By Kevin Shannahan

Ms. Ethel Anderson is our community’s newest homeowner. She partnered with the Natchitoches Fuller Center for Housing and on Saturday, February 22 was presented with the release of mortgage documents that state her home is completely paid off.

Ms. Anderson, and her late husband Wilson, signed the note to purchase her home in February of 2005. Her years of diligent sacrifice paid off as she became the first fully paid owner of one of the Fuller Houses in the Natchitoches area.

The Fuller Center for Housing is a faith based non profit that opened in 2005. They currently operate in 70 communities in the United States as well as 20 countries. Their mission is to partner with individuals in need of housing and assist them in achieving their goals. The homes are built with volunteer labor. The homeowner puts in 300 hours of labor in building alongside the community volunteers. The Fuller Center does everything possible to keep the cost of materials and land down so the greatest number of people may become partners in homebuilding. The homeowner signs an interest free mortgage to repay the costs incurred. The Fuller Center makes no profit from the sale. In fact, the payments are turned around and used to build more homes. The homeowners are actually helping other people achieve their dreams when they make each mortgage payment.

The Fuller Center is a superb organization that is making our community a better place. They are men and women of every race and background who saw a need and are doing something about it. If you would like to donate, volunteer or otherwise join the men and women of the Fuller Center for Housing in changing lives and making our community a better place, please contact Jim Roberts at 318-554-8225. You may also get more information at fullercenter.org.

The Natchitoches Parish Journal wishes to extend its best wishes to Ms. Anderson on this wonderful and well earned occasion. May the Lord grant you many years in your home!