Volunteers renovate foreclosed DuPage house for future owners

A foreclosed Glendale Heights house received a makeover on Saturday that was the first step toward turning it over to a working family.

More than 100 volunteers, including a group of bankers from all over the country, braved cold and damp morning weather to fix up the house at 20 W. Drummond Ave., which is owned by DuPage Habitat for Humanity.

Workers replaced old drywall, installed siding, painted and performed a variety of other tasks to start to get the house ready for new owners.

"It feels great to work on these projects," said Ron Anderson, a retiree from Glen Ellyn who has volunteered for DuPage Habitat for Humanity for about 10 years. "I worked in sales management, where I stared at numbers all day long. With this, I can actually see something tangible that's been accomplished. I sometimes bring my grandkids out to see what we've built."

And nothing beats the feeling of seeing a family take over a Habitat house, he said.

"It brings tears to your eyes," Anderson said. "That's the real benefit."

The bulk of Saturday's volunteers were bankers who were in town for an American Bankers Association convention in downtown Chicago.

Each year, the Washington D.C.-based association spends one day of the convention doing volunteer work in the host community, said Laura Friel, chief operating officer of the ABA Housing Partners Foundation, the group's philanthropic arm.

Friel said the foundation's decision to focus on housing issues was a deliberate one.

"Unfortunately, banks often have to play a role in difficult housing situations," she said. "Here, we get to play a role in bringing families into homes."

The Glendale Heights home is one of 18 that DuPage Habitat for Humanity plans to build or rehab in the next three years, said Executive Director Sarah Brachle. Qualifying families buy the homes from DuPage Habitat, paying a mortgage based on the family's earnings. Families also must provide at least 250 hours of "sweat equity" - work at other Habitat sites.

The family that will eventually buy the Glendale Heights house has not yet been selected, Brachle said.

Sue Pedersen-Wilson, who worked on the Glendale Heights house Saturday and will move next month into an Addison home she's buying from DuPage Habitat, said it's hard to describe what the program means to the families who benefit.

"I thought my dream died when we lost our old home, but Habitat for Humanity gave my dream back to me," she said.