The generosity of two Bowling Green 6-year-olds has opened a door for a family.Earlier this
summer, Addie Naus and Chezney Taube set up a lemonade stand to help raise money for the Habitat for
Humanity of Wood County team.Both Addie and Chezney have witnessed their parents attend local Habitat
builds, heard the experiences of neighbors, and decided that it was their turn to give back."Jessica
Taube, Chezney’s mom, and I both went to the same school and volunteered for the same Habitat projects back
in college," said Amanda Naus, Addie’s mother. "I wanted Addie to understand the value of giving
back."The girls put together a lemonade stand and gave their $30 profit to the local Habitat affiliate
to use on their next build."The girls knew that giving back was the right thing to do and were happy
they could help," Naus said.Their donation, received in July, was used to purchase a door set for the
build.On Friday, Habitat will present the door set to Addie and Chezney, who will decorate it with
handwritten notes. The door set will later be presented to the Wittenmeyer family, who has been selected for
the next new home construction scheduled to break ground in April in Bradner."We are extremely grateful
for the generosity expressed by these two girls," said Jennifer Kephart, executive director of Habitat
for Humanity of Wood County. "Every little bit helps, and we are inspired to see that even the youngest
among us is giving back to the community."The local branch of Habitat has received many donations from
the community. Over the 2012-13 fundraising season, Habitat received a $5,000 donation from an anonymous
donor, donations from individual donors, and matching gift funds from the KeyBank Foundation.Also, funds
from the "Cars for Homes" program led to a donation of over $1,000 to the Habitat Building Fund.
The Wood County affiliate also celebrated a successful fundraiser with "Cheers to Art," by
receiving individual and group donations totaling close to $4,000.Habitat for Humanity of Wood County has
also received material donations from BGSU and Wood County Hospital, as well as from individual donors. The
material donations allow Habitat the opportunity to host garage sale fundraisers, which also help generate
funds toward the next build.Other donations still needed for the Bradner build include building materials,
professional labor and volunteer support.Currently, Habitat’s Building Fund is at 60 percent of the
fundraising goal to begin the next project; $100,000 is the average cost to build a three bedroom, 1,100
square foot, Energy Star 3.0 home.To get involved with volunteer opportunities and/or donate, call
419-353-5430, contact Kephart at [email protected], visit the website www.wchabitat.org, or mail
to P.O. Box 235 Bowling Green, OH 43402.