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Goal set to move in by Christmas

To say the least, life hasn’t been that easy for Franklin County resident Citronella Kelso, who has been raising her grandchildren since daughter Latisha Banks passed away five years ago.

However, the family received a major boost on Friday when ground was broken for their new Habitat for Humanity home at 226 Acklen St. in Decherd.

A special ceremony was held to begin construction on a single-family residential dwelling that is expected to be finished in December so the family can move in to celebrate Christmas.

Highland Rim Habitat for Humanity has partnered with Nissan North America to build one home annually with each going to a qualifying family based on need.

Habitat and Nissan volunteers build each home, and the recipients pay for them through the program which offers reduced mortgage rates and an opportunity to own and live in a home they would not otherwise be able to afford.

In the Kelso family’s case, their house couldn’t have come at a better time after a several-year delay.

Citronella explained that she has been disabled and living on disability funds to support the family, which has been living in a Franklin County apartment complex.

“I’m grateful for the help that Habitat and Nissan have given and that they are able to do this for us,” she said. “This means everything to us. It’s a gift from God.”

Granddaughter Gabrianna Robey echoed her grandmother’s assessment.

“It’s the first home we can call our own and always come back to,” she said, summing up the family-oriented impact the home will have on their lives.”

Grandson Kyan Kelso echoed his sister’s statements.

“It will be a stable place to live,” he said, then referring to the planned Christmastime completion date. “It’ll be great to have it done by then.”

Gabrianna described it as “a true Christmas miracle.”

Grandson Keenon Armstrong echoed his siblings’ comments.

“This has been a long time coming,” he said. “We needed a place to call home. I guess you could say it means everything to me.”

Terrie Quick, Highland Rim board president, said that Citronella had submitted her application to Highland Rim shortly after her daughter had died from cancer five years ago.

She said Citronella had inherited property in Franklin County with plans to use it for the project if the go-ahead were received from Highland Rim.

However, the property and conditions didn’t meet the program criteria which prompted looking for other avenues to get the Kelso family a home, she added.

“We kept praying, and Citronella kept praying and making many phone calls,” Quick said. “Just a few weeks ago, God came through with an entirely different location option. Needless to say, we got busy as fast as we could on helping make this grandmother’s dream come true with years of prayers being answered.”

Michael Hill, the project’s construction manager, said he’s been actively involved in Habitat housing projects for the past eight years, and each instance proves to offer its individual rewards for being able to give back to others.

“It’s touched so many lives,” he said, referring to the families who have had their lives changed for the better through a Habitat house and the program. “The beauty of this is it brings us all together as a family.”

Quick said a unique amenity to the housing site is that it’s close to the Decherd Nissan plant, making this year’s Habitat presentation all the more meaningful.

“We are so excited to be basically building in Nissan’s backyard this year,” she said. “This annual project with Nissan has become something we cherish.

“We love watching how this wonderful mission manifests in just a few weeks, touching the hearts of so many people who participate. It really is an opportunity to watch a miracle unfold right before our eyes.”

Quick said plans are to build a simple three-bedroom, two-bath house with a long ramp that will allow Citronella to more easily access and exit the home

In addition to Nissan, Knights of Columbus, Coca-Cola Bottling Works of Tullahoma and Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital have all expressed interest in volunteering with the project, Quick said.