For the past thirteen years my husband and I have been slowly renovating our home, as time, money and energy allows. It’s been a labor of love and outpouring of creativity. Built in 1962 on ten acres, it’s got good bones and a legacy we’re carrying on of a large family, adoption, and a story well lived in this beloved Rochester community. We have enjoyed re-creating this house to reflect our family and serve our needs and interests. We’ve hosted dinner parties, weddings, family traditions, holiday events, fundraisers, and countless Sunday worship gatherings under shady trees. We’ve opened our doors to friends and strangers, rooms to foreign exchange students, our property to photographers, barn to chickens, and pasture to pigs and cows. Each guest has been written into the story of this place.
I’ve always had a thing for houses and the stories they tell. And who doesn’t love a good before and after picture of a transformed house? They capture our attention because restoration is written into the fabric of our beings. We all want to live a story where we’re becoming better versions of ourselves. I love making our spaces beautiful and welcoming for my family, and all who visit. I want everyone who arrives at our home to feel seen and known, and leave feeling inspired and valued. I see this in our community too.
The people of Rochester believe our dwelling spaces matter. The way our community takes pride in our private and public spaces is witness to this. We care for our physical environments because they shape us just as much as we shape them. They can hinder us from engaging the world around us, or they can empower us to live into our identity and calling with more purpose and confidence.
In the middle of our most extensive home renovation phase, I traveled to Uganda, East Africa, a place our family previously lived and worked. On this trip I was asked to help with a critical housing need for a family in a remote village. As I surveyed the situation and considered how to bring relief, I saw this deteriorating home as one among many, and my eyes opened to a widespread housing crisis affecting the majority of families throughout Uganda.
Old and cracking asbestos roofs that spill dangerous fibers into homes. Disturbing and toxic rat infestations. Superficial doors that don’t keep families secure and windows that leave them vulnerable to malaria. Eroding foundations and exposed areas where rain pours in and mold grows. These unsafe homes affect the health and wellbeing of families and whole villages.
8,000 miles away in Rochester, Michigan, our house was being renovated for increased comfort and beauty; meanwhile, there I was on an orange dusty road in Africa imagining how to help vulnerable families rebuild their homes to be safe and secure.
In this honest and heartfelt tension, I began envisioning a sustainable approach to home renovation in Uganda that addresses critical housing issues with solutions that transform entire neighborhoods. From this vision I founded Dwell, an urban housing project that rebuilds deteriorating homes to be safe and secure for families and communities to flourish in body and spirit.
Dwell is committed to extravagant generosity, but we’re equally dedicated to empowering individuals and communities to have agency in their story. We approach the work with shared responsibility, which happens in three core ways:
Financial Contribution: Each family contributes financially to their own renovation project. This sense of ownership promotes independence and personal investment.
Collaborative Work: Neighbors commit to volunteer at one another’s renovation projects, which fosters community engagement.
Community Contributions: The community commits to donating money and resources to the active project, which encourages generosity among neighbors.
The gratitude these families have for their improved homes motivates them to contribute and participate in the renovation projects of their neighbors. As we reconstruct these houses to be safe, we are building stronger community.
Dwell renovates the homes of four families each month. Each renovation project is funded by contributions from locals, along with financial gifts from donors. It’s a solution that gathers hope and resources from an international well of generosity, while forming meaningful connections between sponsors and beneficiaries. In three years we have completed over 100 homes and have settled over 400 people into living spaces that nurture dignity and promote physical and spiritual flourishing.
Safe housing impacts nearly every aspect of emotional and social well-being. As we witness the housing burden lifted in this Ugandan community, Dwell is seeing increased health and personal responsibility, consistent school attendance, healthier family dynamics, a rise in motivation and community engagement, and hope that reimagines new possibilities. This work is holistically changing people’s lives and offering them a secure future. Because a home is more than just a space we live in.
My personal journey with home renovation and creating beautiful spaces that nurture my family allowed me to see and respond to a need across the world. What felt like a collision of values - beauty and comfort versus basic necessities - was instead an opportunity for increased gratitude that inspired in me generosity. At the very least, our homes should be safe and secure. It’s my heart’s passion to see that reality come to fruition for as many families as possible.
I’m deeply grateful for the support I’ve received from our Rochester community have in this important work. It’s a privilege to carry your generosity into the world, creating lasting impact far beyond our city. In 2025 Dwell hopes to settle 48 families with a place to call home, where they can feel safe and build a future.
As we approach the season of giving, Dwell has created a way for families, schools, businesses and neighbors to come together in the spirit of compassion. With every $8,000 we raise, we can renovate a multi-residential building that offers secure housing for four families. That’s only $2000 to transform a family's life forever!
Visit dwelluganda.com to discover how you, alongside your loved ones, classmates or colleagues can give the most meaningful gift this holiday season, the gift of a safe and stable home.
It truly does take a village, and I’m thankful everyday that my Rochester community is part of Dwell’s.
"We care for our physical environments because they shape us just as much as we shape them"
"This work is holistically changing people's lives and offering them a secure future. Because a home is more than just a space we live in"