A good cause to make dream houses come true

They carefully maneuvered through often too-narrow doors and into the lower level of the Franklin Institute yesterday morning, dodging occasional raindrops that could turn their model houses' marshmallow bricks to mush or cause paint to trickle down cardboard walls.

This seemingly endless procession of more than 500 fifth graders from public and private schools on both sides of the Delaware was not to honor King Tut, whose treasures temporarily fill the science museum's upper floors.

No, these were entries in the "Build a House . . . Build a Dream! Contest for Kids."

The competition has two goals: It is a fund-raiser for Delaware Valley Habitat for Humanity, which sells houses - no profit added, 0 percent interest - to families who complete 400 hours of sweat equity. And it is a way to "raise awareness of the local need for affordable, permanent housing for low-income families," said Vincent Powers, chairman of the organization's board.

Sonia Ortiz of Camden is very aware of that need, and of Habitat's efforts to meet it.

The single mother of four and grandmother of one has been on the road to a Habitat house since October and, as part of those hours of sweat equity, stood near the entrance, answering questions and directing contestants.

"I work in the customer-service department of Commerce Bank, so this is a perfect job for me," said Ortiz, who lives in a subsidized rental near Cooper Medical Center and expects to own her house in a year and a half.

As she watched, hundreds of fifth graders, siblings and parents squeezed into three overburdened conference rooms, checking to see if they were at the right tables and then repairing the parts of their models adversely affected by the trip from home to car to museum.

Robbie Esswein, a student at Gaynor Elementary School in Doylestown, didn't need to do much to get his house -a two-story log cabin - in order.

He had used a power nailer driven by an air compressor to build it. In case a visitor assumed that Dad or Mom might have had a hand in the work, a laptop was running a slide show of Robbie's power-tool expertise (and commitment to safety glasses).

"But your dad taught you how to use the tools?" the 11-year-old was asked.

"No, I pretty much taught myself," said Robbie, without missing a beat.

On the whole, there was little that could be described as traditional in the temporary community of model homes that sprouted over dozens of tables.

Even Noah Newton's "Pyramid Paradise," which could have been seen as a tribute to King Tut, came to a Plexiglas point, into which the Penn Wood Elementary School student from West Chester had moved furniture and a telescope for his bedroom.

As usual, the creations in this sixth annual competition reflected the dreams of their builders.

The home built by 10-year-old Dasha Vologina of Wallingford was a castle, and included a working elevator (a tissue box that could be moved up and down by hand) to bring her horse indoors.

Cody Larkin's "sports house" was ringed by race-car track made from pieces of asphalt roof shingles that could double, at reduced speed, as a driveway.

With just about every indoor and outdoor sport, not to mention big-screen televisions, filling the two floors, Cody had to relegate the hockey rink to an imaginary basement that might double as an indoor swimming pool after the season is over.

"I was thinking about keeping it frozen during the summer so you wouldn't have to spend money on air-conditioning the upper floors," said Cody, 10, a student at Coebourn Elementary School in Brookhaven, Delaware County.

At day's end, every contestant went away with some acknowledgment of his or her efforts. Some got prizes.

First place went to Grace Herr, a student at Gwynedd Mercy Academy Elementary in Spring House; second to Chase Standen of Culbertson Elementary School in Newtown Square; and third to Kara Swanick and Jessica Booth of St. Bernadette of Lourdes School in Drexel Hill.