Gillen Foundation delivers home to Fort Defiance family

Karen Kiefer (left) and Teresa Allen (right) hand over the keys to the Allison family for the new mobile home delivered courtesy of the Gillen Family Foundation on Wednesday afternoon. The foundation helps young working families with dependent children who want to provide a healthy home environment. [Courtesy Photo]

By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

FORT DEFIANCE, Ariz. — Going from living in a house with 13 people to owning their own 3 bedroom mobile home, the Allison family owes it the Gillen Family Foundation.

The foundation volunteers were in Fort Defiance Wednesday to help deliver the brand new mobile home to the Allisons’ home site near Blue Canyon Road in the Fort Defiance Chapter.

“This is the fun part of our job,” Teresa Allen, one of the foundation volunteers, said as she watched Gallup Mobile Home delivery drivers maneuver their way around the home site.

The only thing Orlando and Angeline Allison could say was “It is exciting!”

Tabitha, 11, and her sister Shandeen, 9, ran to the rooms they had picked out as soon as the keys were handed over to their parents and the doors were opened.

Tabitha said she used to sleep in the TV room when the family lived with Orlando ’s parents in Tohatchi.

Orlando ’s parents made the trip from Tohatchi to witness the delivery of the trailer. His mom had transferred her home site lease in the area to the couple for them to live there.

“This is a really big relief, actually having your own place,” Angeline said.

Allen told her, “Your kids deserve to have their own room.”
That is the belief of the foundation founder John Gillen. The mission statement for the foundation says it “is committed to providing housing and the tools to enable Navajo families with dependent children to create and maintain a healthy family environment.”

Literature provided by the foundation states that Gillen and the foundation want to help because “we recognize the desperate need for housing of young families with dependent children” and “we believe in the potential of young adults and children, and believe they deserve a chance to improve their environment and education.”

The foundation helps young working families who are committed to providing a healthy family environment and are capable and willing to help themselves. The families must live within a 60-mile radius of Gallup or Window Rock and be able to pay for utilities.

“This is a blessing for us,” Angilene said.

The family of four isn’t sure when they will be able to move in because water and electricity lines must still be hooked up.

Karen Kiefer said that the foundation is not accepting any more applications until next year. Kiefer and Allen are the two volunteers for the Sedona-based office of the foundation. They were the two who introduced Gillen to the Navajo people through their work with a church in Chichiltah.

“That’s how we came to the rez and fell in love with the families. Our hearts go out to the families,” Kiefer said.

For Orlando , he said that each step in the process of getting a home was exciting, right up to the moment when he received the key and stepped into the trailer.

Angilene noted that they had to work long hours to be able to get the home and “all that hard work finally paid off.”
She said that she can’t wait for Christmas to be able to decorate her own home and put up a full size Christmas tree.

“Last year we didn’t have a place to put our tree,” she said remembering the crowded conditions. “This year for sure we are going to get a regular size tree.”

Allen and Kiefer will also be helping to deliver a new home to a family in the Baca-Prewitt Chapter today. Louis Bear Eagle and Sherri Calladitto will be receiving the mobile home to live in with their children Louis Jr. and Isaac.