Volunteers, family and friends gathered Friday afternoon to see Ken Garringer and Christi and Chris Tandberg, with their three kids, take the keys to their new homes, celebrating their move-ins after more than two years of work with Habitat for Humanity.
Before Christi could get a chance to say what her kids — David, 3, Olivia, 5, and Michael, 6 — thought of having a home of their own, they excitedly dragged her away to check things out.
The kids picked out their rooms, and the two older ones had a chance to paint theirs.
The family’s grateful for all the volunteer hours that went into to the home, and Chris said they don’t have any big plans for the place yet.
Chris, who drives for a furniture company, said it’s all a little overwhelming.
“I’m more kind of dreading and excited to move in,” he said. “Get, finally, settled.”
The two houses are the 34th and 35th Habitat for Humanity homes in the area. Evergreen Habitat for Humanity helps connect low-income residents with homes sold at no profit, with zero-percent interest rate mortgages, after would-be homeowners put in the work to help build them.
Students enrolled in the Geometry in Construction programs at Mountain View and Evergreen high schools collaborated in building the two homes. The class allowed them earn math credit while offering hands-on building experience.
Heather Cochrun, the community outreach coordinator for Evergreen Habitat for Humanity, said the students built the homes at school. Later, the homes were trucked to their plots on Winchell Avenue off Mill Plain Boulevard for additional work.
Bill Culver, the teacher at Evergreen’s class, said the students typically do as much as they can within the school year, then hand it off to Habitat.
In the meantime, partner families worked on other homes or came out on the weekends, Cochrun said.
Garringer and the Tandberg family “are just the sweetest, most generous people, so we’re really excited,” she said.
Garringer has a degenerative eye disease. He’ll be permanently blind in a few years, and it already cost him a job. Since he can’t really work on a construction site, Habitat worked out a separate sweat-equity plan where he works at the organization office and the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
“This is going to change my whole life,” he said.
Since he’s on disability, the payment plan Habitat set up will take a substantially smaller portion of his income than otherwise.
“In the past, I always kinda worried I’d end up on the streets eventually, not being able to see,” he said. “It’s a lifesaver.”
Garringer is also an artist, and he plans to use his second bedroom to create his metal-work mixed-media projects. He said he plans to display some painted, plywood and metal panels along the chain-link fence in his back yard.
The WSU Extension Master Gardeners program also plans to come in and plant a vegetable garden for him.
“I couldn’t ask for things to work better,” he said. “Plus, what’s been really nice, beyond just getting the house, is that I’ve met so many people — all the people involved are just loving, compassionate people.
“It kind of gives you a lot of faith in the world. Hope.”
