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Wheeling’s Vineyard Church Donations Fund Wheeling Island Habitat for Humanity Project

Donations to the collection plates at the Vineyard Church in Wheeling over the holiday season — as well as contributions submitted online — are helping to fund a new Habitat for Humanity home on Wheeling Island.

The church has given the local Habitat organization a check for $16,000 to help pay for the construction of a house in the 500 block of South Broadway Street. Habitat seeks to keep down the cost of building an affordable home for a qualifying property owner to about $60,000 to $80,000, according to Habitat board of directors member Robert DeFrancis.

“It’s a really spectacular thing for the church to do,” he said. “For them to name a charity to do that, it’s a wonderful thing.”

And it wasn’t the first year that Vineyard Church has designated holiday donations to a charity, as past seasons have seen nonprofit groups such as the Free Wheelchair Mission as beneficiaries.

The Rev. Myron Jellison said the church designates a charity each year, and opens its online giving portal up for donations four weeks before Christmas. Collections during the four Christmas Eve services at the church also go into the fund.

Jellison said the Habitat group seemed to be a good charity to fund as contributors could actually see the dollars they give being used as a structure is built. He reached out to a member of the congregation, local real estate agent Bob Kennen, who also is a board member for Habitat.

“We thought it was really important for people who are giving to a project to see it come to life,” Jellison said. “If a person can’t go to Vietnam and see what (impact) the money they give is having, it doesn’t resonate as much with them. We thought this was a way to show the love of Christ, and take pride in doing something good for the community.”

Contributions from the church aren’t just limited to money, according to Jellison. As many as 30-40 church members are expected to donate their time and skills to help complete the framing of the home.

DeFrancis said the family who ultimately purchases the home will be responsible for paying a mortgage on the property.

“There is a process of making sure we are charging the family the correct amount of money,” he said. “They buy the home, and are homeowners. … We do get a lot of donations, and the homes are built with volunteer help. But there are some things to do that require expertise work. People make donations, and some things are provided to us at cost.”

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