PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
STELLA AND RILEY’S PLAYHOUSE … The Archbold Rotary Club sponsored the building of the playhouse and the Archbold FFA program actually built it following the plan provided by the Fulton County Habitat for Humanity. Pictured from left: Archbold Rotarian Bob Aschliman, Chris Black holding daughter Riley, FFA students Blake Vandenberghe, Jessa Mohring, Michael Funnell and Kennedy Burrowes, FFA instructor Ryan Sell, FFA student Nicole Stevenson inside the playhouse with Stella Black, FFA students Makenna Bickel, Bella Miller, Emma Evans, Brooklyn Morrow, Carys Jacobs, Logan Ruffer, Habitat construction manager Erich Christman, FFA student Liza Rufenacht, Rotary president Matt Mello and Habitat board vice president Kayla Davis.
The Archbold Rotary Club and Archbold High School FFA program teamed up with the Fulton County Habitat for Humanity organization to sponsor and build a children’s playhouse for a Fulton County family recently.
During a presentation last fall to the Rotary Club by Heidi Kern, executive director of Habitat for Humanity, she explained that in addition to building houses for families the group also offers a fundraiser to build children’s playhouses for deserving families that service groups, churches and others can sponsor.
Habitat for Humanity provides the plans and the sponsoring group follows the plan, builds the playhouse with Habitat supporting and promoting the effort.
Consequently, Archbold Rotarian Bob Aschliman and the club decided to become a sponsor and the Archbold FFA program agreed to build the house as an end-of-the-school-year project.
In this case, the students asked if the playhouse could be built for Chris Black and his daughters Stella and Riley and if they could add some design elements specifically for the girls. The final product was presented to them on May 20 in the FFA shop.
Prior to the unveiling, Kayla Davis, vice president of the Fulton County Habitat for Humanity, told Rotarians that the local chapter has promoted the playhouse project as a fundraiser for the last five years.
For $2,500, an organization can sponsor a playhouse for a deserving family. She said the group now plans about 12 playhouse constructions a year.
Erich Christman serves as Fulton County Habitat’s construction manager. He delivers all of the materials that are needed to build and paint a Habitat playhouse, along with the plan for each construction.
Many of the Rotarians who attended the meeting also attended the unveiling in the Archbold High School FFA shop.