Giving the traditional Habitat for Humanity (HFH) welcoming present--a tool kit, Frank Console (in plaid shirt), director of construction for HFH West Philadelphia, welcomes DeShawn Brunton, Mia Hayward and their four children to their new home, the Penn Habitat House at 4936 Stiles St. at dedication ceremonies April 24.
Brunton and Hayward have spent their Saturdays rebuilding the house with members of the HFH Penn campus chapter, which began work on the house a little more than a year ago.
Penn student volunteers, led by work-study student construction managers David O'Connell (EAS '96), Maeve McBride (EAS '97), and Toni Loiacano (EAS '99), performed labor and raised the funds needed to pay for materials used in the reconstruction project. The family bought the house at cost with a 20-year, no-interest loan arranged by HFH West Philadelphia.
The Penn House is the 17th structure on the 4900 block of Stiles Street rebuilt under the auspices of HFH West Philadelphia, which began its work on the block 10 years ago.
--Sandy Smith
Return to Compass Features for May 6, 1997