202 Bellefontaine, Champaign

Meet Patricia Hemphill and her six children

For months, Patricia Hemphill and her six kids – ranging from 24 to 12 – watched with anticipation the Habitat house built at 304 Tremont. From 212 Tremont, the family had the perfect "seats" to watch the Nguyen family's house go up. "So many times, I thought how nice it would be if I were watching my house go up," grinned Hemphill. "When I was told I was selected, I just couldn't believe it!" The family is comprised of Prentiss, 24; triplets Terry, James, and Glenda, 18; and fraternal twins Aaron and Anthony, 12. Patricia works for Hendrick House Catering, stationed at Kraft in food service working a split shift. A hard worker, she and all of her kids are already working on the 250 hours of sweat equity they need to put in prior to moving in to their Habitat home. When she heard the news, Patricia said, "This is the best Christmas present ever. Thank you Jesus for such a blessing."

Family friendly WBGL Radio 91.7 is sponsoring the Hemphill's home.

WBGL/Hemphill Home Building
There is no rest for the weary, as they say. Just one week after a flurry of building on the HomeBuilders Blitz sight just 3 blocks away finished, nearly 2 dozen workers gathered early Saturday morning on June 17 to begin work on the Patricia Hemphill home at 202 Bellefontaine. This homebuild – Habitat’s 5th of 2006 – is sponsored by WBGL “Family Friendly” radio (91.7FM).

Under sunny skies, volunteers – including homeowner Patricia Hemphill – spread pea gravel in the crawl space, installed blue board on the foundation walls, backfilled the foundation, installed the sill plate, center beam, and I-joists. The greatest sight on Saturday was Patricia's eager face at 7:30AM already on site (work doesn’t officially start until 8AM)!

Even with nearly 20 people helping out this past Saturday though, work remains to be done to prepare for this Saturday’s plan to frame the house. So, to catch up, registered Habitat volunteers will gather once again on Wednesday, June 21 from 3-7PM to nail the floor decking on so the walls can be framed on Saturday.

Thank you to June 17 Habitat volunteers: Julia Elias, Brent, Henry Gerlach, Shari Grieger, Randy Haack, Kathy Haack, Kevin Olson, Owen Peoples, Pam Peoples, Jason Rackow, Julia Schmidt, Eric Sheu, Ryan Springer, Jeff Wurthmann, Mike Stemle, Steve Anderson, Megan Webber, Rev. Rex Richardson, and the congregation of the Church of the Bretheren!

Week 2

On Saturday, June 24, volunteers began gathering at 7:45AM on the site at 202 Bellefontaine. They were eager to get their hands dirty. Volunteers had come out the previous Wednesday afternoon to install the floor system in preparation for the framing workday planned for Saturday.

Under the guidance of Habitat Construction Manager Paul Zindars and volunteer Larry Fainter, the day’s framing expert, volunteers worked hard as a team to construct and piece together the walls. As the exterior walls where being cut, laid out, and assembled, another group of volunteers worked to outline the interior walls on the floor boards to prepare the next phase of work once the exterior walls where attached and braced. The sun continued to rise and the day grew hotter, but volunteers continued working with excitement and resolve to finish their tasks.

Thank you to the June 24 Habitat volunteers: Larry Fainter, Nick Fainter, Shari Grieger, Andrew Hebrank, Michael McMillian, Kevin Olson, Frank Peters, Sandy Ratliff, Andy Rauchfuss, Jeff Scott, Eric Sheu, Ryan Springer, Mike Stemle, Jennifer Smith, Elizabeth Ruitenbeek, and Dave Wingate. Also, a big thanks to Savoy United Methodist Church Friendship Circle and the Champaign Church of the Bretheren for our lunch and a cool place to eat.

Week 3

On Saturday, July 1st, eager volunteers fought the blazing heat – mid 90s! – to continue the work on the WBGL/Hemphill House. The plan for the day seemed overwhelming, but our volunteers were ready to do what needed to be done. We cut, laid out, and assemble the remaining interior walls that weren’t completed the previous Saturday. Volunteers with Scott’s Construction and Excavation from Indiana helped out with framing as well as assisting with concrete work for the front porch. As the interior walls went up, a few of the volunteers leveled and plated them together. Another group of volunteers sheathed the exterior walls with plywood to prepare the walls to be covered in foam. The last task of the day was cutting out the windows and doors once the plywood was installed around the house.

