West Tuality Habitat Volunteers work in the community

CORNELIUS, OR (February 9th, 2021) --- While they wait to break ground on their next project, volunteers from West Tuality Habitat for Humanity’s construction team have donated their time and skills to help install some very special tiles in the community room of the new Cornelius Public Library. These tiles were purchased and personalized by local community members to help fund the new library space. Each tile has a photo or quote chosen by the local donors who purchased them. Some have poems, others include cherished photos of family members and loved ones who have passed on. The tiles are being installed as a backsplash around the community room to beautify this important public space for years to come.

Volunteer Stan Shope prepares the wall for tile installation in the Cornelius Public Library.

During the pandemic the Cornelius library, along with the other libraries in Washington County, have continued to offer pick-up services to the community. Soon they will be offering appointments for people who prefer to browse through the aisles to find their next read. 

Karen Hill, Cornelius Library Director reached out to our organization because she was familiar with the Forest Grove Habitat ReStore. The supplies for the installation were donated by West Tuality Habitat and the volunteers have prepared and installed the tiles onto the walls. The project had been delayed for months due to the pandemic but the volunteers were able to come in and help.

Another project the team has been working on in recent weeks is at the Family Promise Day Shelter. The space is currently zoned for day use only. In order to better serve the community the shelter wants to be able to offer overnight access to three families at a time who are dealing with various levels of homelessness. There were multiple code issues that prevented a change in status with the city. The volunteer team is performing many necessary  tasks to bring the house up to code.

Volunteers from the West Tuality Habitat construction team repair a window to bring this space up to code for the Family Promise Shelter.

Members of the construction crew are in between projects building affordable homes for West Tuality Habitat, and will be breaking ground for the next three homes in the coming weeks. In the meantime they are happy to be working with our community to create safe, welcoming spaces. After all, a decent place to call home, in a community and in a home, is what West Tuality Habitat for Humanity is all about.