Kay Procter is so excited about the new home she is purchasing through Habitat for Humanity that she started packing five months ago.
The 1950s-era home is being rehabbed for Procter and her 23-year-old son Ryan, who has been severely disabled since infancy. Blind and brain-atrophied, he is cared for by his mother.
Procter didn't expect much when she put her application in with Habitat. But within two weeks, she had received a positive response.
"It was such a mind-blowing thing," Procter said.
Her moving-in date is still a few weeks off, but students from Jefferson City's Nichols Career Center moved the dream just a bit closer to reality this week when they took advantage of this week's mild weather to construct a wheelchair-accessible ramp.
"We started with the floor joists," explained 18-year-old Colton Henley. "And then we screwed down the floor boards. I like getting my hands dirty. It's pretty fun."
In a partnership with River City Habitat for Humanity, the Nichols students have been rehabbing the home since last fall. Now in its fifth year, the partnership is a chance for teenagers to learn new job skills and for low-income families to attain financial security.
Starting last fall, the students began to gut the building back to the stud walls. Since about Christmas they've been working to build the structure anew. The home and the surrounding land, which has space for two more homes, was donated by Scholastic.
Kelly Smith, executive director for River City Habitat for Humanity, said the Procters are the kind of family her organization seeks to help.
"They have so many needs," Smith explained.
A nurse for 30 years, Procter struggles to lift and bathe her adult son, because their current home lacks an accessible tub. In fact, the one they use now is in a garage - a chilly experience in winter.
Not only will the home have a proper tub, an accessible ramp, and no carpet, workers have expanded the doorways. The house has an open floor plan to allow Kay to more-easily check on her children.
Procter said life with Ryan has been marked by struggle. "I turned everything over to God, because that's all I could do," she said.
Although she will still have a house payment, it will be much smaller because of Habitat's help.
"It's going to save me money," Procter said. "And we'll be able to afford more of the things we need. It hasn't really hit me ... this is my house! It's going to be the elimination of a lot of struggle for us."
The first thing she plans to do is get a pet.
"Before I buy groceries, I'm going to get a dog," she said, noting that a therapy dog once helped Ryan.
She's hopeful her son will meet the Nichols team next week. She said just because her son can't see or talk, doesn't mean he can't feel things or have an impact on others.
"I want them to know who they are building it for," she said. "Ryan touches a lot of people."
Justin Wilburn, 18, is glad to be helping out the Procters, but he's also happy with the on-the-job training. He helped hang a significant portion of the drywall in two of the bedrooms, and the accessible bathroom.
"It feels really good to get experience building and framing," Wilburn said.
Mike Schaefer, who teaches Building Trades II at Nichols, said new construction is easier to teach, but remodeling stretches their problem-solving skills.
Schaefer was "the pioneer" behind the partnership between Nichols Career Center and Habitat for Humanity, Smith said.
Schaefer said he enjoys the close rapport he has with his students - all of which are graduating, he noted.
"You can see the growth from the start of the year to now," Schaefer said. "You get attached. It's a bittersweet time of year."
Craig Strope, a heating-and-cooling instructor at Nichols, showed his students how to convert the building from boiler heat to a forced-air system.
"The students do all the work. All I do is supervise," Strope said. "It's better for them to learn hands-on. I can only teach them so much in the classroom."
He also said the large-scale building project serves as a great way for the Building Trades II students to mentor younger peers.
About half of his students enter the workforce upon graduating; the other half tend to go to Linn State Technical College.
"These kids are getting a huge opportunity," Strope said, adding that currently there's a demand for skilled heating and air-conditioning installers.
The project was started nine months ago with the idea it would be finished by the end of the school. Despite a lot of work to accomplish in the next two weeks, Strope said that's still the plan.
"It has to be!" he said. "We have no choice."