Habitat For Humanity North Central Iowa (HFHNCI) celebrated their 55th home dedication last Thursday, Dec. 21. The speeches, thank yous and home blessings culminated in Tammara Peterson receiving the keys to her new home.
Tammara, originally from Indiana, said she moved to Clear Lake about three years ago because she knew that she needed to make a change for herself and her three children, daughters 12-year-old Jacey and 10-year-old Jordyn and 8-year old son, Isaiah. “Moving to Iowa was such a huge step into faith for me,” Tammara said.
It didn’t take her long to meet people, through her job at Charlie Brown Daycare Center and Zion Lutheran Church, and she felt welcomed. “That’s how I knew I wanted to stay in this community. So this house means stability for me,” she said as she fought to hold back the tears during the dedication ceremony.
But if it hadn’t been for the urgings of a friend, things might have turned out very differently.
After living in Clear Lake for a few years Tammara started worrying about how she could afford to keep renting, but not wanting to take her kids away from a place where they were doing so well. “I worked at Mercy One as a cardiovascular diagnostic tech at the time and I had just started at the hospital. I hit a point where my income finally was at a good level to where I needed less assistance. Then came the question, ‘How do I maintain all of this where I am,’” Tammara said.
Just when she needed to hear it the most, a friend told her about Habitat for Humanity and convinced her to apply. “After the paperwork and the interviews and the acceptance into the program, I was able to feel like, ‘I’m going to be a homeowner.’ I wasn’t even thinking about owning a home. It wasn’t on my radar….I was just trying to get to the point of being stable in the community,” Tammara said.
HFHNCI is a not-for-profit ecumenical, Christian housing ministry whose mission is working in partnership with families that might not otherwise become homeowners, to build simple, decent, affordable housing. One of the requirements for participating families is 250 hours of “sweat equity.”
“So, my philosophy, especially with having three kids and it’s just me, I was like, ‘Okay, so let’s get this done right away.’ So I had to jump in before the sports season kicked in,” Tammara said with a grin.
Tammara didn’t shy away from any of it. Her hands, body and soul was involved in every step of the process – from the groundbreaking for the home at 1408 2nd Ave. N., to framing the wall panels at a Women Build event, to siding the house, and finally painting the interior. When she wasn’t involved in a building project she was putting in hours, after work and days off, at the Habitat ReStore in Mason City. She even helped work on other families home projects before she started working on her own.
“We’re very excited for this day to have arrived… dedication ceremonies are such a special time and it’s just truly the reason why we do what we do,” said Melissa Schoneberg, Executive Director of HFHNCI. “It’s the culmination of tons of people’s help and work support. She’s worked very hard for this. She got a lot of hours in and she built this house from the beginning to the end.”
“She’s had a lot of trials and tribulations through the years and has come a long way,” Melissa said. “So to come to this event, to be at this stage and be ready to own your own home, I know it’s an exciting time and we’re excited to share with you.”
Sponsors for the project include: Larson Family Foundation, Midwest Construction, Habitat for Humanity North Central Iowa, Habitat ReStore, and the Alpha Roofing Company. Special thanks goes to Custom Concrete Contractors, Knights of Columbus Clear Lake, NIACC Building Trades, Rye Construction, Alpha Roofing Company, Atura Architecture, Clear Lake Bank & Trust employees, volunteers at Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake Jaycees, volunteers of Farmers State Bank, Rotary Club of Clear Lake, Farm Credit Services of America, and students in the Building program at Clear Lake High School, not to mention countless others who donated their time or money.
