The Family Story

The Buchanan Family

Lincoln Logs. That’s the extent of my building expertise. I have everything to learn and you’ll have to teach me everything -- you wonderful volunteers and employees of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County.

My name is Karen Buchanan and my son, Stephen Kness is also a member of my family. We have lived in Madison since August 2000. We moved here for educational, medical and social reasons from Arizona, where Stephen was born in the 1980s. I am a lifelong renter, but a friend suggested Habitat for Humanity.

Stephen is a West High School graduate and completed the automotive technician program at MATC where he was said to be a mechanical genius. Cars have been No. 1 in his life since he was three. Although he’s worked part-time at various jobs since he was 15, he is experiencing difficulty in getting an auto tech job and recently took an Automotive Service Excellence test to further his career. He regularly donates blood and platelets to the American Red Cross, is a member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of American, attends Finnish-American Society of Madison activities, is teaching himself Finnish words and reads Finnish books that have been translated to English. He would love to care for a puppy and help it grow into a terrific dog. His No. 1 choice is the Finnish Spitz if he can find one from a rescue shelter; a Burmese Mountain Dog is his second choice.

All my employments are former – journalist, print reporter, photographer, fire department dispatcher, EMT, emergency room technician and public school teacher. My journalism training was at the University of Arizona where I earned a bachelor’s degree. Most of the teaching years were at a middle school and I have more than 60 postgraduate hours. Current memberships include the Autism Society of Greater Madison and the state and national organizations. Hobbies include reading, walking and probably will include bicycling after I buy a bicycle. I would also like to garden and grow vegetables.

A friend, Nancy Alar, led me to Habitat for Humanity of Dane County. I told her I worried about future housing for us because of rising costs and not enough money to buy. Nancy, thank you for suggesting Habitat.

Like Stephen I would love to have a dog. Dogs are not allowed in the apartment where we have living for the past 10 years. We have cared for small pets in cages as Arizona renters. There was Einstein the hamster, many guinea pigs including Miss Demeaner (the smartest in the world), and Fang the female tarantula. The hamster and guinea pigs died of old age before we left Arizona and we set Fang free. Maybe she’s still inching around.

I’ve been a single parent to Stephen for all but five years of his life. After Stephen’s father deserted us and left us homeless when Stephen was three, I made a promise to myself that we would NEVER be homeless again. I’ve kept that promise and thanks to Habitat for helping me keep that promise.

The house that volunteers and sweat equity will build will be my first and last home. When I am gone, it will be Stephen’s home.

Thank you all – very, very much. We look forward to working and learning with you!

Karen and Stephen