Burnham Home Dedication
July 10, 2021
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The Full Story
Elizabeth City Habitat for Humanity formally dedicated and presented the keys to its latest house at 913 5th St. to Mirracle Burnham on July 10.
Burnham qualified to purchase the house and worked over 300 hours on its construction. She and her two daughters, Rosae and Roshira Chamblee, will be moving in over the next few days. In addition to the hours spent on the construction, she also completed homebuyer education classes with River City Community Development Corporation.
Construction of the house began in mid-July 2020 and was completed in June 2021. Forty-five volunteers, including members of the Elizabeth City Police and Fire Departments, worked on the construction. In addition to Ms. Burnham’s hours, these volunteers gave 1178.5 hours of their time to bring this project to completion.
“This project would not have been possible without the support of our very generous donors,” President Erica Ramjohn told those present at the dedication.
General Contractor Todd Winslow oversaw the project. B&M Contractors donated the new Mitsubishi Mini-split HVAC system, Mr. Roger’s Windows donated energy efficient windows, His and Hers Electric donated labor for the electrical work, Homefix Remodeling donated the roof, Short Man’s Landscaping landscaped and seeded the lot, and ABC Supply donated the siding.
“We received generous grants from Home Depot, the Albemarle Area Association of REALTORS and the NC Association of REATORS and Wells Fargo which helped defray the building costs,” said Vice-President Jane Elfring.
Other local businesses who donated to the project included McPherson Plumbing, GlenRoss Properties, AR Chesson Construction, Carpet Connection, Harden Pest Control, Atlantic Mobility and Steven Cardwell.
Several of Habitat’s corporate sponsors also provided items for the house. These companies include Whirlpool appliances, Valspar paints, Levolor Blinds, Larson doors, Schneider Electric, Yale Locks and DuPont.
Elfring also spoke about the many people in the area who helped the workers during the hot summer months last year. “There were many people who donated money to purchase water and ice to keep our workers hydrated during the hot weather.
“There were also many churches and local businesses who donated lunched for our volunteers and the Salvation Army allowed us to use their building nearby to cool off on those hot days. Nancy Anderson was our amazing lunch coordinator who made sure that the lunches were delivered on time. A special thanks to The Elizabeth City District of Women’s Home and Overseas Missionary Society who donated $500 in Chic-fil-a gift cards for meals as well.”
Board member Ann Thomas presented the bible and keys to Burnham during the ceremony. Thomas first met Burnham when she was a student at Youth Build working on her GED. Thomas said she was so excited to see her reach this milestone.
Ms. Burnham also received a blanket knitted for her by ladies from Holy Family Catholic Church.
Crifaci Family Home dedication
Dec. 6, 2021
Shannon Crifaci and her two children are now officially homeowners.
Crifaci, a Telephonics worker, closed on her family’s renovated new home in the 900 block of 5th Street a few weeks ago and Elizabeth City Habitat for Humanity held a ceremony this week to mark the occasion.
Habitat officials held a dedication ceremony on Monday for Crifaci and her two children, Nyah and Anthony Larrionne, at their new home. Habitat board member Fran Sutton presented Crifaci with a Bible — a tradition at Habitat home dedications — and the Rev. T.J. Long Jr., minister at First Christian Church, blessed the family’s new home.
“This house gives them a clean and safe place to live,” said Erica Ramjohn, president of the Elizabeth City Habitat chapter. “We are very pleased that we were able to work with this family to bring this project to fruition.”
At the time Crifaci applied for a Habitat home, she and her children were living in a mobile home off Firetower Road. During a home visit, Habitat members said they found evidence of mold throughout the home, a Habitat press release states. They later told Habitat board members it “was the worst house” they had ever visited.
After Habitat began working with Crifaci, she and her family decided they liked the house on 5th Street, which was next door to another Habitat house that was under construction. The house’s previous owner had died and her family had moved out.
Renovation work on the Crifaci family’s home began in early 2020 but was suspended when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Work didn’t resume until May 2020, Vice-President Jane Elfring said.
A total of 17 volunteers worked on the house, putting in 168 hours of work, Elfring said. Much of the work involved removing the existing flooring, cleaning and painting, she said.
One of Habitat’s requirements is that partner families provide “sweat equity” in either the construction or renovation of a Habitat house. Crifaci and her children put in about 300 hours of volunteer work between their work cleaning and helping paint their house and helping with the construction of a new Habitat house next door, Elfring said.
A number of local businesses also helped with the project. George and Company helped install a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system; B&M Contractors helped upgrade the electrical system; and Carpet Connection installed new flooring.
While work to the house was completed some time ago, a number of factors contributed to the delayed closing. Besides a large amount of loan paperwork that had to be completed, Crifaci lost her two jobs when the pandemic hit. She was later hired by Telephonics.
The Crifaci home is one of 10 current home mortgages on Habitat homes in Elizabeth City. One home mortgage was paid off last year, and a number of others have been paid off previously, Elfring said.
The Daily Advance, Dec. 9, 2021