David, a little boy with a contagious smile, has undergone six surgeries and faces more in the future. Spinal bifida is a developmental spinal cord birth defect. In children born with spinal bifida, the vertebrae overlying the open portion of the spinal cord does not fully form and remains unfused and open. David has therapy eight times a month and his parents work with him daily to keep the energy flowing in the lower half of his body. His upper body strength keeps him mobile and he has spotty feeling from the waist down.

The Landis family was thrilled with the donated ceramic tile and hardwood flooring from Jaeckle Distributors and how it gives a rich appearance to the finished house.  Ben and Rachel Landis are now expecting a second child and the Vernon County Habitat was able to change the plans and add a third finished bedroom in the otherwise unfinished basement. 

We extend a special thank you to Tile Partners for Humanity for all their good work and to Jaeckle Distributors for their generous donations.  Building a home requires a lot of community effort and we certainly appreciate such a generous donation. The Landis family is hard working young folks who likely would not qualify for a loan nor be able to afford a down payment to purchase a home. Even though their current home is substandard they take terrific care of it and have done a lot to make it beautiful and comfortable, and in doing so show a pride of ownership that can easily be seen. They are proud folks and are not seeking charity, but have worked tremendously hard on the new house, going far beyond their required work hours, says Paul Fairchild, Board Chair for the Vernon County Habitat for Humanity.

The Chytka family describes Habitat for Humanity not only as a wonderful program for those in need, but also as their own saving grace. Chris and Kara Chytka live in Aumsville, Oregon with their three lively children; Brianna (age 10), Taylor (age 8), and Olivia (age 6). Kara is paralyzed due to ALS and her husband works as her full-time caregiver. Their old home was not handicap / wheelchair accessible and presented numerous challenges for Kara’s daily care and comfort. Now the Chytka’s are in a home that accommodates Kara’s disabilities. Her reclining wheelchair clears all doors in the home easily. There is space for her medical equipment in her bedroom.

And thanks to Tile Partners for Humanity and the united efforts of several tile industry partners, Chris no longer needs to carry Kara in and out of the bathtub by hand; he is now able to wheel her into their new shower instead that to the generousity of Orchid Ceramics who donated tile; Western Interiors who donated field, wall and trim tile; MAPEI who donated tile setting materials; Schluter Systems who donated a ditra and drain system for the shower; and Blazer Industries who donated the installation labor.

The children are happy to be in their new home, and Habitat for Humanity and Tile Partners for Humanity helped to make their new home a reality. Thank you!

Racheal Smith is a single mother of three children:  Abdul (son age 17); Makira (daughter age 14); and Carlos (son age 7).  She is a native of Benton Harbor, MI and has been employed at Atlantic Automotive for 5 years in Assembly & Molding.  She worked very hard over the course of 7 months to save money and reduce debt in preparation for homeownership.  At the time of application approval, Rachael was debt free!   She was one of the first 2009 families on-site working towards acquiring her 150 construction sweat equity hours.  Although quiet and shy in personality, Racheal has consistently demonstrated a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard.  She is looking forward to a bright future for herself and her children; and she is fully embracing the wonderful opportunity to become a homeowner.  Racheal feels that partnering with Habitat has taught her family that together they are capable of reaching even the most challenging goals, and she looks forward to seeing how the experience of building their own home will strengthen them as a family.

Tile Mart and Welch Tile and Marble have generously donated floor tile and installation labor through TPFH to Benton Harbor Habitat for Humanity their recent home build.  This home will be featured in the Southwest Michigan Home Builders Association’s 2009 Parade of Homes. 

“It has been a pleasure to work with Lynn at Tile Partners for Humanity.  Her network of generous suppliers and installers were what really made this project all come together in the end.  Tile Mart and Welch Tile and Marble were both wonderful to work with.  Their expertise was invaluable in the completion of this home for Racheal Smith.  My hope is that we here at Harbor HFH can continue partnering with Tiles Partners for Humanity for years to come.”   Bryant Knepp, Benton Harbor Habitat for Humanity