Habitat Breaks Ground on 24th Carroll County Home

McKENZIE — On Sunday, March 15, Habitat for Humanity of Carroll County broke ground on its 24th home, which will be built for longtime McKenzie resident JayAnn Johnson.

Johnson’s family members, church family and fellow Habitat volunteers gathered at 817 Walnut Avenue, Johnson’s soon-to-be home address, for the ceremony. Her new home is next door to the Friendly Church of God in Christ — the church she has attended for more than 40 years.

Johnson has been involved with Habitat for the past four years. During that time, she volunteered on two Habitat homes in the community while completing the program’s required 500 hours of sweat equity, homeowner education classes and other program requirements.

During the ceremony, Johnson was presented with a framed print of the home’s floor plan, which she helped design. The presentation moved her to tears. She said she is especially excited about having a walk-in closet in the new home.

“I’m so blessed,” said Johnson. “Words cannot express how I feel at this moment.”

The groundbreaking concluded with Johnson and Habitat founder Paula Atkins turning the first shovels of dirt at the site.

Construction on Johnson’s home is expected to take about 12 weeks, though the timeline may vary depending on weather and volunteer availability. Volunteers for the project are expected to include students from the Henry/Carroll Tennessee College of Applied Technology as well as members of the Huntingdon Methodist men’s group. Habitat leaders also encouraged additional community volunteers to participate in the build.