Maria Magno-Perez is a single mother of three. She works hard at multiple jobs, taking care of her family, and most recently, making her dream come true of having her own home.

For years, Maria waited for the chance to secure a home with Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, the organization had to accept less clients at a time, according to Monroe County Habitat CEO Wendi Goodlett. Now, they are getting back up to speed. For those years of waiting, it meant more time Maria had to spend in her costly apartment.

“She’s very excited because she loves to garden, and in particular, flowers. So she’s really looking forward to having her own space and being able to plant those flowers,” said Maria’s translator, Rosa Skinner. Rosa is Whirlpool’s Senior Manager of Global Social Responsibility.

But on October 5th, construction began on her new home in Osage Place, one of Habitat’s newest housing developments by RCA Park.

The build is getting more help than a typical Habitat for Humanity project. That help comes in the form of a 12-year long partnership between IU Kelley, Habitat for Humanity, and The Whirlpool Corporation. Maria’s home is the 12th build under the partnership.

For Maria, these factors mean that her home is a blitz build, meaning that it will be built in a single month. By November 5th, her home is slated to be complete. This is largely made possible by Whirlpool’s donated resources, as well as the combined volunteers between the three organizations involved.

This year, the build is part of a larger, international initiative taken by Habitat for Humanity International and Whirlpool to build homes across the world. The House + Home World Tour is an initiative between Habitat for Humanity International and The Whirlpool Corporation to build homes in places like Europe and Asia. The initiative has lasted all year, and is wrapping up back here in Bloomington.

 

In a single afternoon, a slab of concrete suddenly has four walls, spaces for windows, and a front door. Maria’s home is taking shape. The construction zone is busy with people, including student volunteers from IU Kelley, Whirlpool executives, and trained volunteers from Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County.

Students get to work hammering nails into support beams, while whirlpool executives hold up one of the walls as it gets secured. The Habitat volunteers saw wood, drill into the concrete, and teach the other volunteers how to hammer nails into boards. “We’re prepared to have a group that knows nothing about construction,” said Wendi Goodlett, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County. She said that Habitat has crew leaders that are there to teach new volunteers, and to ensure everyone’s safety.

Amongst the crowd is Maria, busy lining up the structure for the front wall of her home. Maria is required to put in 250 hours of volunteer time with Habitat for Humanity, called sweat equity. 100 of those hours have to be on-site labor.

“Everybody says she is always just so happy when she’s out volunteering with us,” Goodlett said. Maria says that it hasn’t been easy, balancing the work load between her job, being a parent, and volunteering, but she believes nothing is impossible.

Maria is also required to take certain classes with Habitat for Humanity, including home maintenance courses and finance classes. She said the maintenance classes are her favorite.

Moving into a house means Maria gets to do many of the things that just aren’t possible in her apartment. She hasn’t been able to barbecue in a long time. Soon she will have the back yard space to do so. Her dream of a flower garden isn’t far away either.

On the morning of the house’s dedication, people gather out front of the four new walls of Maria’s home. Whirlpool executives read speeches. So does another beneficiary of Habitat’s program. Eventually, Maria steps forward to give her thanks. Whirlpool announces that they are donating a washer and dryer to the house. The crowd applauds. Soon, the back yard will be full of flowers.