Habitat to rehab home for Mercersburg family of six

April 20, 2011|By C.J. LOVELACE | cj.lovelace@herald-mail.com

By C.J. Lovelace

MERCERSBURG, Pa. — Jason and Amy Seville of Mercersburg have never had a backyard for their four children to play in, but that will soon change with the help of Habitat for Humanity.

Mark Story, executive director of Habitat’s Franklin County chapter, announced Wednesday night that the family is the next recipient of a new rehabbed home in Mercersburg.

He spoke briefly to a crowd of about 150 people at the Tuscarora Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Person of the Year awards dinner inside Keil Hall on the campus of Mercersburg Academy.

Jason Seville grew up in Mercersburg, and he and his wife decided to make it their home when their first child came along almost a decade ago.

Since then, the Sevilles have been living in a small apartment without enough bedrooms for their four children — ages 9, 7, 5, and 3 — and two properties are currently being considered for their new place, Story said.

“When we toured them through the potential backyard, the 7-year-old turned and said, ‘You mean, we can actually play where we live?’” Story said at the dinner.

Habitat works by receiving donations from the community for materials and labor, then the home is sold to the family at cost with a 0 percent loan financed through Habitat to keep housing expenses constant.

“We’ll be able to provide them with a home that has sufficient bedrooms, bathrooms and a yard to play in,” Story said.

Habitat of Franklin County has constructed or rehabbed 26 total homes since it was founded in 1994, and this home will be the first in Mercersburg since the 1990s, Story said.

“We’re very intentional on serving all of Franklin County,” he said, challenging the community to step up and help make the lives of others around them better.

“We, Habitat for Humanity, belong to Franklin County, so what is it that you want to accomplish through us to service this family?” he asked during the announcement.

Mary-Anne Gordon, executive director of the Tuscarora Area Chamber of Commerce, called the news “pretty darn exciting.”

“I hope that everyone supports them as much as I plan to,” she said. “This is really good news.”
Don MacAskill, general manager and president of Whitetail Resort, was named Business Person of the Year. See story in The Herald-Mail on Friday.

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