A New Home for Geneva Wright
On July 4th, 2003, the final day of last year's Habitat mission trip to Franklin, WV, the entire volunteers team from St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley gathered on a ridge high above Franklin to demolish a house. The ridge is called Entry Mountain, and has served for many decades as the center of the African-American community in Franklin. The house, one of the oldest on the mountain, was owned by Mrs. Geneva Wright.
Mrs. Wright is a native
of Pendleton County, West Virginia. She has two children, seven grandchildren,
and one great-grandchild. In October, 2001, Geneva's husband of forty years
suffered a fatal heart attack and stroke. The house which they had shared had
corroded wiring, no insulation, and was heated by a single oil stove in the
living room (after her husband's death Mrs. Wright was obliged to sleep on a
couch to keep warm in the winter). Ceilings had fallen through several
times, the roof had been patched repeatedly, and termites had eaten through
much of the porch and into the house.
After her husband died Mrs. Wright was unable to provide even the minimum
maintenance to her already dilapidated house. Because her house was in such
deplorable condition, Geneva's daughter Anita (also a Habitat homeowner)
encouraged her mother to seek assistance from Almost Heaven Habitat for
Humanity. Geneva initially asked only for repairs on her home, but a thorough
assessment showed the house to be 'too far gone' to justify further investment
for repairs that would clearly prove unsatisfactory in the long run. The
decision was made, therefore, to completely demolish the old dwelling and
build Geneva a new home on her property.
And so, on Independence Day, 2003, the St. Peter's team, along with a
volunteer team from
Good Samaritan Lutheran Church, Lexington Park, Maryland,
began what would be the complete
demolition of Geneva's house. During the ensuing year a mountain of debris was
hauled away, a new foundation laid adjacent to the old structure, and
construction begun on her new single-story home. Since her home was razed she
has lived with her physically-handicapped son in a nearby trailer.
This year the St. Peter's team spent the entire week working on Mrs. Wright's new home, and made significant contributions toward its completion. Siding on much of the structure was attached, the windows were installed, porches on both front and back built, and much specialized interior work accomplished in preparation for electrical and drywall completion. We made a MAJOR contribution toward getting Geneva into her new home by the Fall. Thanks be to God.
This photograph, taken on July 4, 2003, shows Mrs. Wright beside her demolished home, and flanked by her son and, wearing the western hat, Bob Horan, Project Manager of Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity
