Raising the roof for an evening in Tuscany: Mon Habitat's annual fundraiser is Friday

Feb. 27—If you want to celebrate an evening in Tuscany, you won't have to wait to book your flight.

You won't even need a passport—but if you participate, you will help stamp the passport of families journeying to the dream of home ownership.

"An Evening in Tuscany " is the theme of this year's annual Raise the Roof fundraiser for Mon Valley Habitat for Humanity, the organization that puts up homes for people in north-central West Virginia who might not have that opportunity otherwise.

It happens 6-9 p.m. Friday at Tuscan Ridge on Stewartstown Road.

The evening features a menu-full of Italian food and an array of silent-auction prizes, including a Myrtle Beach getaway, a landscaping package and a custom evening gown.

"We're excited, " Habitat's director Elaine Holstine McVay said.

That's because, she said, all the proceeds of the evening will go to three exciting new home builds—Nos. 70, 71 and 72 respectively—in neighboring Fairmont, Marion County.

Habitat recently broke ground on the three homes, which will be located in adjacent lots on Robinson Street, in the city's once-thriving Bellview neighborhood.

McVay said she's excited for the collaboration between her organization and the City of Fairmont.

"We're helping those deserving families get a home of their own, " she said, "and we're helping to rehab a neighborhood."

Meanwhile, the Raise the Roof fundraiser will feature a menu of Italian cuisine and an array of items up for bid in the silent auction, including a Myrtle Beach getaway.

Visit www.monvalleyhfh.org for ticket prices and other particulars.

Mon Valley Habitat for Humanity was established in Morgantown in 1990.

Families provide the needed "sweat equity " for the homes that will be theirs, in an exchange that isn't just about sentiment and symbolism.

Such volunteer work keeps building costs down.

After that, Habitat does the rest, offering the zero-percent loans that let people move in to those houses.

Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 in Americus, Ga., and one of its early marquee proponents was Jimmy Carter, the former Georgia governor who was elected to the Oval Office that same year.

Carter worked on Habitat homes extensively after leaving the White House.

To date, nearly 50 million people across the U.S. and in 70 countries have gotten to call a Habitat home their home.

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