WS Chronicle

Photo by Donna Rogers Habitat International CEO Jonathan Reckford speaks at the dedication service for Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County’s dedication of its new campus on Oct. 20.

Chronicle Staff Report

Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County dedicated its new campus, with Habitat International CEO Jonathan Reckford participating, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 1023 W. 14th St., Winston-Salem (near the corner of 14th St. and University Parkway).

Habitat moved its offices and warehouse to the location to be among the communities it serves. Since 1985, Habitat has built, renovated or repaired 140 houses in the Boston-Thurmond neighborhood in which the campus is located.

There was a ribbon-cutting for the new offices and expanded classroom space (the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust Housing Education Center). Within the construction warehouse, there is a new training tool for Habitat homeowners and others in the communities in which Habitat works – a cutaway house with modules on wheels that can be used to train homeowners on maintenance and simple repairs such as repairing leaky faucets and unclogging toilets.

Also, Habitat Forsyth celebrated the beginning of construction of the Jimmy Johnson Volunteer Service Lodge, which will be built on a site next to the offices and warehouse. The 4,000-square-foot lodge will house up to 40 volunteers at a time in bunk-style sleeping quarters, a common living area and a kitchen. It is being built primarily for the teams of college students who travel each year to Winston-Salem to work on Habitat homes.

Habitat Forsyth, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, has helped close to 400 families in Forsyth County attain the dream of having safe, quality, affordable housing.