A home for the holidays

(Photo by Russ Mitchell) Northwest Iowa Corridor Habitat for Humanity secretary Val Watters (left) assists new homeowner Amber Quail during a lighting of the candles ceremony Sunday afternoon in Spencer. The Quail family and building project participants were on hand for a dedication and thanksgiving service Sunday along Hillside Boulevard. [Order this photo]

Amber Quail has two families to be thankful for this holiday season.

One includes her daughter, Aubrey, who playfully scooted along the floor of her new home on a Sunday afternoon. It also includes Amber's father, Steve. He brings tears of gratitude to his daughter's eyes whenever she thinks of all the work that went into the house at 12 Hillside Boulevard.

Members of Amber Quail's second family were also on hand at the address Sunday afternoon for a dedication and thanksgiving service for the latest Habitat for Humanity home completed in Spencer.

Too many for Amber to hug, the members of her second family include the Thrivent Clay County Chapter and Northwest Iowa Corridor Habitat for Humanity. The groups fast-tracked construction to capture funding from Thrivent Builds, a charitable branch of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, which works with Habitat for Humanity.

"Through that process, we were awarded one of the 10 homes in Iowa to be built this year," said Tim Kehoe, president of Thrivent's Clay County Chapter.

The 10 homes were constructed in eight Iowa cities through Thrivent Builds. Spencer was the first northwest Iowa city to receive an award. The value of the Quail home is $72,000. Thrivent came up with 65 percent of the amount. The local Thrivent chapter provided a 10 percent match.

"The chapter raises their money through the local congregations, and individuals in the community," Kehoe said. "The balance, the 25 percent, comes from Habitat for Humanity themselves. It's kind of a mix where everybody is working together for one common cause."

Corridor Habitat President Jan Bowles said 2009 marked the first year the local chapter has been able to see two homes constructed for deserving families in the region. The groups held a groundbreaking on Father's Day.

As one of the conditions for receiving the home, the recipient, Habitat's family partner, had to meet guidelines for volunteer hours. Bowles noted the commitment of the Quail family as the house was being constructed.

"When Amber breaks into tears, I think we all get a little teary-eyed, too," Bowles said. "We can't hardly help ourselves, but they're tears of joy. This is a day full of joy and the reason she feels that way is, she worked on this house. She spent hours here. She worked 50 hours before they ever started the build."

The 138-day completion window will allow Amber Quail to take advantage of federal first-time homeowner incentives.

"Being a single parent, I could have a parent help, or a sibling, so I chose my dad," she said. "The times we were able to work were Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and worked along with the volunteers. It has been a long process, but worth every second of it. There were times I was an airhead, but Klaas Groen was a great contractor to work with -- same with Mike (Schmillen, the assistant project manager). And Dennis (Brechwald, the volunteer coordinator) did a phenomenal job."

Volunteer build teams came from at least nine area churches. Local restaurants and congregation members supplied meals for the workers. Businesses ranging from Denison Drywall of Spencer to the Whirlpool Corporation donated vital materials and furnishings to keep the project cost down.

The volunteer hours go into the thousands, according to Kehoe.

"Here we are, five months later and we are able to have a young family move into the home," he said.

The Quail home includes two bedrooms, with just over 1,000 square feet of living space. It does not have a garage or shed and the basement is not finished. Those extras are not included in the Habitat program.

"The family can add those later on," Kehoe said. "It's just to get them started."

The tears began to flow again when Amber Quail thinks about what that start means for her young daughter.

"To have the security of the home, to know that, as she grows up, she'll have a stable environment -- what does this house mean to me? Everything," she said.

"It's just what you want as a parent."