OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 31, 2012 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason joined ORNL volunteers to welcome Carly Gilbert to her new home Thursday.
"I'm very excited," Gilbert said. "And I'm really grateful that everyone was willing to put so much time into building it."
Team UT-Battelle, the community service organization at the Department of Energy lab, constructed the 1,000-square-foot, ENERGY STAR Certified home to help mark the 25th anniversary of Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties.
"The house build was a great way for us to show ADFAC our support of its mission," Mason said.
ADFAC, an independent non-profit agency, exists to serve the basic needs of primarily low-income residents in Anderson and surrounding Appalachian counties. ADFAC's goal is to help families become stable and self-sufficient through a variety of direct assistance services provided by its Social Services and Affordable Housing programs. Every year, this agency answers more than 6,000 requests for assistance.
Work on Gilbert's home began in May, and 78 ORNL volunteers spent more than 950 hours over five Saturdays at the Robertsville Road site, constructing the framing, floors and walls.
Volunteers finished landscaping Aug. 18.
"It has been a pleasure to work with everybody at UT-Battelle," said Cindy Ross, director of the ADFAC Affordable Housing Program. "Their volunteer work has saved us $50,000 and enabled us to construct a home for Carly at a reduced cost."
Team UT-Battelle also raised money to furnish a nursery for Gilbert, an expectant mother and a teacher for Early Head Start, complete with a crib, changing table, dresser and a glider rocker.
Gilbert's house is one of the six that ADFAC plans to build in 2012. ADFAC's yearly building projects depend on businesses and individuals from the community who offer both time and money to help those in need.
UT-Battelle also contributed $10,000 toward ADFAC's anniversary earlier this year. The agency's 25th Anniversary celebration is scheduled Oct. 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge.
Other funding for Gilbert's house was provided by a grant through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; the land was provided by the city of Oak Ridge. Construction support was provided by Chris Lane Construction.
ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for DOE's Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit http://energy.gov/science. —Jennifer Brouner