With a few Christmas ornaments twinkling in front of them, Door County Habitat for Humanity welcomed the Marvin family home in a dedication ceremony held in Baileys Harbor Tuesday afternoon. The dedication marked the 43rd home built by Door County Habitat for Humanity, a feat construction supervisor Chuck Stone called their most challenging build yet. COVID-19 halted construction by two months and delayed outside contractors from coming in as they worked on their own backlog. Keeping the project close to budget was also a hard task as costs for some materials went up. Despite this, new volunteers were able to help the organization’s reliable workforce get the home ready enough that the Marvins may be able to move in sometime next week.  Door County Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Lori Allen told the crowd of volunteers and community members she was not about to let the pandemic get in the way of the Marvin family becoming homeowners.

The moment was not lost on 16-year-old Emiliano Marvin. He told the story of how his dad Doug described the Habitat for Humanity partner family process and the disappointment of not being chosen that he was preparing for.  Instead, the Marvins were chosen and logged hundreds of sweat equity hours to make the home a reality. He is happy that at least for now there is no moving from place to place and is appreciative for everything the community did for them.

The dedication ceremony also included the presentation of a bookshelf from Altrusa Door County, a tool kit from Door County Habitat for Humanity, a bible from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, and a full pantry and freezer thanks to the generosity of students at St. Peter Lutheran School and local businesses. You can watch the full ceremony below.