The racket of hammers and power drills were like music to the ears of more than 40 Carolina Meadows residents and staff members who participated in a ceremony for a new Habitat for Humanity home in Pittsboro.

   With the foundation laid and the construction ready to continue, Carolina Meadows took a moment to celebrate its effort over the last year. Carolina Meadows is believed to be the first continuing-care retirement community in North Carolina to fully fund a Habitat home.

   The money, raised through donations from the residents and staff of Carolina Meadows, will cover the complete cost of building the Habitat home, scheduled to be completed as early as May, said Bert Morhart, co-chair of the Carolina Meadows Habitat House sponsorship. He spoke during the ceremony Wednesday.

   The house is the future home of Charity Lassiter and her two young children.

   "It is a tremendous undertaking by the residents of Carolina Meadows to raise these funds," Morhart said.

   Having volunteered with the Chatham County Habitat for Humanity for the last three or four years, Morhart said he is dedicated to the program. He and Vickie Badrow, also CO-chair of the sponsorship and a volunteer with Chatham Habitat for at least 10 years, thought their community could raise enough money to build a home, Morhart said.

   The fund-raising efforts began in May 2002 and concluded Oct. 31 when the community had garnered 178 gifts from residents and staff totaling $50,375, through projects and events such as Carolina Meadows' annual Community Outreach Volunteer Fair.

   Amy Powell, executive director of Chatham Habitat, said construction of a Habitat home usually runs about $40,000, and the land and infrastructure costs usually amount to $20,000.

   "Our partnership is related more to the actual construction of the house," she said. The costs not covered by Carolina Meadows' donation will be covered by other sources such as the N.C. Housing Finance Agency.

   Selecting a family to live in each new Habitat home entails three criteria - ability to pay for the home, willingness to help with construction, and housing need. Other factors are based on the family's annual income. Powell said that on average, the chapter usually has 24 applications for homes.

   Lassiter and her children, ages 5 and 1, were chosen this week.

   A groundbreaking ceremony had been postponed from Dec. 11 because of the Dec. 4 ice storm. But even with the delay, the ceremony remained inspiring and special to all of the participants, Powell said.

   Morhart and Badrow also attended, as well as 40 to 50 other Carolina Meadows residents.

   Lassiter was there, along with 10 UNC medical school students who have been helping with the construction for the past week. Also on hand was the Rev. Eva Lee, who used to work at a church that stood on the same ground as the freshly laid foundation.

   Lee took that time to offer a blessing to both the Lassiter family and the residents of Carolina Meadows, connecting the ground that once supported a house of God to that which will now support the house of God's children, Powell said.

   Carolina Meadows has no plans to raise money for another Habitat home but could do so again in three or four years, Morhart said. Since the announcement of the donation, other retirement communities have been in contact with Carolina Meadows to learn their fundraising techniques and other lessons, Powell said.

   "Carolina Meadows is a model," Powell said. "They have shown us that it can be done."

   Contact:
   Michelle Westrom
   Marketing Director
   (919) 370 - 7160