WEST PULLMAN — Chicago Bears rookie Hroniss Grasu wore a different type of helmet Friday then he's used to: a construction hard-hat.
Grasu wore the white helmet and a blue "Habitat for Humanity" t-shirt as part of a project to build 16 single-family homes in West Pullman.
“This is a great thing going on here and I’m just lucky and blessed to be here,” he said on Friday afternoon, outside an unfinished home on Union Avenue, between 119th and 120th.
Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity is coordinating a regional building effort called “Building On!” which ends November 7. Volunteers are helping "partner families" build homes. The goal is to have as many families as possible moved in before Thanksgiving, said Jennifer Parks, executive director of the Windy City Habitat for Humanity.
Grasu, a center who played at the University of Oregon, spent part of the morning at the ready, hammer and table saw in hand.
“My role is to try to help out as much as I can. I’m not always a big help, but I try to do what I am told to do,” he said.
“Seeing everyone put in the time and effort to building all these homes makes you feel so humbled, and I’m thankful for everything I have and just thankful for the people here who are helping out.”
The project features one- and two-story homes. Most have three bedrooms, but Parks said they’re building one with five bedrooms. Parks said that the families are involved in the entire project from start to finish. They are also able to pick out the cabinet finishes, the color of their fridge, and choose the tile for the floors and bathrooms.
“We give the families some choices so they can personalize the home,” she said.
“Habitat’s mission is to create a world in which everyone has a place to live, so that’s globally, so here in Chicago we are squarely focused on making sure our families have a great place to live in a great neighborhood.”
The families pay their mortgage to Habitat for Humanity and there is a zero percent interest rate.
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