CANTON − On her 98th birthday, Betty "BJ" Wilkins celebrated by giving a gift to someone else.
She presented Ashley Borell a set of keys last month to her new home built in Massillon by Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio.
The new home was made possible by Wilkins and her late husband, F. Stuart Wilkins, a founding father of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who decided to donate their longtime residence in North Canton to Habitat.
"We've had a long partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Habitat CEO Beth Lechner said.
As a result of the couple's generosity, four new Habitat homes are being built with the $300,000 proceeds.
Lechner said she received an unexpected call from the couple's son, Jim.
"He said, 'My mom and dad have decided to donate their house. My mother is going to be going into a care facility. Could you come out and meet us at the house?'" she recalled. "And so, we went out. There she was and her son and their attorney, and she said, 'We decided we would like to donate this house to Habitat in hopes that you'd be able to use it to the benefit of the ministry.' She's a member of Community Christian Church in North Canton and her church had been involved with Habitat for many years, and so she believed in the work and are doing. We said, 'Absolutely.'"
Habitat replaced the carpeting and did some updating before placing the house, located near Arrowhead Golf Club, on the market.
"They were from that generation that were frugal," she said. "She had little notes of every little thing everywhere in that house and meticulously kept things."
Betty Wilkins lived in the house up until she was 97. She resided there by herself since 2011, when her husband died.
Lechner said she visits with Wilkins at the Windsor Medical Center to keep her updated on the homes she's helping to build.
"I said, 'Betty, you are 98 years old. Have you ever given someone the keys to their home, on your birthday?'" Lechner said. "And she said, 'No, I haven't but it's taken me a long time to do that, hasn't it? And then I said, 'Listen, there's three more to go lady, so you need to stay healthy so we can do this again and again. She said, 'I actually feel pretty good. I just feel fine.'"
Lechner said the "hard cost" of every new Habitat home is $100,000.
"The way we do it is, I try to get $50,000 as a foundational sponsorship," she said. "That means they don't bring labor; It's just $50,000. Then I try to get $50,000 as a labor partner. In this case, Memmer Homes and Beaver Excavating went together, and each gave $25,000."
Son Jim Wilkins, who resides in South Carolina, noted that it's not the first time their family has donated property to Habitat. His maternal grandparents' home, also in North Canton, was donated to the ministry in 2002, and sold in 2003.
"My mom's father, Oscar Barlow, once he passed, my mom and her sister, Arlene Barlow, agreed to go ahead and donate the house to Habitat," he said.
Jim Wilkins said his parents' decision to donate their home is typical of their community commitment.
A managing partner of the Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Daugherty law firm, F. Stuart Wilkins was a founding trustee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and served as board chairman from 1984 to 1997. He also served as legal counsel and board member of the former Citizens Savings Bank (now FirstMerit). A licensed pilot, he was on the boards of the Akron-Canton Airport, Canton and Ohio Automobile Clubs, United Way of Central Stark County, Stark County Legal Aid Society and Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, along with others. He also received numerous community service awards.
During the Korean War, he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army's JAG Corps. A graduate of Lincoln High School and the University of Michigan where he played football, Wilkins was inducted into the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
"My parents, Stuart and BJ Wilkins were grateful for the opportunity to donate their time, talent and resources to many community building endeavors and Stark County," Jim Wilkins said. "They followed in the footsteps of their parents, donating their home in North Canton to Habitat for Humanity. It was a generous and meaningful expression of their love of community. ... I'm proud of their efforts to improve the lives of people in need of affordable independent housing."
Lechner said a formal home dedication for the Borell family will be held later this month.
To learn more visit: https://www.habitateco.org or call 330-915-5888.
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Repository: North Canton woman celebrates her 98th birthday with a house giveaway