Moments before Mildred Bogier walked into the East Baltimore rowhouse, she stretched her arms toward the sky in thanks.
At 71, Bogier is a homeowner for the first time, through a program called Compassion Commission run by the Rock City Church in Towson.
Yesterday afternoon, amid boarded-up rowhouses and the tall grass of nearby vacant lots, community residents celebrated at a block party and then streamed into what will be Bogier's renovated home in about a month when workers complete the final touches. She is paying only the closing costs, estimated to be about $2,000. She now lives in an apartment on Collington Avenue.
Bogier was chosen by her church, Israel Baptist, to receive the house in the 1600 block of E. Oliver St., said her pastor, the Rev. Harlie Wilson.
Rock City approached Israel Baptist with the offer. The person had to be 55 or older, someone who had shown dedication to the 3,000-member church, and a veteran of outreach efforts.
At the top of the list was Bogier, a 50-year member of Israel Baptist who is the head of the senior citizens' ministry.
"This woman has been faithful for many, many years but just never, never was able to own a home," said Wilson. "It says being faithful, you will be rewarded, not just in heaven but here on Earth."
Adopt-A-Block, a nonprofit group formed by Rock City Church, bought the vacant rowhouse from the city for $3,000. Compassion Commission recruited youths from across the nation to help contractors renovate the 94-year-old, two-story structure.
"To me, there is no greater privilege than to give; the time, the energy, the resources," said Mike Herzog, who owns a painting company and is director of Compassion Commission.
Several companies contributed time and supplies to the project. It is the sixth home in inner-city Baltimore that has been donated since 2002 to someone who never has owned a home, said the Rev. Bart Pierce, pastor of Rock City Church.
Rock City provided funding to the Compassion Commission. The church, through Adopt-A-Block, receives private grants and gifts, and raises money through its thrift store, Pierce said.
Except for selling the rowhouse for a below-market price, City Hall didn't provide financial assistance, he said.
"We want to say to the city, `Give us a break. Give us the best deal you can on this house.' But we stay away from the city putting any money into it. That helps our story because that means churches, community people, business people are helping the city. Everyone is crying about budget, budget, budget. So this is our way to jump in and help," he said.
