Help Dawson Build His Own Home

Hi! My name is Annette and I'm helping my friend Dawson get the rest of the funds he needs to build an apartment so he can live independently. My friends, Aaron and Kerry-Ann Martel, Dawson's parents, built their home as part of the Community Concepts Self-Help Program. Working alongside 7 other families, they built 7 homes over 10 months. They know the blood, sweat, and tears that go into making a dream of homeownership come true.

Aaron and Kerry-Ann are blessed with two amazing children, Hannah and Dawson. Hannah is an independent young woman working at Jackson Laboratories. Dawson was diagnosed with autism and a developmental delay when he was young. He needed a lot of supports to be able to transition into a mainstream classroom when he was younger, but with Aaron and Kerry-Ann's advocacy, he was able to be like all the other kids around him.

Dawson has achieved many amazing milestones in his young life. He has participated in sports programs with the local Rec department, was part of the high school baseball team, the DARE program, SADD, Student Government, and was on the Unified Basketball Team for 4 years. He scored the winning basket at the first-ever Special Olympics Unified Basketball State Championship in 2017!

Dawson was able to participate in a Culinary Arts program during his last two years of high school and found his passion! During high school, he created many delicious meals, desserts and pies with the supports and guidance of Chef Caron at the Green Ladle. Dawson hoped to continue his culinary education at the local community college but the types of supports he needed for the academic portion of his studies ultimately were not enough and he withdrew from college, realizing it wasn't the right path for him.

As you can imagine, Kerry-Ann and Aaron are determined to give Dawson as many skills and opportunities as possible to learn to live independently. Dawson has worked at Frank's Restaurant and the Sausage Kitchen in Lisbon Falls, and has been invited to return to the Green Ladle as a paid employee, working with Chef Caron. The next step for Dawson is learning to live on his own.

Aaron and Kerry-Ann had an amazing set of plans drawn up for an apartment over a two-care garage for Dawson. It will give him independence and privacy, but he will be close enough to call upon them if he needs to. It's the next step for Dawson - one we want for all of our children eventually - to be able to live on their own. As you might have gathered by now, the Martels are pretty special folks. Always willing to lend a hand to others and determined to be as self-sufficient as possible in their quest to support Hannah and Dawson. Both work full-time jobs, and refinanced their home to build Dawson's apartment with a budget that was as slim as possible but would allow for construction to meet all applicable housing, fire, and safety codes.

Then COVID happened. The prices of building materials have skyrocketed, so much so that their original budget will only cover the exterior construction and none of the interior work. Aaron and Kerry-Ann reached out to every organization they could think of, including HUD, USDA, FHA, and the Autism Society of Maine, to see if there are any grants or programs that could help Dawson achieve his dream. They considered trying to purchase a home elsewhere - but their roots run deep in this community. Lisbon is home and it's all Dawson has ever known. This is where they want to be, in the best community they know.

So now, they are asking for some help to finish the interior construction. Dawson will continue to work at the Green Ladle and Frank's and they will work with him to teach him how to manage money, pay bills, organize and maintain his space, and at the same time provide him with the independence and privacy that every young adult needs.

Asking for help is never easy, and Kerry-Ann and Aaron are not asking for themselves. They are asking for their child. They are always willing to lend a hand when asked and many members of our community have been helped or rescued with an issue with a car or something not working in the house by Aaron - just a phone call away. If you have ever met Dawson, you know that he is a polite, hard-working, amazing young man who has come very far in his short life. He has much farther to go. Any amount that you can spare to help him with his dream of living on his own would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your support! People who are differently-abled than "typical" children sometimes just need a little extra boost to get where they are destined to go. Please consider being part of that boost for Dawson.