The American Dream Coming True For Three Salem Families This Week

The Habitat for Humanity homes, are a dream come true for 17 children and four adults, and will be part of the Salem Tour of Homes, June 17th-25th.

Habitat for Humanity volunteers building a Salem home Photo By: Tim King

(SALEM) - Three deserving Salem families will be moving out of their inadequate housing and moving into a new place to call home this summer, thanks to three mid-valley builders, a Salem building company, and hundreds of Habitat for Humanity volunteers.

Two 4-bedroom homes and one 4-bedroom manufactured home, will be built on adjacent lots on Valley View Drive N.W., as part of Habitat for Humanity`s Home Builders Blitz 2006, a national campaign to build 500 Habitat homes in five days.

JDC Homes, Weiland Homes, and Palm Harbor Homes are supplying the labor and materials for the projects, and Cornerstone Building Company will be donating the foundations for all three homes.

The homes then will be built from Monday through Thursday. Construction will begin each morning at 7:00 AM and wrap-up every evening at 7:00 PM. By Friday evening, all three homes will be completed, including landscaping and cedar fencing.

After the homes are complete, a post-build celebration picnic will be held at Orchard Heights Park on Saturday, June 10th from noon to 2:00 PM. NW Natural is providing a tent, hamburgers and veggie burgers for the event.

Then the three new homes will be featured during the Home Builders Association of Marion & Polk Counties Salem Tour of Homes June 17th-25th. This will be the first time that Habitat for Humanity homes have been included in the tour.

"Every year The Tour of Homes showcases homes that people dream of owning," said Rick Gaupo, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of the Mid-Willamette Valley. "For three Habitat families who look forward to moving out of inadequate housing and into beautiful, affordable homes, the Home Builders Blitz 2006 will be a dream come true."

Gaupo said he hopes the families will be all moved into and enjoying their new homes by the first week in July.

Bio's of two of the families:

The Gutrov family has eagerly volunteered to support Habitat for Humanity`s work in the Salem community.

Already, the household has contributed 488 of the 500 "sweat equity" hours required for Habitat`s homeownership program.

The family has a lot of willing workers: mother, Lyudmila; and her sons and daughters - Alex (23), Roman (19), Sergey (17), Natasha (15), Nikolay (13), Pavel (12),and Lyudmila (8).

Although Pavel and Lyudmila do not meet Habitat`s minimum age requirement for the build site, both have assisted with many important activities, such as house dedications.

Palm Harbor Homes will be building the Gutrov families new home.

The Cuellar family was referred to Habitat for Humanity by Habitat homeowner Cristy Bermudez, who was very excited to learn that Cuellar`s had been selected to be Habitat homeowners.

The family currently lives in a two-bedroom, one bathroom apartment and is "in awe" of the fact that they will soon have the opportunity to help build a four bedroom home that they will purchase, using a zero-interest loan.

Because they are such a fun family to be around, children from the apartment complex love to come and play with the Cuellar children.

Juan and Raquel said that they welcome anyone into their home and enjoy their company.

The family also enjoys playing soccer together.

Each of them is on a local soccer team and Juan, the father, is the soccer coach for an adult league.

The family also enjoys cooking together and says that the kitchen in their new house will be the focal point for social activities.

JDC homes will be building the Cuellar families new home.