DIXON—Childhood innocence quickly fades when children grow up in cramped spaces without knowing “home” as a place of safety and joy.
Parents do the best they can, but long hours at work only leads to fewer hours spent with the family and at some point the house of cards will collapse.
That’s where Habitat for Humanity can make a difference. They build houses. Dixon is home to a Habitat organization.
But the Dixon chapter, like all Habitat for Humanity chapters, needs volunteers to make the homes a reality.
That’s where Dixon Knights of Columbus Council 690 comes in.
|
About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity participants believe that no one lives in dignity until everyone can live in dignity. They believe that every person has something to contribute and something to gain from creating communities in which all people have decent, affordable places to live. They believe that dignity and hope are best achieved through equitable, accountable partnerships. They build houses and often jumpstart lives. |
“I’ve been involved with Habitat for Humanity in Dixon for a few years, and I am associated with the Knights of Columbus,” said James Dixon. “Our Dixon Council 690 has been a regular volunteer group with Habitat.”
He said the Knights have been working with the Habitat organization for a number of years and annually work with a partner family to construct a home.
“We work every Saturday, and a different church or community organization will bring a volunteer crew, and we’ll build a house,” he said.
This year, the Knights and Habitat are building their 23rd home. They have as a partner the Sean and Kali Nave family of Dixon. The Naves have two children, Isiah, 9 and Prezli, 1.
Dixon said they normally start a home the first Saturday after Memorial Day, but they were held back by inclement weather this year and are running a bit behind schedule.
However, in the three weeks they’ve been able to work they’ve put in the sub floors and walls. They expect to have the joists in place and start the roofing before the end of June.
“The house we’re building this year is on South College Avenue in Dixon,” he said. “We only work on Saturdays, although there is a crew of regular guys who come for a couple hours on Wednesday mornings.”
He expects the project will take them through the summer and into early fall.
“We hope to have the Nave family in their new home for Thanksgiving dinner,” he said.
Gary Gornik is a Knight and has some limited involvement with the organization’s habitat projects.
“We are a volunteer organization that helps people in need,” said Gornik. “We’ve been doing this with Habitat for a number of years and a lot of our members have volunteered since we began the projects.
“Our group works to help the less fortunate and those that are in need,” Gornik said.
The partner families are always on site working with every volunteer group on the home, he added.
“They are required to put in a certain number of hours,” Gornik said. “They put their time in so they will be allowed to have the home, but there is always more to it than that for the families.
“They are building their future,” he said, “and even though this is hard work, there is a joy and a sense of accomplishment as their home takes shape.”