Legacy Program builds three custom homes for free

BLUE RIVER: Adair Homes has announced their new Legacy Program is providing custom-built houses free of charge to three families affected by Oregon's devastating wildfires of 2020.

.In the summer of 2020, raging blazes swept across the Pacific Northwest, leveling properties and destroying entire communities. Adair says their Legacy Program was created to help some affected community members rebuild homes free of charge. Three families were picked to receive the free home builds - one in Blue River, one in Lyons, and one in Eagle Point.

Company officials say Adair Homes was founded on the idea of "Helping people improve their quality of life through building highly valuable custom homes." Adding that, "It is a natural fit for Adair to step up and help in the rebuilding of local communities."

"Adair came up with the Legacy Program as a result of all the homes lost in the fires of 2020. Each branch nominates a family that we would like to give a home to," says Kati Smith, Home Ownership Counselor. Potential recipients were nominated by Adair teams in the Medford, Creswell, and Aurora branch offices. After reading through many worthy nominations, the executive team announced the three families chosen to receive free homes.

Marc and Melanie Brite, of Blue River, have already completed exterior work at their home site. Business owners and pillars of their community, they represent hope in the town of Blue River.

"We've been in the community for 28 years, and almost lost everything a number of times because of the economy, previous fire seasons, etc. We finally had stable footing for the first in about five summers and then the fire hit and that was it took everything," says Melanie. The business, Meyer's General Store & Liquor Shop was a total loss.

"My mom passed away in 2000, and she is the reason for my and my sisters' strong connections and drive to volunteer and make a difference in our community," Melanie says. "She was the volunteer extraordinaire and she instilled the value of taking care of our community in us, and so twenty years later we're still here trying to help make a difference."

In February 2021, Melanie began volunteering with the Cascade Relief Team, a nonprofit crisis-driven organization, to work on cleaning up her hometown following the devastation of wildfires. After that project wrapped up that July, she was offered a position of employment with their team as the Humanitarian Resource Manager. Her duties include working with fire and other disaster survivors and getting assistance as well as providing them with additional resources to help them move forward.

The Brites chose the "Winchester plan," home style and say they are excited about the vaulted ceilings and walk-in showers. Meanwhile, the town of Blue River is looking forward to the day when Main Street is once again bustling.