This coming Saturday, July 8th, we will be framing the porch, installing the trusses, and foaming the exterior walls. If time permits, we will also begin adding plywood to the top of the trusses to make the roof.

Thank you to the July 1st Habitat volunteers: Scott Bigger, Julian Elias, Shari Grieger, Andrew Hebrank, Alan Jewett, Jodi Jewett, Mike McMillen, Jeremy Newnum, Brent Racobs, Andy Rauchfuss, and Michael Workman. Also, special thanks to Julia Schmidt and the Champaign Church of the Bretheren for our lunch and a cool place to eat.

Week 4

On Saturday, July 8th, Habitat had another wonderful and successful build day. Our volunteers, new and old, came out early in the morning eager to get started. The volunteers had their plates full for the day. During the build day, the temperatures soared up to the 90s, but you could not hear a single complaint from the volunteers.

The plan for the day was ambitious, but our volunteers were confident that they could complete the tasks at hand. Through the awesome guidance of Paul Zindars and Dave Wingate, the volunteers accomplished all that was planned. The front of the house was sheathed with plywood. The top plates holding all of the walls in position were finished being placed. A handful of speedy volunteers encased the exterior walls with foam in order for the doors and windows to be installed. As the foam was being installed, a couple of volunteers climbed on top of the house to set the roof trusses being hoisted up to them by Mike Nash using a crane donated by Nash Crane Services. Before installing the windows and doors, they adjusted the window openings to accommodate the new windows. The volunteers quickly finished installing the doors and windows under the guidance of Scott Bigger. The last task was to begin sheathing the roof with plywood. The volunteers finished half of one side of the roof.

Thank you to the July 8th Habitat volunteers: Robin Bedwell, Travis Bedwell, Scott Bigger, Jennifer Briski, Katie Briski, Theresa Erbach, Henry Gerlach, Sara Kaeb, Jerry Kaeb, Mike McMillen, Kevin Olson, Brent Racobs, Andy Rauchfuss, Eric Sheu, Dave Wingate, and Michael Workman. Also, special thanks to Erica Wells from the First Christian Church and Jack Frost for the wonderful lunch. Finally, thank you to the Church of the Brethren for a cool place to eat! The volunteer appreciate everything you do for them!

Week 5

On July 15th, volunteers braved the extremely heat to continue building the WBGL house. The volunteers arrived at 7:45am as usual and we eager to begin the day. After a quick devotion, Paul Zindars outlined the plan of the day and everyone broke up into groups to work on their tasks.

A group of volunteers finished foaming the roof sections of the interior walls. A good handful of volunteers braved the heights and sheathed the remaining sections of the roof. A few swarmed the interior of the house to install truss clips to set the trusses in place. The porch was framed by another group under the guidance of Jerry Zindars. This involved bring the porch out from the house and setting the supports to the concrete below. Once the trusses on the porch were set in place, the volunteers sheathing the roof moved over to sheath a part of the porch. A group of volunteer helped trim the doors and windows in preparation for siding next week. During all of the activity, a dumpster was delivered and a handful of volunteers helped move all of the waste materials to it. At the end of the build day, the exhausted volunteers helped clean up the work site and departed.

Thank you to the July 15th Habitat volunteers: Steve Anthony, Michael Chaney, Lori Chaney, David Drake, Julian Elias, Nate Gabrielson, Henry Gerlach, Shari Grieger, Cordelia Loots-Gollin, Sindhu Menon, Willl Pinn, Brent Racobs, Jesse Rogers, Eric Sheu, Kelena Stovall, Tim Walker, Jennifer Watson, Michael Workman, and Jerry Zindars. Also, special thanks to Julia Schmidt and the Church of the Brethren for providing us a wonder lunch!!

Week 6
We had another successful and productive build day on July 22nd. With over 20 volunteers giving up their free day, we were able to accomplish our entire, ambitious, plan. The week before Champaign was plagued by scorching and unbearable heat. Lucky, this week the weather worked to our benefit, with rain the night before, making temperatures much cooler for all of our volunteers.

