Each fall, Kelley School students, faculty, and staff partner with other IU students, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, Habitat for Humanity International, and Whirlpool Corporation employees to build a home for a Bloomington family.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Angelique Nesbitt turned 40 years old this year. She recently looked back at a diary entry and was reminded by a goal she had set for herself – to be a licensed practical nurse and a homeowner by the time she reached that milestone.
She plans to graduate with her nursing degree in December and later this month will see her new five-bedroom home nearing completion, through a partnership between Whirlpool Corporation, Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County.
The build continues a collaboration with Whirlpool Corporation, a key corporate partner for Kelley, which began in 2010. This is the fourth home in Osage Place – and 14th overall – that has been built through the partnership.
Leaders from Whirlpool Corporation, Kelley and Habitat for Humanity International on Oct. 19 will celebrate the dedication of Nesbitt’s new home. More than 3,200 IU students, staff, faculty, and alumni have come together over the years to build this house and previous homes alongside Monroe County families.
Jeff Fettig, a Kelley alumnus and retired CEO of Whirlpool Corporation, led the company’s collaboration with Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County for several years and returns annually for home dedications.
The dedication ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the building site and the public is welcome. The day before, students, faculty and staff from IU and the Kelley School and Whirlpool employees will work together on Nesbitt’s home, which she hopes to move into soon.
Local volunteers will be joined at the dedication by Ash Soni, dean of the Kelley School and the Sungkyunkwan Professor, and current and retired Whirlpool Corporation executives. They include those with strong ties to Kelley, such as retired CEO Jeff Fettig, who earned a bachelor’s degree and MBA from IU before joining the company in 1981; and Jim Peters, a 1998 MBA graduate who is the company’s executive vice president and chief financial and administrative officer.
A new home with sustainable features
Nesbitt’s new home will be climate-resilient and energy efficient and is one of the homes being built through the BuildBetter with Whirlpool initiative, which aims to deliver an average of 45% predicted energy cost savings per family (compared to code-built homes) and a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per home.
As a result of prior efforts through the initiative, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County recently received a $250,000 grant from the City of Bloomington to install solar panels on other homes. Combined with private donations, the organization has raised nearly $300,000, which will enable it to put solar on 30 homes. The solar panels come with monitors, which allow homeowners to manage the electricity usage in their homes.
“We’re thrilled the BuildBetter with Whirlpool program is delivering energy efficient homes and inspiring even more sustainable actions like the city’s grant to support solar panels,” said Jim Peters, Whirlpool Corp. executive vice president and chief financial and administrative officer. “And as an IU grad, working side-by-side with the homeowners, students and community members to build sustainable homes makes me incredibly proud of the work Whirlpool has done and continues to do in Bloomington.”
Nesbitt and her family will symbolically receive keys to their home after the dedication, on the field at Memorial Stadium before IU’s homecoming football game against the University of Nebraska.
For one Bloomington family, homecoming takes on new meaning
Families qualify for the Habitat program based on three criteria: need for housing, ability to pay back their affordable mortgage and a willingness to partner. Each adult member living in a Habitat home must invest 250 hours of volunteering, called “sweat equity,” before closing on their house.
Angelique Nesbitt, center, and her family
It’s been quite a year for Nesbitt. As she’s met those requirements, she also worked toward completing her nursing degree and its clinical requirements, held a part-time job and simply being a mother – all to meet her goal.
“At first, I thought, ‘Do I really want to do this?’” she recalled. “But then I reminded myself, ‘It will be done by 40.’” Despite the hectic days and sleepless nights, Nesbitt remains motivated. “I have no idea how I am doing all of this, but I am doing it—me and God. … This time next year I’ll thank myself for it.”
Many students participating in the build are involved with the Kelley Institute for Social Impact, which serves as a hub within the school for socially conscious undergraduate students who want to make a difference in local and global communities through education, service, career development and leadership opportunities.
“This build provides our students, faculty and staff with an opportunity to put into action the values that we stress at the Kelley School and rewards us when we see the impact that it has on a local family,” Soni said. “Whirlpool Corp. is one of today’s most socially responsible companies. This experience enables our students to see how a company that cares and has a commitment to principles can positively impact the lives of others.”
Whirlpool Corp. and Habitat for Humanity have collaborated for 25 years to help build a better world where families have access to safe, decent and affordable housing. To date, Whirlpool Corp. has donated $140 million in funding and more than 241,000 home appliances and had a positive impact on nearly 1,000,000 individuals around the world through the relationship with Habitat.
Since its founding in 1988, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County has housed over 863 individuals, including more than 493 children, averaging eight to 10 homes built each year.
“Habitat’s work is about building hope and opportunity, as seen in our partnership with Angelique and her family. Not only will they gain a place to call home, but we know homeownership has a long-lasting, generational impact,” said Wendi Goodlett, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County. “Whirlpool’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and their 25 years of support for Habitat, including generous donations of energy-efficient appliances, have greatly impacted our community and countless families like Angelique’s.”
Not only a house, but stability that home ownership provides
Nesbitt, the mother of six children, including four who live with her between the ages of 9 to 18, is looking forward to the stability that home ownership provides, after years of renting and receiving public assistance. She has lived in Bloomington since the 1990s, when her family moved here to work at the now-shuttered General Electric plant. She currently lives in an apartment.
The assistance her family receives fluctuates, which has led to frequent relocations that were difficult for her children, who constantly had to adapt to new environments. “Anytime you are on any assistance, you have to move a lot,” she said. “It’s not necessarily hard to find a place; it’s just finding a place where you can stay.”
In addition to the repeated moves, unscheduled maintenance visits and the inability to fully personalize their living spaces have kept her family from ever feeling truly at home. “I’m always reminded that my place isn’t really mine,” she said.
She appreciates the support she has received, including from the many who are involved in building her home because they want to do so. “That restores your faith in humanity,” she said. “We see so much bad and the good that’s come from this is overwhelming.”
The dedication ceremony will take place at the building site on Bernard Drive, west of the intersection of Rockford and Rogers roads and adjacent to RCA Community Park, 1400 W. RCA Park Drive, where parking will be available.