Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity (RCHFH) is excited to celebrate their 25th Anniversary Year of building safe and affordable houses for low-income families in Rutherford County. The milestone will commence with the completion of RCHFH's 125th Habitat home, now being built in Murfreesboro, which will be dedicated April 22nd.

The official 25th Anniversary of RCHFH commemorates the construction of the first Habitat home in Rutherford County, which began in 1990 and was dedicated to the first RCHFH Partner family, Dorothy Owens, on May 19, 1991. The home on Hancock Street was the first of many in the South Maney area of Murfreesboro. RCHFH plans to build 16 new homes in Rutherford County in 2015-16, including homes in Murfreesboro, LaVergne and Smyrna.

RCHFH's 125th home, the "ADA House Build", is currently being built on Lynch Avenue in Murfreesboro for Justin Jordan, a young father who sustained devastating and life-changing injuries in a motorcycle accident in 2009 that left him as an Incomplete Quadriplegic. The "ADA House Build" includes accessible design features so Justin and his 6-year-old daughter can live comfortably, including: wider doorways and hallways to accommodate a wheelchair, zero step entrances, lower door thresholds, zero-entry shower area and accessible showerhead, grab bars and bathing resting areas, recessed area under the sink for wheelchair access, custom height switches and outlets, front controls on appliances, covered back entrance, and additional concrete walkways. As a special surprise for Justin, Rev-A-Shelf, a leading manufacturer of storage and organizational products, is donating their unique Kitchen Cabinet PullDown Shelving System, as well as a Pull-Down Closet Rod, to improve accessibility for Justin.

Justin has completed his 30 weeks of Financial and Homeowner Education in order to qualify as a Habitat Partner Family and is completing his 300 hours of "sweat equity" by working at the Habitat ReStore as well as on the build site. His father, a professional home remodeler, is also helping with the build. Having grown up in the remodeling business and having experience in Industrial Electrical Maintenance, Justin is a great asset on the build site, maneuvering the construction site in his wheelchair, carrying materials and tools to the crew, and recording measurements. He is an inspiration to all!

As with all RCHFH house builds, we count on 180 - 200 volunteers to help with the build and many companies take advantage of the opportunity to offer a unique employee engagement and bonding experience as well as valuable community service. Volunteers also benefit in learning construction and tool skills that can be applied to their own home maintenance.

Funding for the ADA House Build includes: Sims Recycling Solutions, Hammer Down for Habitat, Tennessee Housing Development Agency's Housing Trust Fund (HTF) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati (FHLBank).

Justin's "ADA House Build" will be completed in early April with the House Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony slated for April 22nd. The public is welcome to attend and refreshments will be served.