At first glace, 20-plus volunteers might seem chaotic, but everyone worked hand in hand, breaking off into small groups, each assigned to an important task. Included in our normal group of volunteers were eight student athletes from the University of Illinois. The majority of the volunteers were assigned to siding the house. It was a great learning experience for those who have never done siding before. The experienced volunteers walked them through the process and they finished rather quickly for first timers.

Others worked to finish “blue foaming” the front of the house and the porch. A skilled group finished installing the fascia around the house in order for the rest of the roof sheathing to be installed (covering the roof with plywood). Once the sheathing was complete, a handful of volunteers braved the heights and covered the plywood sheathing with black paper to prepare the roof to be shingled during the week. When the black paper was applied, the volunteers nail down the drip edge around the top of the house. While all of this work was going on around and above the house, some volunteers with shovels in hand leveled the lawn on the east side of the house where our tractor could not reach.

Thank you to the July 22nd Habitat volunteers: Cassie Arnei, Kassie Barry, Travis Bedwell, Peter Carlson, Sara Carlson, Reuven Chavira, Matt Dibbern, Dan Guyot, Eric He, Antonio James, Tyler Keely, Drew McMahon, Sam Poaer, Brent Racobs, Andy Rauchfuss, Jesse Rogers, Andrea Schultz, Eric Sheu, J. J. Simmons, Rahkeech Smith, Scott Winter, and Lily Wu. Also, special thanks to Meadowbrook Community Church for providing our volunteers with a wonderful lunch and the Church of the Brethren for providing us a cool and relaxing place to eat!!

Week 7
Thank you to IBEW Local 601! Arriving at 7:00 AM on the 22nd (week six), staying through the day and returning during the week, their skills will ensure the Hemphill family has safe, well-wired home. Thank you to Mike Herbert, Mike Melvin, Steve Melvin, John Veneto, Chuck Leman, Matt Light, and Chris Dietz.

Week seven, July 29th, was yet another day of searing heat. Volunteers gathered as Paul Zindars explained the plan for the day. With a large tent as a break area and plenty of water, we split into small project groups: enlarging the location for the shower; finishing the installation of truss clips to help hold the roof down on the exterior walls; fire chalking the wire at locations running into the attic and crawlspace.

While work was being done on the inside, a group of experienced volunteers prepared the outside for installing soffit. Paul Zindars walked volunteers through installation. First we cut soffit pieces with a circular saw so they would fit snugly in place. Second, we climbed ladders to snap the soffit together and nail it to the underside of the roof overhang. Third, we prepared the porch area for soffit. When the majority was installed on the east and west sides of the house, volunteers cleaned up the work site and returned the tools to storage. The day ended earlier than usual to allow us to get out of the heat.

Thank you to the July 29th Habitat volunteers: Zach Dismukes, Robert Fineman, Henry Gerlach, Shari Grieger, Kevin Olson, Brent Racobs, Jesse Rogers, Scott Sheltra, Kara Swindler, and Lily Wu. Also, special thanks to St. Matthews Catholic Church for providing our volunteers with a wonderful lunch and the Church of the Brethren for providing us a cool and relaxing place to eat!!

Week 8
Thank you to RC Plumbing and Heating for their excellent work this last week installing plumbing and heating.

On August 5th, volunteers gathered on a cooler morning awaiting the build start. After a quick devotion, Paul Zindars walked us through the tasks for the day. The majority of the work was going to be installing soffit around the house. Michael Workman, Henry Gerlach, Brent Racobs, and Ivana Yi inspected the soffit that was installed the previous week to make sure everything looked nice and catch any mistakes. They also installed the fascia on the east and west sides of the house. Jerry Zindars, Jesse Masengale, and I worked on fixing the porch and installing the porch soffit. Paul Debevec and Reuven Chavira volunteered to clean out the interior of the house. Ivana Yi also finished fire chalking anything that ran into the ceiling or crawl space and clearing the shrubs along the property fence. Prentiss Hemphill and James Davis helped with clean up.

Thank you to the August 5th Habitat volunteers: Reuven Chavira, James Davis, Paul Debevec, Henry Gerlach, Prentiss Hemphill, Brent Racobs, Jesse Masengale, Eric Sheu, Michael Workman, Ivana Yi, and Jerry Zindars. Also, special thanks to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for providing our volunteers with a wonderful lunch and the Church of the Brethren for providing us a cool and relaxing place to eat!!

WBGL/Hemphill Home Complete! Dedication on September 30, 2006