Habitat Home Dedication Ceremony

May 01, 2014

On April 26 a crowd of well wishers gathered outside the new Habitat for Humanity house in Tichborne to help the Roberts family celebrate the dedication of their new home. The family will be moving in on May 1.

Donning a hard hat, Town Crier Paddy O' Connor opened the ceremony, welcoming Chris and Jessica Roberts and their two young children, Konner and Paige, to “the humble hamlet of Tichborne” as the newest Habitat for Humanity partner family.

Ron Ruttan, CEO of Habitat for Humanity/Greater Kingston and the Frontenacs, spoke about the home, which is the 13th to date built by the organization and the first in Central Frontenac. This was Ruttan's first home dedication ceremony since taking his post as CEO in 2013.

Ruttan thanked all the volunteers, local businesses and corporate partners who contributed building materials, labour, and financial donations, and the RBC, the organization’s leading and ongoing sponsors. He spoke of the outpouring of local community support for the build, and of the three fundraisers that took place last year. He thanked Mike McKenzie of Seed to Sausage for his event; the Dominion Lending Centers and Royal Lepage Pro-Alliance Realty for their Colonade golf tournament; and The Way Home Walk/Run sponsored by KAREA and Corus Entertainment of Kingston. He also thanked Habitat Kingston’s partners, Correctional Services Canada, specifically the Pittsburgh Institution where volunteer inmates constructed the home, and the Frontenac Institution whose volunteer inmates installed and completed the home on site.

Photo: Jessica Roberts and her two children, Konnor and Paige, are surrounded by four beautifully crafted quilts presented to the family by the Heritage Quilters Guild of Napanee.

The ceremony included many presentations to the Roberts family. Beth Giberson, chair of Habitat's family partnering committee, offered up a history of the Roberts family and why they made a great choice for the new home. She presented them with a bouquet of flowers. Debbie Gills of the family selection committee presented the family with a loaf of bread representing good health and prosperity. Tim Jamieson, chair of the board of directors, presented the Roberts with a bottle of wine, and Rod Stokes, who designed the home, presented Chris Roberts with the keys.

Following the presentation Chris and Jessica, with the help of the children, cut the ribbon and invited guests to tour the new 1000 square foot three-bedroom home. Guests were also invited to enjoy refreshments that Jessica and her mother had prepared. Most excited were Paige and Konner, whose enthusiasm made the ceremony very memorable.

Chris, who has completed 400 of the 500 required hours of manual labour on the home, said he can't wait to move in at the end of the month. “We are so happy and so grateful to have been chosen,” he said. The Roberts applied for the home in May of 2013 and received their letter of acceptance on November 22, 2013. Chris said that for his remaining 100 hours he will be building the outside decks and doing the landscaping around the house.

In another special presentation, the Heritage Quilters Guild of Napanee made a gift of four quilts to the family. Son Konnor claimed the one with hockey players for his own, and quickly stashed it away in his room!