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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... El Nino's effects remain uncertain for Southern Oregon ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... El Nino's effects remain uncertain for Southern Oregon ... HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family 40 volunteers attend wall-raising ceremony for Habitat home By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 17, 2015 @ 2:41 pm Updated at 2:43 PM By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 17, 2015 @ 2:41 pm Updated at 2:43 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Surrounded by volunteers and standing where her living room will be, the right words escaped Elena Williams. "It's beautiful. I'm at a loss for words to see the community come together," Williams said, holding back tears after a Habitat for Humanity wall-raising ceremony Saturday. Williams had seen the blueprints of her handicapped-accessible four-bedroom, 2½-bathroom home on Connell Avenue in north Medford, but it was a different sensation to stand on the concrete foundation and see the layout and three dimensions. Williams will share the home with her husband, Shawn, and her children, Aniya, age 9, Amari, age 3 and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and son, Julian, age 1. "Just to see the walls up is awesome," Williams said. "To walk through it is to feel ... " she paused to gather her thoughts. "It's our home. It's ours." Williams' mother-in-law, Ongie, helped the family and volunteers raise an interior wall Saturday. "It's so awesome to see something that you dream about and you wish for your kids — and the community's helping," Ongie Williams said. "They say God does hear your prayers." About two weeks after Habitat volunteers began building wall frames, the wall-raising ceremony is a celebration of the volunteers, the work done and the work yet to be completed on the home. "It can show so much impact to our volunteers," said Denise James, Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity executive director. "It's really wonderful to see so many people here today," said Robert Boggs, board secretary for the organization. He estimated more than 40 volunteers were in attendance. Groups representing Lowe's, Veterans Affairs and 11 area churches attended the wall-raising ceremony Saturday. The Williams home is one of several homes the organization has built this year. "We average five to six houses a year," Boggs said. "Our goal for 2016 is to build eight." Habitat homes are intended to be affordable, owner-occupied housing. The owners receive a no-interest loan and invest hundreds of hours of "sweat equity" in working on their homes or other Habitat homes. Thanks to donations and the volunteer work, the homes are built for about $60,000, James said. Soon-to-be neighbor Christina Smith, who lives four houses from the Williams' home site, was among those celebrating the wall-raising. "I'm so excited for them," Smith said. "I already love them." Smith said she's lived in the neighborhood for 47 years, and is a neighborhood block captain. For several years she'd kept a concerned eye on the property that once held a garage. "It's been vacant for so, so many years," Smith said. "We've been waiting to see what's going to to happen to that little lot." In the span of an hour, the shape of the home had begun to take place. "Mama, they're doing this fast," Nijai Erikson told his mother, Tasha Erikson, who is Elena Williams' sister. She was there with her husband, Jason, and son, Nijai, to support the family. "She deserves it. She always helps everybody," Tasha Erikson said of her sister. James said she anticipated that the home would be completed by the spring. Habitat for Humanity welcomes groups interested in participating in home building work on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. For more information call volunteer coordinator Phanessa Rosenberg at 541-779-1983 or email [email protected]. Reach newsroom assistant Nick Morgan at 541-776-4477 or [email protected]. By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 17, 2015 @ 2:41 pm Updated at 2:43 PM » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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