FREDERICKTOWN — “My kids and I have never lived in an actual house, only a trailer,” said Kristin Matuch of Fredericktown.
Kristin and her husband, Riley, along with their two children, are one of a group of families that have applied to be the owners of the house built by Habitat for Humanity in Fredericktown.
The three-bedroom house will have room to live and play for whichever family is chosen for the project. All habitat homeowners, or partners, are required to invest 300 to 500 hours of sweat equity into their homes.
Kristin, a stay-at-home mom, said that being in a real house would mean a lot to her children. She and Riley, who works in a plastics factory, have lived in the trailer for the past three years.
Kristin said living in such a small space is difficult, especially as her kids, 2 and 11, get bigger.
“Kids have an opportunity to do so many more things,” she said. “The trailer park we live in we can’t have any playground equipment; I want my son and daughter to be able to go outside and play on a swingset and play basketball.”
John Darmstadt, the head of habitat in Knox County, said he was very pleased with the volunteer turnout of 55 people in Fredericktown, despite the rainy weather.
A group of about 20 high school students, from a youth group with the United Methodist Church, helped all day.
“A lot of what they did for us is lifting, hauling, and that sort of things. Kids who volunteer do not handle power tools,” said Darmstadt.
Construction workers, students, retirees, teachers, and workers from every occupation imaginable showed up, working together to get the job done.
“I enjoy working with the crew. It’s fun. We work every Saturday, and some Wednesdays,” said College Township resident Bob Crise. “I enjoy the camaraderie and giving back something to the community that is self-perpetuating, because mortgage money goes back in.”
Mortgage money goes back into the program to build more homes. A house such as the one being built in Fredericktown has a mortgage payment of about $300 — much less than if banks and builders were involved.
Reiss, who works in habitat’s resale shop in Fredericktown, said the money raised through resale of building items and furnishings that are donated, helps fund the building of more houses.
“People that are remodeling donate things. We’ll take building materials, appliances, light fixtures, everything,” Reiss said.
Reiss, who has been retired for 10 years, said that after the enthusiasm for the Blitz Build, interest in volunteering dies off some.
“There are fewer people each week,” he explained. “Then it’s just the hard core.”
Dennis Luna has volunteered with habitat for 11 years, and has helped build about 15 houses.
“I always said when I retired I wanted to do something different,” said Luna a retired teacher and former superintendent of the Mount Vernon Developmental Center. “The reward is seeing people who live in substandard housing have a decent place to live.”
Melissa King, a student from Kenyon who came with two friends who have volunteered before, was volunteering for the first time.
“I was interested in doing it because my parents did it while I was growing up,” King, who is from Mason, explained.
An economics major, King believes volunteering while she is in college makes sense. “I think it’s a good life experience,” she said. “I’d like to be involved in community activities when I graduate, so what better time to start?”
The Fredericktown house will be under construction for some time. Volunteers are still needed to provide workers to finish the house every Saturday until it is done. Interested volunteers can call Darmstadt at 397-5525.
