Good news stories can be hard to come by, but the tale of a local organization that stepped up to help a local family will resonate into the future.

Late last month La Grande residents Ernest and LeAndra Boudreau were the first to pay off the loan and receive the title to a locally built Habitat for Humanity house.

Lonnie Lester, Grande Ronde Valley Habitat for Humanity president, and Cindy Knutz, the local chapter’s public relations specialist, handed the title to the Boudreaus — and the action marked a significant moment.

Significant because construction of the house by the Grande Ronde Valley Habitat for Humanity for the Boudreaus began in 1999 and the Boudreaus, despite life challenges, were able to keep the house and prosper.

The house was — as are all Habitat for Humanity projects — a joint effort between volunteers and contractors. Local Boy Scouts, for example, helped do the landscaping for the house.

The Boudreaus also logged more than 500 hours of work on the home, and by the end of 2000, their four-bedroom, two-bath home was ready.

Success in any endeavor can sometimes be hard to measure, but the story of the Boudreaus is one that should send a number of messages to the community.

One message, in particular, is that the Grande Ronde Valley Habitat for Humanity program works and functions as a way to get those who are struggling into their own home.

So far, the Grande Ronde Valley Habitat for Humanity has built homes for nine local families. Nine families may not seem like a lot, but the effects of helping those individuals move into home ownership will echo into the future for our community.

And, most of all, the Habitat for Humanity effort shines a spotlight on how people can band together to make a difference. In today’s world that simple concept — local people helping other local people — may seem quaint, but it isn’t.

Instead it is a pillar upon which our community can build on now and in the future.