Habitat

Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties is currently building a house for the Ronda Simmons family at 310 Hamilton St. in Winchester, and needs volunteers, starting Saturday, July 18, and continuing on Wednesdays and Saturdays for several weeks. Volunteers can also work on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays if Wednesdays and Saturdays don't fit their schedules or they would like to work additional days. Habitat also needs volunteers to drive its van to transport Bluegrass Development volunteers on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from Madison County.

"Blessed" was how Ronda Simmons felt when she learned her application was approved for her own home. After years of renting two- and three-bedroom apartments, Simmons is ready to call something her own. The single mother of two sons, Devarius, 8, and Da'Mari, 1, said that it has sometimes been a struggle for her. "I stayed with my mom when it got tough," she said. But after nearly a year of waiting, Simmons met with two representatives from Habitat for Humanity, and was informed of the good news.

Women will be hammering and sawing away in the hot sun this Saturday in the parking lot of Lowe's. The June 20 work clinic will be the third in a series of Women Build programs, offered by Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties in partnership with the Winchester Lowe's store. Layne Hawley, Habitat for Humanity volunteer coordinator, said the program gives the women an opportunity to build leadership skills so they are able to teach others. She said women don't often have the opportunity to learn what they would learn at the clinic.

The folks at Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties spend a lot of time talking about helping families realize the dream of owning their own home but it has also long been a dream of the affiliate to, itself, own a permanent home. The late Bill Vockery, who served as President of HfHMCC in 2002 and 2003, purchased a building at 1417 E. Main St. with the dream of converting it into a combination office facility and a lodge for visiting volunteer groups. On April 25 Habitat will have an Open House to officially dedicate The Bill Vockery Habitat Office Building.

Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties will accept donations of household furnishings, appliances, building materials, home maintenance items, office equipment, lawn care tools and other used items in good condition in the Winchester Lowe's parking lot from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 21. The value of donated items is tax deductible and will be sold in Habitat's Restore located in Berea. Representatives of Habitat will be available to help load donations onto their truck and to write receipts on the spot.

Ice and snow coated Kentucky's landscape like a tight, frozen blanket. Trees sagged and branches snapped under the weight, falling on roads, power lines and even houses. Tens of thousands of Kentuckians have been or are still without power. But people aren't the only ones who have had a hard time after the recent winter storms. Wildlife also struggle when ice and snow cover their food and habitat. "There's no question there can be higher rates of mortality when we have this kind of cover for a long period of time," said John Morgan, small game program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

More than 30 volunteers braved less than ideal weather conditions Dec. 6 to begin construction of Jessamine County Habitat for Humanity's latest Habitat home located at 525 S. Central Ave. Habitat President Brian Goettl said he wasn't quit sure how many people would show up, but he was a little surprised at the number, considering the conditions. "We weren't sure when we set the construction date. Our construction manager asked if we knew for sure anyone would show up if the weather was bad, and I told him no because we've never done one in the cold like this," Goettl said.

Two Danville families are about to celebrate their first Christmas in new homes, the 29th and 30th houses since Boyle County Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1980 to help build houses for those in need. Kim Singleton and her son, MarConey Gayton, 15, a Danville High School sophomore, moved into their house on Duncan Hill Road on Sept. 1. They devoted about 1,000 "sweat equity" hours on the house, going far beyond the required 250 that each single-parent family must complete.

Dear Editor, On Wednesday, four gracious and energetic young men and women from our community spent their morning at the Community House on South Third Street as part of the Day of Caring sponsored by Heart of Kentucky United Way. They took on the hefty tasks of painting our waiting room area and cutting the huge brush on our property. They were warm and friendly while going about their work most efficiently. In short, these people embodied the generosity and sense of responsibility that is "community spirit" at its best.

The Front Porch Concert Series at Rock Fence Park got off to a rousing start as Ronn Crowder and Roger Bondurant, along with Roxanne East, performed for the 75 to 80 people in attendance. "We were well-pleased with it," Jessamine County Magistrate George Dean said. "We didn't have much advance notice or advertisement, but we were pleased with the turnout. I got a lot of good and positive comments. " "A lot of people, as I was kind of watching, a lot of people were just kind walking by on the sidewalk, and they'd stop and stand for a while, and they'd move on," Teg Evans, with Bluegrass Arts Association, added.