Habitat for Humanity Celebrates Home Dedication in Van Wert
VAN WERT – Habitat for Humanity of Paulding-Van Wert held a dedication for their newest home in Van Wert on Sunday.
The house at 917 George Street is the new home of Cheyanna Wheeler and her son, Riot, 3.
“I never saw a community come together so much,” Wheeler told the crowd about the creation of her new home. “I never want to be anywhere else but Van Wert. It’s a wonderful community.”
Van Wert County Commissioner Thad Lichtensteiger welcomed Wheeler to Van Wert.
“Congratulations on the dedication of a new home,” he declared. “It looks beautiful.”
He added that his father used to say “many hands make light work.”
“It conveys what happened here,” he remarked. “Home ownership is a barometer of the community – that investment shows you are part of the community.”
Lichtensteiger also stated that only 1 percent of homeowners participate in building their home – that puts Wheeler in a unique group. He added that helping build her house means that Wheeler has “put her heart and soul” into her home.
“Congratulations for being part of the community,” he stressed. “We’re delighted to have you own a home in our city and county of Van Wert.”
As part of the home’s dedication, Pastor Michael Baer of First Missionary Church and several church members blessed the dwelling while Pastor Daniel Perry of North Union Church presented the benediction.
Several churches and church groups have helped Habitat with its builds. The goal of Habitat for Humanity is to provide decent housing for qualified families.
“This is not a free home,” pointed out Laurie Lucas, executive director of Habitat. “The gift from Habitat is a 0-percent loan.”
A homeowner’s mortgage is based on the cost of materials. In addition to house payments, each Habitat homeowner must pay for their own utilities, home maintenance, taxes and insurance.
Partner families must help with the builds, putting sweat equity hours into their homes.
Cheryl Stauffer, family support for Habitat for Humanity of Paulding-Van Wert, told those in attendance that homeowners put in 250 sweet equity hours homes.
“She was really motivated,” Stauffer said of Wheeler.
Construction manager Christopher Bercaw thanked everyone that helped work on the home.
“We had a lot of businesses and volunteers build this home,” he acknowledged, praising various individuals including head volunteer Brian DeLucenay. “A lot of this community came together to help us build this.”
Many groups of volunteers and donors helped make the home a reality including: Van Wert Knights of Columbus, Convoy Lions Club, Central Insurance, Vantage Career Center, First Missionary Church, Leis Roofing, Van Wert County Fair, David and Janice Lichensteiger, Help Builds Hope, Schlatter’s Heating & Plumbing, Menards, Alexander & Bedbout, Bedbout & Hous, Cool Machines, Chad Bonnett, Datemeyer Brothers, Echone Paint, Goedde School, Danny and Jill McCoy, Lee’s Ace Hardware and Wallace Plumbing.
Now that the Wheeler home is complete, Habitat is actively looking for other sites and families to partner with in the area.
“It’s always a special occasion when we finish a home because it means we can start a new one,” stated Lucas, adding that this build started in September 2025.
Also during the dedication, Habitat presented a special plaque to Andy McMahon for his years of service and dedication to Habitat for Humanity. McMahon has been a member of Habitat since 1992. He has helped on numerous builds throughout the years.
To learn more about the Habitat for Humanity of Paulding-Van Wert visit them on Facebook.
