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March 5, 2000
New Habitat for Humanity home dedicatedBy SARA SYVERSON Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- Blessings come in all shapes and sizes, and such was the case Saturday morning with the dedication of a newly constructed home built by the Minnesota Valley Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization, in New Ulm. The home was built by two construction classes in School District 88. The construction of the home began in October of 1998 and finished in June of 1999. The new owners of the home are Amy Drexler and her two sons, Josh and Jordan. They finished moving their things into their new home on Christmas Day. "We're just really grateful. It's a really good program -- my kids are really happy, too," said Amy Drexler, "I wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise." Drexler received an interest-free loan through Minnesota Valley Habitat for Humanity covering the cost of materials and labor. Drexler saw the advertisement in the newspaper and at first she did not apply, but she did apply later with some encouragement from her mother. "It was kind of nice," said Drexler, "Otherwise I probably wouldn't have applied." Pastor Kristen Jacobson, Associate Pastor at Christ the King Church in New Ulm, was present to help bless the new house Saturday. "It's really a blessing," said Jacobson, "Not only a blessing for Amy, but it pulls together so many people from different walks of life. It's an honor for me to be a part of it." The Minnesota Valley Habitat for Humanity has certain criteria for application that people must adhere to before they can qualify for the program. The person or family must be living in a sub-standard housing situation, they must meet certain income criteria, and they must partner with the Habitat for Humanity program. "The project went very well," said Fred Falentin, Chairman of Minnesota Valley Habitat for Humanity, "Having the students regularly at the site was a help. They did a great job." Some of the students have gone into various areas of construction since taking this class in high school. The class did all the construction for the house except the electrical and plumbing. "One of the key things they (students) learn is how to work as a group -- they collaborated on it," said one of the school construction teachers Steve McClellan, "They learned the underlying theme of how to build a house. It provided a real life situation -- it was a deciding point for some students that this is what they wanted to do." One District 88 construction student who had worked on the house, Tony Gleason, is now a student at South Central Technical College in Faribault studying carpentry and cabinet making. "I think it was a good experience -- I learned a lot," said Gleason, "It kind of helped me decide to go into this field. It makes you feel good too, to help a family get a home ... and to help them out."
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