Media Coverage

 

Habitat for Humanity helps Ashburnham family

By Nick Brown Sentinel & Enterprise

August 08, 2008 ASHBURNHAM -- Leah McSparren said she has her oldest son to thank in a sense for the home that figures to be quite a Christmas present this holiday season.

"He brought home a flier that he found from Habitat for Humanity saying they were planning on building homes for people in need, and if you were interested, you could pick up an application," McSparren said.

A few years -- and a few thousand strokes of the hammer -- later, Leah, husband Chris McSparren, and sons Joe, 12, Gage, 6, and Andrew, 3, prepare to move into their new home on Sherbert Road in time for the holidays.

The McSparrens currently live in Chris McSparren's parents basement in Townsend. Financially, things haven't been easy, Leah McSparren said. But Habitat for Humanity of North Central Massachusetts selected the McSparrens as beneficiaries for a project in Ashburnham that would give one struggling family a place to live.

Megan Foley, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of North Central Massachusetts, said the McSparrens fit Habitat's criteria.
"There has to be a real need on the part of the family," Foley said. "Beyond that, the family needs to be very responsible with their bills and finances, and the family has to volunteer at least 500 hours of sweat equity helping build." By the time the project is fully complete, Foley said, the McSparrens will have doubled that figure.

Habitat for Humanity will sell the McSparrens the home with a zero-interest mortgage, Foley said. "This almost didn't seem real until we got here and started building," Leah McSparren said. "To be honest, it still doesn't really feel real."

Habitat for Humanity held a news conference Thursday to announce a partnership on the project with Amica Mutual Insurance. John Lldora, a member of Habitat's local board of directors, said such partnerships are integral to Habitat's work. "Partnerships are really what it's about," Lldora said. "Without those, a day like this couldn't happen."

Town Selectman Jonathan Dennehy highlighted Lldora's point by poking fun at his own questionable carpentry abilities. "If it was up to me swinging a hammer, this day definitely never would have happened, but there are plenty of other things we can do, other ways we can help out," Dennehy said.

The news conference included an flyover with a banner announcing the joint venture.

Patti Stadnick, a communications officer at Amica, said Habitat's efforts mirror Amica's mission. "We chose to support this project because it makes sense in the context of Amica's culture," Stadnick said. "It fits right in because the hard work and integrity it represents is interwoven in what we try to provide for our clients."

Alluding to a quote from philosopher Henry David Thoreau, Town Administrator Kevin Paicos said community support is "the foundation beneath the McSparrens' castle in the air." "Having spent more than a year far from home (as a military medic in Afghanistan), I can say with certainty that home is an important part of our culture," he said. "The McSparrens deserve a warm home.

Community members, as well as representatives from the town of Ashburnham, Amica, and Habitat for Humanity appeared at the event to show support.

"Everyone's here because they care," Leah McSparren said. "That's the best part." Chris McSparren called the outpouring "heartwarming."

The home, roughly 1,236 square feet, includes a bathroom, three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a basement. /> Habitat for Humanity bought the land from the town of Ashburnham, and broke ground on April 15.

Mike Nobrega, the group's construction manager, said corporate partnerships have allowed building to go on "two or three days a week instead of just one," meaning the home could be ready for move-in earlier than expected. Nobrega said Habitat for Humanity has organized similar projects in Fitchburg, Townsend and Acton.

Dennehy said the project helps fulfill one family's version of "the American dream.""Home ownership for all is part of the American dream," Dennehy said. "It's a dream that's under attack right now. Projects like this are absolutely essential if we want to preserve that dream."