South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity receives check for playground equipment at Deyoe Vista

About 25 people gathered Sunday at Lacey-based Deyoe Vista, South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity’s largest home-building effort to date.

But they weren’t there to celebrate the beginning or the completion of a new single-family home. Rather, a few residents and Habitat for Humanity officials were on hand to accept a $10,000 check from the Olympia chapter of Altrusa International, a service club. That money will be used to acquire and install playground equipment for the development’s children.

Deyoe Vista resident Shauna Craig is looking forward to the equipment for her two sons, especially Noah, 2. That’s because the site is dotted for future home sites, which won’t be places for children to play.

“I want something for him to do,” Craig said.

Altrusa has long been a supporter of South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity, said Marian Graham, a member. Altrusa is known for providing lunches to the homebuilding volunteers who work at the site on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The club also is known for selling the sugar- and cinnamon-covered fried dough called “elephant ears” at functions throughout the year, including at Lakefair in the summer. Money raised from those sales helped to fund the playground equipment at Deyoe Vista and at Fairview Cottages, an earlier Habitat for Humanity development in northeast Olympia

“It’s a win-win for parents and children,” said Curt Andino, executive director of South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity, about the equipment.

The 33-home Deyoe Vista, previously known as Wood’s Glen, is on 37th Avenue Southeast in Lacey, not far from Komachin Middle School. And it has an ambitious homebuilding schedule this year, Andino said. They hope to complete eight in 2016.

Homeowner Craig moved in over the summer, escaping a previous living situation that was plagued with mold, she said.

“We couldn’t build fast enough,” she said.

That’s a requirement for qualifying Habitat for Humanity applicants: they must devote some sweat equity to the building of their home.

Habitat for Humanity builds homes for low-income families, the disabled and elderly.

This story was originally published February 21, 2016 at 4:48 PM with the headline "South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity receives check for playground equipment at Deyoe Vista."