Skiles family receives keys to their new home

Fulton County Habitat for Humanity presented keys to the Skiles family during a dedication ceremony Friday for its 18th home build. The organization's next two partner families joined in on the celebration.

A life-changing experience took place this weekend in Rochester, as a young couple and their four children moved into Fulton County Habitat for Humanity's 18th home build. 

Cameron and Aubrey Skiles were handed the keys to their new home at 1016 Monroe St. during a dedication ceremony Friday. They were to spend their first night in the home on Sunday.

A welcome message was shared by Fulton County Habitat for Humanity President Andrew Horstman to kick off the dedication. He congratulated the Skiles and introduced fellow Habitat members. He also introduced the organization's next two partner families. 

"We've never had this many families in the queue before," he pointed out. 

Former organization president Karmin Reeves, now working in family services for Habitat, had the pleasure of introducing the Skiles and their four children, Athena, 3, Waylon, 2, Maple, 1, and 4-month-old Harper. She invited guests to tour the home after the dedication, with snacks and refreshments provided. 

A litany of dedication was led by Habitat Secretary Ginger Slisher, followed by Habitat Family Selection Chair Marci Murphy presenting the family with a Bible. She first read from Proverbs 24:3-4: "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."

"I wasn't sure what I wanted to say, and I was going to try not to cry, but I'm so proud of you both for being so adult," Murphy told the Skiles. "This is going to change your lives for the better. You've got it figured out already, and I know you're going to be awesome and the kids are going to be able to grow in this house. I'm very proud of you, and I'm excited for the future. Good luck."

A prayer to bless the home and family was then led by Pastor Todd Rhymer before the keys were presented to the family by Habitat Building Chair Scott Zeyen. 

Zeyen noted at least a dozen volunteers were involved to bring the 1,352-square-foot home to fruition. For the first time, drywall work was handled by Rochester Homes, which has partnered with Habitat to set its last seven homes. Other local companies involved in the home build were LCB Enterprises, Gast Heating & Cooling and LG Concrete LLC. 

"It feels like a big ol' milestone out of the way," Cameron said after the dedication. "Habitat has helped us amazingly in life. This is a very big milestone that we probably could not do without that."

Aubrey noted they applied for a Habitat home in June 2023, saying, "At that point, we were like, 'How can we even buy a house? What are we going to do next?'"

After being selected, it's been all uphill from there, she said. 

The couple completed their sweat-equity hours working on their future home, from flooring, painting and shelving to gravel and insulation. They also put in a lot of hours for the Rochester Optimist Club. 

"This has been a big life change for us, for the best," Aubrey said. 

Cameron and Aubrey met during their high school years and began dating in September 2017. They had their first daughter, Athena, in January 2021, and they were married that September. They both continued with school and took some accelerated paths to finish. They both graduated high school to start off in a small rental, only to find out they were getting surprised with a baby boy, Waylon, in June 2022. 

Their house was getting pretty tight pretty quickly. Aubrey’s mom and bonus dad decided to let them live in their house until they found something bigger. They accepted, and her parents offered to move out while they saved and searched. It wasn’t long after moving in that they were joined by their third child, a baby girl named Maple in May 2023. That was when Habitat for Humanity came into their lives. They applied and began earning hours before they even knew they were approved. Baby Harper joined them in July 2024. 

They both attend Solid Rock Church in Rochester, and Cameron works at Braun.

Work is to start next spring on Fulton County Habitat for Humanity's 19th home at 529 W. Sixth St., Rochester.

Habitat Family Selection Chair Marci Murphy reads from a Bible presented to the family.

Pastor Todd Rhymer, at right, leads a prayer to bless the home and the Skiles family. 

Habitat Secretary Ginger Slisher, at left, leads a litany of dedication.


Pictured, from left: Front – Fulton County Habitat for Humanity Building Chair Scott Zeyen; Habitat Board Member Andrea Roe, Cameron and Aubrey Skiles; back – Habitat Board Member Eric Schlarf, Habitat President Andrew Horstman; Habitat Family Services Coordinator Karmin Reeves, Habitat Secretary Ginger Slisher and Habitat Family Selection Chair Marci Murphy.