Farmers Weekly Review

By Stephanie Irvine

In the heart of Elwood, Habitat for Humanity is hard at work, making the dream of homeownership available to those who work for it — and in the process, finding a way to honor one of Elwood’s own who believed in the cause.

One of the homes, The Kevin Walsh Memorial Build, finally was finished after a two-year process, and on a sunny Wednesday morning, that completed house became a home with a brief dedication ceremony in part honoring the group’s former architect.

Walsh, who grew up in Elwood and returned there with Habitat for Humanity, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer while volunteering with the group.

The cancer quickly took his life at just 31 years of age on Sept. 21, 2020. He was a newlywed and a young father; his son having just turned 1 year old when he passed.

Friends and loved ones of Walsh, and Candace Perry, the new homeowner, along with Habitat for Humanity staff and volunteers, board members, all joined inside the home to celebrate its completion on January 29.

The home is special, not only to single mother Perry, who will live there with her young daughter, Sevyn, but also to everyone who knew Walsh. Both families spent time working on the home’s construction.

Until his cancer forced him to step down, Walsh dedicated so much of his time to Will County Habitat for Humanity, that his wife, Krystal, joked that it used to drive her crazy until she realized what a great organization it was.

“Kevin’s favorite quote was, ‘Everyone deserves a decent place to live, no matter where,’” said Kevin’s mother, Karen Walsh, noting his passion for his work with Habitat for Humanity.

During the dedication, Nicole Murray, CEO of Will County Habitat for Humanity, talked about the importance of the build. She shared how involved and engaged Walsh was in the organization, noting that he was truly a special part of Habitat for Humanity.

“I can tell you this: There are board members that get involved, and there are board members who get engrained. He was committed. He went to all the meetings, networking meetings, international meetings, and he did the plans for Habitat’s houses,” Murray said.

Murray told of how she wanted to keep Walsh’s spirit alive, and it made sense to use his plans.

Farmers Weekly Review stopped by when the Habitat House was still under construction in September. Krystal Walsh said at the time how she learned about the plans for a Memorial Build.

“I unexpectedly ran into Nicole. We were hugging and crying, and I told her that I was looking to get a tree planted. She said, ‘I have one better for you; we’ll build a house in his name,’” Krystal Walsh said.

Fast-forward two years, and those plans came to fruition with a completed home. Murray explained that many variables are involved in building a house, from purchasing the land to building the home, all of which take time and are often weather-dependent.

Cynthia Harvey, Family Services Director for Will County Habitat for Humanity, explained the process Habitat homeowners must go through, including Perry in 2022.

“Everybody thinks that we just give away homes. No, we don’t do that. It’s an affordable mortgage,” Harvey said, explaining that prospective Habitat homeowners have income and credit score requirements.

She emphasized it is not low-income housing, and families who go through Habitat for Humanity have to be working with different lenders for two years.

“Then, we have something called ‘sweat equity hours.’ You have to work in your house with 100 hours of sweat equity hours in your home. You have to do financial classes and budgeting classes, because we want our families to be mortgage-ready.

“You have to have a certain amount of money in your bank account. Everything that I asked her to do, she did,” Harvey said of Perry.

Perry, a single mother, will be living in the home with her daughter, Sevyn. Every “A” in school that Sevyn Perry received counted as one hour toward the family’s sweat equity, Harvey said, explaining how they involve the whole family.

“I want to thank Habitat for this journey. It was very long, but very worth it,” Perry said, offering gratitude to all who had a hand in helping her secure her home, including Kevin Walsh’s family.

“It’s exciting, it’s finally done. Just happy for Candace and Sevyn to have a home to come into, and happy that it’s a memory of Kevin,” Krystal Walsh said.

Ahead of the dedication, Murray told of how she first met Kevin Walsh. His involvement in Habitat for Humanity wasn’t just happenstance; it was kismet.

“When I first started at Habitat, there was a letter on the desk from Kevin, and it was a mess of a desk, writing about his interest to be on the Habitat board. I didn’t know who he was,” Murray said, noting the letter was visibly old. She wasn’t sure how long it had been there.

Murray explained that she had found Kevin Walsh’s old letter just a few hours before a Habitat for Humanity event. She sat down next to a man who, unbeknownst to her, was Kevin Walsh.

“We think we’re going to be selling tickets together for New Orleans North. And it turns out he was in the wrong place, so he gets moved somewhere else.”

“I said to him, ‘I just read a letter that you wanted to be on the Habitat Board, and I just started with Habitat.’”

That brief interaction connected them and set forth a domino effect of building Habitat for Humanity Homes in Elwood.

“What Kevin did is he opened my eyes to Elwood,” Murray said.

She explained that upon completion, the Elwood project will have 16 duplex units and two single-family homes with the land they currently have secured.

“Every time you drive by this house, you will be able to remember your dad,” Murray said to Kevin and Krystal Walsh’s young son, Colton, during the ceremony.

“This was all done in honor of your dad. He was a remarkable, loving, sweet person. And that’s what we want everybody to know, and to keep Kevin’s spirit alive.”

“He’s looking down on us and smiling,” Karen Walsh said.

Those interested in volunteering or learning more about Habitat for Humanity should visit habitatwill.org.

Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.

The new Habitat home dedicated to the late Kevin Walsh was completed recently with work that included members of the Walsh family and of Candace Perry, who will move in with her daughter, Sevyn. (Photo by Stephanie Irvine)

Krystal and Colton Walsh, and Candace and Sevyn Perry pose happily in front of the new Habitat home the Perrys will live in, and the Walshes will have as a special memory of their late husband and father. (Photo by Stephanie Irvine)