Single mother Lee Kidwell-Pedigo has been through tough times, but now she’s ready to get a fresh start in a new home.

Saturday marked the first volunteer weekend hosted by the Coles County Habitat for Humanity for the construction of the new home, located at 408 North Fourth Street.

Construction will be ongoing through the summer and is expected to conclude in late August or early September.

“A friend of mine told me about Habitat of Humanity,” Kidwell-Pedigo said.

Marcia Tyler, Kidwell-Pedigo’s mother, said her daughter first applied last October or November.

Taylor said the outpouring of the community to help build her new home humbles Kidwell-Pedigo.

“She’s surprised how quickly all of this has happened,” Taylor said.

Kidwell-Pedigo said she is grateful that a lot of people are willing to come out from the community to help.

“One man heard it on the radio in Paris and drove over to help,” Kidwell-Pedigo said.

“All you do is show up on a Saturday morning and go right to work.”

Habitat for Humanity is advertised on the radio and TV to attract volunteers to the building site.

They put announcements in church bulletins and plans are in development for a Facebook fan page.

Kidwell-Pedigo said she has also decided to play an active role in the home’s construction.

“It’s my home and it’s what I’d do anyway,” she said.

Dick Anderson, vice president of Coles County Habitat of Humanity, is one of the few working on site that has never done construction. He has worked on farms, however, and is aware of the skill-set that the job requires.

Anderson said the houses Habitat builds usually are about $65-70,000.

“They get an interest-free mortgage,” Anderson said. “If they were to sell the house once they got it, it would go for $100,000.”

Jim Glass, the superintendent of the Habitat project, is guiding the volunteers in building the twenty-fifth Habitat home in Coles County.

“I’ve been involved for about six to seven years,” Glass said. “I’ve been in construction all my life.”

Glass said he has spent time as a travel superintendent and it has brought him back to Charleston.

Habitat for Humanity makes most of its money for the projects through local donations and fundraisers.

“There’s corporate donations,” Glass said. “Local businesses donate as well.”

“We’ll go to corporations and see if they’ll donate materials,” Anderson said. “We’re having a yard sale and a furniture sale when students go back to college.”

On the Fourth of July, Habitat will host the Fun Run and a golfing event.

“I’m so grateful for the people who volunteer and the people at Habitat,” Kidwell-Pedigo said. “All the hearts of people are so big and I’m very grateful.”

Jennifer Brown can be reached at 581-7942 or jebrown2@eiu.edu.

Pedigro’s New Home from DEN Online on Vimeo

Butch Thompson, job site supervisor, saws boards to be used on the Habit home Saturday afternoon. Over fifty volunteers came from the Coles county community to participate in the event. It’s expected to be completed in August or September. Jennifer Brown

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