Eatmons arrive at move in day

By GINA KINSLOW
Glasgow Daily Times

May 10, 2008 02:44 pm

— Mikayla Eatmon got a kick out of showing everyone her new bedroom.
The 9-year-old’s room is decorated with a horse theme.
“The curtains have like horses and horseshoes on them,” she said.
Mikayla’s family was recently awarded a Habitat for Humanity house, which was built in the city’s Grandview area. A dedication ceremony to commemorate the completion of the house took place Friday afternoon, after which the family gave everyone a tour.
“I’m going to be glad to get moved into it,” said Mikayla’s dad, Ernie. “We’re going to start (moving) this evening.”
The family joined a large group of volunteers in building the house. According to Ernie, he and his wife, Katie, plus Mikayla and her brothers, Michael, 12, and Gabriel, 15, spent quite a few hours working on it.
“Every weekend for almost a year,” Ernie said.
Katie found it difficult to describe how she felt.
“Gosh, it’s beyond words to be able to have your own home, where your kids get grown and move away and they can say they had their own home,” she said.
It was Katie who decided to complete the application for a Habitat for Humanity home.
“I had a lot of family several years ago to try and get me to sign up, and I never would do it,” she said. “Then all of a sudden out of the clear blue I just felt it upon my heart one day and I went and applied for it.”
She prayed that her family would be awarded a house through the organization.
“I told the good Lord that if it’s your will for us to get it, you will open the door. If it’s not, you’ll shut it and we’ll understand,” she said. “The Lord opened the door and now here we are.”
The family was given two siding colors from which to choose, plus the type of floor they wanted. They also got to choose their wall color.
Decorating the house, Katie said, has been a lot of fun.
The Eatmons’ home is the ninth Habitat for Humanity house to be built in Glasgow.
Families must meet certain criteria in order to qualify.
“Basically, there needs to be a need for housing. It is not a give away program, so there has to be an ability to pay, and also they have to have a willingness to partner, which means these families will put in the 325 hours of sweat equity into the house and help build their house and other people’s houses,” said Mark York, a member Habitat for Humanity of Glasgow-Barren County’s board of directors.
Several people who were awarded homes in the past helped the Eatmons build theirs.
“We’re very proud of that,” York said.
Also, volunteers from Glasgow Baptist Church helped.
“We were really appreciative for what they did,” said Billy Elmore, a member of the Habitat board of directors.
Habitat for Humanity homes are sold at cost, and are financed over a 20-year period with no interest. Statewide the organization has built 1,600 plus homes for over 600 adults and children.
Habitat for Humanity of Glasgow-Barren County has partnered with Lowe’s to build its 10th home.
“We do not know the location yet, but we should be able to announce that very soon,” York said.

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