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News Release

Last modified: Thursday, October 4, 2012

IU partnering with Whirlpool on Habitat for Humanity campus build in Bloomington through Oct. 13

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 4, 2012

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Bloomington students, faculty, staff and other volunteers began work today, Oct. 4, on a Habitat for Humanity house on campus near Memorial Stadium, in partnership with Whirlpool Corp.

This blitz build, which takes place next to the home of the IU Alumni Association, the Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center at 1000 E. 17th St., will continue through Saturday, Oct. 13, when the home will be dedicated at 5 p.m.

After construction, the house will be moved to a permanent location at 14th Street and Woodburn Avenue in Bloomington. Ashley and Doyle Kell and their 3-year-old daughter Hailey will receive the keys to their new home on the field of IU Memorial Stadium, before the Hoosiers' game against Ohio State.

This is the third consecutive year Whirlpool Corp. has sponsored a home build in a joint effort with IU, its Kelley School of Business and Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County on the Bloomington campus. The build is part of Whirlpool-sponsored Habitat builds taking place throughout the United States in 2012. The company has sponsored more than 100 homes and served more than 95,000 families around the world since the partnership began in 1999.

"Whirlpool and IU have truly created a lasting legacy in our community through these builds," said Kerry Thomson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County. "This will be the third family whose lives are changed forever because of a hand up, not a handout. This critical element of decent, affordable housing puts the Vosekas, Knapp and Kell families on the path to a brighter future, and it is thanks to the generous sponsorship of Whirlpool and the volunteer support of IU."

"I have been deeply involved with Habitat for Humanity for 15 years," added Lauren Robel, IU executive vice president and provost of the Bloomington campus. "I can think of no better way to bring the campus and the community together, and I know that our students, faculty and staff are delighted to continue and expand IU Bloomington's partnership with Whirlpool Corp. and Habitat for Humanity."

The Kells have been working for a long time toward their goal of home ownership. Doyle works full time delivering pizzas, while Ashley is a cashier at a grocery store. They have been living in government-supported Crestmont Apartments for the past couple of years.

When asked what the build means to the couple, Ashley put it simply: "My daughter can go outside finally and play in a yard. We'd always hoped to live in a house one day, and when we applied to Habitat, we couldn't imagine that in less than a year we were going to be having our own house. We couldn't be any more grateful."

Doyle, who is originally from Princeton, Ind., never has been able to attend an IU football game in person, and he's excited about receiving the keys to his new home on game day.

Tom Halford, an IU alumnus and Whirlpool vice president for sales integration, noted that "for 13 years, Whirlpool Corp. and Habitat for Humanity have helped families transform their lives. We believe strongly in Habitat's mission of giving families a hand up to help them achieve their dreams, and we hope others will join us in supporting this transformative work -- in Bloomington and beyond."

Anyone in the IU community can participate in the upcoming campus build.

More information about the project is available in a Sept. 24 IU news release.

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