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The Rockbridge Report is produced under the supervision of the Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communications at Washington and Lee University.
540-458-8432
540-458-8845 Fax
rreport@wlu.edu

Lead supervisor:
Prof. Claudette Artwick

Reporting supervisors:                  Prof. Doug Cumming

Prof. Bob de Maria

Technical supervisor:

Michael Todd 

Habitat for Humanity gives a woman her dream; a home

By Rob Armstrong

Whenever it rains, Dorothy Spinner of Buena Vista must put buckets in her bedroom to catch leaking water. Her landlord lives in Washington, D.C., and it is difficult, Spinner says, to get things fixed in the small home she rents on Birch Street.

For Spinner, a 43-year-old single mother of two, financial hardships are no less familiar than her leaking roof. And despite a steady job of over 15 years at the Shenandoah Valley Nursing Home in Buena Vista, Spinner struggles to support her 9-year-old foster child and 23-year-old mentally     disabled son.

                                                                                                         Dorothy Spinner helps with the construction of her new  “I’ve been renting all my life,” Spinner said.                   home ( Photo by Rob Armstrong)

“I want to be able to call something my own.”

She will never be able to invest the thousands of dollars needed for a down payment on a property, nor could she afford a mortgage with interest rates. It would drain away all hopes of retirement.

For years, Spinner’s family and friends urged her to apply for housing through Rockbridge Area’s Habitat for Humanity, which is an international non-profit organization committed to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide.

This year, the local Rockbridge Chapter of Habitat for Humanity fielded applications from more than 30 families hoping to own a home by the end of the year, according to Executive Director Dan Walz. Thus far, only two applications have met the organization’s criteria, including the Spinners’.

Now, Dorothy Spinner, her son Donnell, and her foster child P.J. all have something to look forward to--a house and property they can rightfully call their own.

“This is a real dream come true,” Spinner said. “I’m more happy now than I think I’ve ever been.”

For Spinner, even the most common household accessories in her future home will be cherished.

“We’re going to have our own washer and dryer,” she said. “That alone will save me $30-$40 a week from bills at the Laundromat.”

The future Spinner home is far from a gift, however. The Spinners must contribute 700 hours of labor into the house, and must pay an interest-free, 20-year mortgage. But Spinner and her son are more than happy to help build their future home.

“I’ve had some rough and bad times, and this is truly a blessing,” said Spinner. “I just thank the Lord every day and every night for this opportunity.”

At the end of the summer, the Spinner family plans to move into their home “right away,” when the one-year construction of their house is expected to be completed. The foundation was laid in September, and the family has spent over 400 hours thus far in helping build their home.

The local Habitat chapter plans to complete four more houses this year, a record number since the opening of the Rockbridge chapter in 1989.

As a non-profit organization, Rockbridge Habitat relies upon donations from various local and private groups, including businesses, churches, and schools. To cut labor costs, Habitat also fields a number of volunteers needed to help build homes.

As for her new neighborhood, Spinner is looking forward to moving in.

“I just like to meet new people,” she said. “I try to get along with everybody.”