GREENFIELD — Single dad Tony Lanning was all smiles as he was handed the keys to his first house Monday as the sun shined down on an unseasonably warm and sunny winter day.
Lanning and his daughter, Brookelynn, 14, are the latest recipients of a Habitat for Humanity home.
The navy blue house is a short walk from Greenfield-Central High School, where Brookelynn is a freshman.
About 30 people gathered in the driveway of the single-story house Monday afternoon for a home blessing celebration — a cherished tradition for Habitat for Humanity homeowners.
“Thank you is something you say for a cup of coffee or when someone lets you go first at a four-way stop, but today it goes a lot deeper than that,” said Lanning, 32, who works as a trainer at the Amazon distribution center in Greenfield.
“I just want to say ‘thank you’ to our family and to the friends who have become like family,” he said.
Lanning got to know a number of Habitat for Humanity volunteers, staff members and fellow home owners through the required 250 hours of “sweat equity” he put in working on other Habitat homes.
“I did a lot of work at this home and others, hanging siding, painting, installing fixtures — things that I’m sure will come in handy in the future,” he shared Monday.
Lanning has a close friend who closed on his own Habitat for Humanity home a few months ago.
“I think it’s an amazing program. I tell anybody I know who can qualify to check it out,” he said.
Lanning and his daughter had been living in a Greenfield apartment before moving into their new home on Monday.
“He’s always wanted to become a homeowner, and he did it. I couldn’t be more proud,” said Lanning’s mother, Shawna, who was joined by her own mom, Cathy Gorton of New Palestine.
Lanning grew up in Indianapolis but eventually moved to New Palestine to be closer to family. He quickly fell in love with the slower pace of Hancock County and set his sights on one day owning a home here.
He and his daughter grinned as they led guests through their new house for the first time after Monday’s home blessing ceremony, led by members of the Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity staff.
“I love it,” said Brookelynn as she explored the home’s three bedrooms, all painted crisp white with faux wood floors.
While most Habitat for Humanity homes are built from the ground up, the Lannings’ home was built for a previous Habitat homeowner in 2019. When that homeowner moved out of state to be with family, the nonprofit bought the home back from her and refurbished it to look brand new.
“It just needed a power wash and a coat of paint,” said Chris Barnett, land development director for the Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity program.
Barnett said the regional program builds or restores about 35 to 40 homes a year, which typically includes a home in Hancock County every other year or so.
One fellow Greenfield homeowner, Valerie Bryant, who acquired her own Habitat home in May 2023, attended Monday’s home blessing to wish the Lannings well.
“It’s so nice to see this,” said Bryant, who said life is good at the home she shares with her two sons.
Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity president and CEO Jim Morris was among the many staff members on site to help present the Lannings with their new home.
“Just as Jesus turned water into wine, may he turn the boards and nails constructed here into a happy home,” he said Monday, before handing the keys over to Lanning.
Dr. Billy Royal — manager partner for Healthy Family Advocates and owner of Royal Development Group, which restores houses throughout greater Indianapolis — also wished the Lannings well.
“Working with someone like Tony keeps us motivated to do what we’re doing. I’ve always been impressed by his perseverance,” he said.
For more information on Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity, visit IndyHabitat.org.
