THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 2, 1994 TAG: 9407020649
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIMMY GNASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
More than two dozen kids swarm the dilapidated house in inner-city Park Place.
Inside, they pound the walls. They cover them with paint.
The teenagers are working hard. They are working on a dream - someone else's dream.
Their mission is to restore 122 W. 30th St. as much as possible so a family can move in and call it home.
The kids make up a youth group from First Congregational Church in Fairport, N.Y. The church is working with Habitat for Humanity, a national organization that provides low-cost housing through construction or renovation.
``They're basically missionaries. They help others that aren't as fortunate as themselves,'' says church adviser Bernie Notar, standing on the porch of the Park Place house being renovated. He glances at the teenagers working inside.
They are wearing workboots. Their clothes are splattered with paint.
``It's a real-life experience for them,'' says Notar.
The house on West 30th Street is one of five Habitat projects under construction in Hampton Roads. Various area sponsors align with Habitat for Humanity to pay the construction costs or donate material and labor.
The Norfolk Academy of Medicine is backing the West 30th Street project.
One week a year, the First Congregational Church youth group sets out on a mission to restore rundown housing.
The church raises funds year-round to pay for the trips. This year the youth group picked Norfolk.
``You realize how much people need your help,'' says 16-year-old Stacey Notar, daughter of adviser Bernie Notar. ``You take for granted certain things, things as simple as paint on the wall. People who need these things could use the help.''
Stacey is among 28 kids and 12 adults from Fairport.
Another church group - 15 people from St. Paul's United Church of Christ in York, Pa. - is helping build a house elsewhere in the city.
For some of the kids, seeing different places is an eye-opening experience.
Bernie Notar places value on the fact that the teenagers visit communities outside Fairport, a largely middle-class town.
``I think many people in our community have a lot, and that we should give something back,'' says 16 year-old Kaija Dinse.
The trip also is a chance to bring the kids together. Heather Barmore, 16, takes a break from the banging and pounding to discuss the importance of the project to her.
``It's a great opportunity,'' says Barmore. ``We come as a group and got really close and work a lot together. We're providing a future for other people. I think it's a really big achievement.''
The beneficiary of the hard work is the Elliott family, who live in nearby Colonial Place.
The criteria for choosing a family include income, credit and work history. The family also must contribute 400 hours to Habitat projects.
``It's overwhelming,'' said Raymond Elliott, who will move into the home with his wife, Inez, and eight children. ``It's surprising so many people are putting in the time to make the house look good.''
Elliott, 44, is the groundskeeping supervisor at Old Dominion University.
``I'm happy because we're going to soon have our own room,'' says 11-year-old Melvin Elliott. ``We're going to have a clubhouse in the back yard. So far, the house looks neat.''
The boy says his father will paint his bedroom the color of the sky. MEMO: Staff writer Larry Brown contributed to this story.
ILLUSTRATION: MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff photos
ABOVE: Habitat for Humanity volunteers Bernie Notar, left, and Jim
Dudley work on a house on West 30th Street in Norfolk. They belong
to the First Congregational Church in Fairport, N.Y.
LEFT: From left, Naomi Elliott, volunteer Dave Cedar, Melvin
Elliott, Rayshawn Elliott, Inez Elliott and Ebony Elliott. The
Elliotts will live in the house renovated by Habitat for Humanity.
KEYWORDS: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY by CNB