Habitat breaks ground on new home

A few years ago during a winter blizzard, Sisters resident Becky Conner was driving to work when she spotted a man stranded on the side of the road next to his broken-down car. That man was Tony Cosby, Sisters High School construction teacher.

"You never know where that little act of kindness leads," Conner said last week.

At the time, she didn't know Cosby, but they stopped for treats at Angeline's Bakery; she dropped him off at the high school and she headed on to work at Suttle Lake.

Little did Conner know that this fall Cosby and his construction students would be building the walls of her future Sisters Habitat for Humanity home.

"I'm excited about this continued opportunity. It's the highlight of my high school year to come out and stand the walls with the students," Cosby told Conner and her friends and family during Habitat's groundbreaking celebration on October 17.

Cosby's students have built walls for Habitat homes for five years.

The building of the two-bedroom, one-bath home will be dedicated to the memory of long-time volunteer Bob Harris. One of Harris' last projects with Sisters Habitat was preparation for the footings of the house. Harris died in September. He started volunteering with Habitat in 2002 and worked on 46 homes. He loved Habitat and the families, Larry Lennon, construction volunteer and close friend to Harris, said.

Conner's home will be the sixth house built in Habitat's 17-lot neighborhood, Village Meadows. Many other companies will be donating materials and labor to the building of the home. Roofing materials will be donated by GAF and installed by the employees of Northwest Quality Roofing. Electrical supplies will be donated by Schneider Electric and will be installed through an apprenticeship program with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 280 (IBEW).

In-kind donations along with proceeds from the Sisters Habitat Thrift and ReStore, personal donations and grants, in addition to volunteer labor helps keep costs affordable for future homebuyers.

Sisters Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. Sisters Habitat was established in 1991 and since then has helped 61 families build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.

Local families who think they might qualify for a Habitat home can review the homeownership guidelines at www.sistershabitat.org/housing-programs/home-ownership.