Another house of walls done!

July 20, 2021

Ariell Ashley wall build

We had another miraculous break in the rain on July 10th and in a record 1 1/2 hours, hammered together all 41 walls for the 2-story, 4-bedroom house that will become home for Ariell Ashley and her 4 children.

Habitat McLean County staff and Retired Crew guided 60-70 volunteers from Northside Church of Christ to complete the walls in the church parking lot. We had volunteers of all ages, with much laughter and comaraderie.

Ariell brought a team of friends and family to pitch in and we had three other partner families helping her.

While every house we build is special to our partner families, the volunteers, and our staff, Ariell's is the Bill Nichelson Memorial house, built to honor one of our dear Retired Crew who passed earlier this year. Bill worked tirelessly for Habitat, was quick with a smile, and had a heart as big as all outdoors.

The minute you met him, he was your friend.

His friends and family thought the best way to honor him was to build a house in his name, and we couldn't have agreed more.

One good person can touch more hearts than we'll ever know.

Northside Church of Christ recently also lost a dear friend. Viola Hefner had a passion for Habitat McLean County. Her brother Willard Wagner served years ago as a build volunteer and Viola provided home baked cookies for snack break.

With the legacy from their parents of helping people help themselves, they embraced Habitat's goal of offering a hand up, not a handout. Her family wanted to build the walls for this house to honor her memory.

The Nichelson family with a couple of Bill's Retired Crew buddies

The Hefner family

Like grandpa, like grandson

Read Ariell's story here.

Thank you, Northside Church of Christ!

Additional sponsors on this house: The friends and family of Bill Nichelson, and Wesley United Methodist Church.

Consider joining Habitat McLean County's Carpenter Club with a recurring gift of $10/month. You set it up once and don't have to think about it again.

Committing to an ongoing monthly donation makes it easier on your budget and makes ours more predictable, so that together we can empower more families to change their lives.

Start your recurring gift online now.