rhorback and raffled off to raise funds for the local Women Build project.
Habitat for Humanity of Whitley County wants everyone to know that even if they can’t come out and help build a house, there are still ways for people to help.
“Not only do we need the assistance of volunteers to help build, but we also take into consideration the Gifts in Kind, that many of the area businesses donate to Habitat Whitley and the monetary gifts that are donated by individuals, businesses and organizations throughout the county,” said Mary Tobin, community relations coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Whitley County.
Habitat for Humanity is an organization that assists people with achieving home-ownership by using donated labor and funds to get home mortgages that the partner family can afford to live with. When a family partners with Habitat, they are expected to repay the mortgage, pay a down payment, put in sweat equity hours and take some financial training classes in preparation for home ownership.
“These houses are in no way a hand-out. Habitat works with these families and gives them a hand-up,” said Tobin. “So many people think that our organization gives houses away, and that simply isn’t true. These families we assist in home ownership contribute back to our community by adding to the tax revenue. It’s a win-win situation. We build houses for people today, and they grow to be tomorrow’s generation, making them a stronger and more stable community.”
If you would like to volunteer your skills or services to help benefit the local Habitat for Humanity, if you would like more information or to be added to their e-newsletter list, please contact Mary Tobin at 244-4479, 224-3755 or via e-mail at mary@habitatwhitley.org.