Media Coverage

Habitat for Humanity and Rotary District 7910 join forces

By Anna L. Griffin, Telegram & Gazette

May 14, 2007 - FITCHBURG - The next Habitat for Humanity project in the city will have the full force of Rotary District 7910 behind it.

Representatives of the Rotary District, along with family members chosen for this house, recently signed a letter of intent with Habitat for Humanity for the house to be built on Essex Street. A ground-breaking is scheduled for Sept. 13, and the project is expected to take six to nine months to complete. "This is something I thought we should be involved with," said Suzanne Comer, incoming district governor for Rotary District 7910. Ms. Comer said that for many years Dick Manelis, a past district governor for the Rotary Club, has organized trips around the world to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.

"Why not do this in our own backyard?" she said. Ms. Comer said she hoped this would be the beginning of many such projects for the Rotary Club.

Honorary co-chairmen are Frederick Healy, president of Workers' Credit Union and George Gantz, vice president of Unitil. The two were present at the letter-of-intent ceremony held recently at Fitchburg City Hall.

Mr. Healy said he is pleased to be a part of the program because he is a Rotarian. "This really represents a wonderful opportunity, not just for this family, but for the city as well, as this property is going to be rehabbed and become a home."

He said he was impressed with the commitment the Rotary district is making to this project. "There are 53 clubs in this district, so there are going to be a lot of people who will be working in Fitchburg for many months to get this project completed."

Both Mr. Healy and Mr. Gantz kicked off the fund-raising effort by pledging to sponsor 10 square feet of the house at $79.10 per square foot each. Usually the cost for a Habitat house is fixed at $79.17, but the figure was changed to $79.10 to reflect the Rotary District 7910.

Husband and wife Victor Bruno and Milagros Pena, along with her mother, Gladys Castro, the family selected for the house, were present at the signing. Mickey Guzman, a member of the Montachusett Area Rotary Club, is the Habitat Family Partner.

According to the organization, Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 in Americas, Ga., and was created to help eliminate substandard housing and build communities around the world.

Approximately 200,000 houses have been built worldwide, providing homes for one million people. Site, materials and money for the project are all donated, houses are built by volunteers, owners pay an interest-free mortgage and payments are recycled to build more houses. A typical house is 1,200 square feet of living space, including a living room, kitchen, one-and-a-half baths and three bedrooms, at a cost of approximately $100,000 and between 40 and 60 days of volunteer labor.

Steve Boczenowski, president of Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts, said the ceremony was a special event. "It's always special when you are entering into an agreement with potential homeowners, because it means we get to build another house."

Those who would like information on this or any of the other Habitat for Humanity projects in the region can contact Habitat for Humanity by calling (978) 348-2749.